xp tutorial 6 new perspectives on microsoft windows xp 1 microsoft windows xp searching for...

New Perspectives on Microsoft Windows XP

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Tutorial 6

Microsoft Windows XP

Searching for Information

Tutorial 6


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Search Strategies

• As you install programs and store data on your computer, the number of files and folders you have increases

• Use the Search tool to find any kind of file• The Search tool provides many options that help you

define and narrow your search so you can quickly find one or more files

• The Search Companion in Windows XP guides you through your search, offering options that change depending on your search strategy


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Search Strategies

• Search by:– Filename: provide all or part of the filename

– Keyword: provide text that appears in the file’s content

– Location: identify the drive or folder containing the file

– Date: specify a date or range of dates when files were created, modified, or accessed

– Size: specify the size of the files

– Type: identify the file type, such as .doc or .bmp


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The Search Companion Pane in the Search Results Window


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Search Companion Options

• Search options:– Pictures, music, or video

– Documents (word processing, spreadsheets, etc.)

– All files and folders

– Computers or people

– Information in Help and Support Center

– Search the Internet

– Change Preferences


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Search Criteria

• All or part of the filename• A word or phrase in the file• Look in• When was it modified?• What size is it?• More advanced options


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Searching for a File by Name and Location

• Any letter or words you type to define the search are called a search string.

• Effective search strings– Use the root of your search word as your criterion

• Topic: education• Search string: “educ”• Finds: education, educational issues, educators, etc.


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Searching for a File by Name

• Click the Start button and then click Search• In the Search Companion, click All files and folders• In the All or part of the filename text box, type the

complete filename or a word or phrase the filename contains

• Click the Look in lost arrow, and then click the drive or folder you want to search, or click My Computer to select all the drives on your computer

• Click the Search button in the Search Companion pane


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Searching for a File by Name


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Opening a File Located by Search

• Double-click the file you wish to open in the right pane of the Search Results window


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Using Wildcards

• Wildcards are characters hat you can substitute for all or part of a filename in a search string

• Search recognizes two wildcards– The asterisk wildcard stands in place of any

number of consecutive characters in a filename– The question mark is used to select files when one

character in the filename varies


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Finding Files by Keyword

• A keyword is a search string contained anywhere in a file

• The Search Companion searches through the entire text of every file to find the keyword

• Searching by keyword can be time-consuming

• You can speed the search process by using the Indexing Service to index a disk


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Searching for Files in a Specific Folder

• Start Search and then click All files and folders in the Search Companion pane

• Click the Look in list arrow

• Click Browse at the bottom of the list

• In the Browse for Folder dialog box, click the plus box next to the drive containing the folder you want to search


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Searching for Files in a Specific Folder

• If the folder is in the root directory of the drive, click the folder icon. If the folder is a subfolder, navigate to the appropriate folder

• Click OK and then click the Search button in the Search Companion pane


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Refining a Search

• You can locate a file using criteria other than the filename or contents– By Date– By Type– By Size– Using Multiple Criteria


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Saving Search Settings

• In the Search Results window, click File on the menu bar, and then click Save Search

• Click the Save in list arrow, and then select the location you wish to save to

• In the File name text box, type the name you wish to save your search as, and then click the Save button


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Searching for Information on the Internet

• A search service is a Web site that helps you find information on the Internet

• A search engine searches through Internet documents and compiles a list of Web pages– MSN– Yahoo– Google


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Popular Search Services

• AltaVista

• Ask Jeeves

• Direct Hit

• Google

• HotBot

• MSN

• Northern Light

• Yahoo!


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Searching for Web Pages with the Search Companion

• Make sure you are connected to the Internet

• Click the Start button on the taskbar, and then click Search. In the Search Companion pane, click Search the Internet

• In the Search Companion pane text box, type the text you wish to search for and then click the Search button


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Searching for Web Pages with the Search Companion


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Searching for People on the Internet

• You can also use the Search tool to search for information on the Internet about specific people

• Click the Start button on the taskbar, and then click Search

• In the Search Companion pane, click Search the Internet, type find a person’s address in the What are you looking for? text box, and then click the Search button


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• In the Search Companion pane, click Find contact information for a person

• Fill in the person’s first name, last name, city, and state, and then click the Search button


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Searching for a Map

• Start the Search tool and then click Search the Internet

• In the Search Companion, type find a map and then click the Search button

• In the Search Companion pane, click Find a map of a place

• Enter your address, city, and country in the appropriate text boxes

• Click the Search button


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Searching for a Map


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Changing Search Preferences

• You can customize the way the Search tool finds information and the appearance of the Search Companion pane itself

• Another feature you can customize is the search engine the Search tool uses to search the Internet

• To change search preferences, click the Start button on the taskbar, and then click Search

• In the Search Companion pane, click Change preferences


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Changing Search Preferences


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Search Preference Options

• With or without an animated screen character• With a different character• With or without the Indexing Service• Change files and folders search behavior• Change Internet search behavior• Show or don’t show balloon tips• Turn AutoComplete off or on