How Windows Search Indexing works

Windows Search Indexing is to search the document and other files of types from your system easily without searching the whole computer for the files. If the folder added or updated to the system index will make the search easier in Windows operating system.

Windows Indexing service will keep the file name, keywords, tag or then text found in a file or Email in order to search the files and emails.

By default Windows operating system will add the user's documents, Favorite folder, public folder and Emails messages. In order to add other folders, system volumes, some network folders, Email accounts and for a specific file formats you require administrator permission. Administrator can modify the settings for all the users using Group policy so that it will be applicable to all the users of the domain network.

System index will be updated once the whole computer is scanned once and it will updated the new files, email messages and other file types will be added to the System index this will happen when the system is ideal and it will take hours or days depends on your system files and directories, hard disk speed, settings of the indexer and other settings. Once the system index is updated then you can start the scan and it will be shown the results in seconds. Indexing software will monitor the system changes and for the new files and other changes will be updated to system index automatically.

Windows Index search was included in Windows 2000 and Content Search which is included until Windows XP was replaced with Windows Search Indexer in Windows Vista and it is continued in Windows 7. Windows 7 Indexing service will not be installed or it will not be configured by default.

Search index can will search for the complex queries and it can be accessed via a VB script or using a .net program to access the Indexing Service. Index is protected using access control list which is controlling the access permission of the data which is index. Access control list will ensure the security of the user files and information.

Windows Search includes know Windows files like Office documents, text files, Windows mail, Outlook files, web pages and other files types, PDF IFilter should be installed in order to find the PDF files. In order to find the outlook files you require outlook software should be installed in the system in order to find the outlook files and Emails. While the outlook is running then the System indexes will be updated automatically.

File searching can be done from Windows start menu, Windows Explorer.
If you are not searching your system frequently then by enabling the index for a drive it will slow down the system little bit because it will monitor the file changes in the system will occupy come memory in RAM. So if you want to disable the indexing service for a drive then you can disable it.

In order to disable the indexing for a hard disk drive select the drive and then right click on your hard disk drive and select Properties will show the property Window of the selected drive and at the bottom of the General unselect Index this drive for faster searching and click OK to remove the indexing for the specific drive.

Windows Index disable

In order to disable the complete indexing service for the system then open Run prompt by pressing Windows Key + R and type services.msc from the Run prompt and hit enter will open the system services and for Windows XP you need to search for Indexing Service and for Windows Vista and Windows 7 search for Windows Search and right click the mouse button on Windows Search and select properties and select Disabled for the Startup Type and click OK button to disable the service.

Windows indexing service

Any time you can enable the service by selecting the Automatic type will enable the service again

How Windows search indexing works

How Windows Search Indexing works

Post Comment: