When I do a search in windows 7 I cannot find any files, even though I do a search for a file i know exists (I can see the file in explorer).
The search query returns folders but not files.
Edit: I totally forgot that the drive I'm trying to do a search on is encrypted using TrueCrypt. If figured this out because when I tried to do a search on my system disk it works out fine, but not on the encrypted disk.
Within explorer check this setting:
Organize -> Folder and search Options -> Search Options -> Search -> What to search
(in addition to mindless.panda's answer)
The Windows Folder Search issue that files aren't found while folders are, lies in your indexing options. You have probably unchecked some or all file extensions. Since folders can't have extensions, they will always be found regardless of your index settings.
Control Panel » Indexing options » Advanced » File types
I for myself also disabled most of those extensions, so the Start Bar search will show only .exe and .lnk files (programs: yes, junk: not) and becomes usable again.
This leads to your issue where folder search can't be used the way before. To get the best of both worlds, disable the index only for folder search queries. Mindless.panda already showed a good start, but forgot to mention the exact option:
Go to Menu bar » Tools » Folder Options » Search and enable this option
With index Without index
(only one hit) (all possible hits)
are you searching for a system file? if you are you have to set the search settings to allow you to search for hidden and system files. otherwise when you search for system files it will now return in the search results.
