Search Windows Start Menu

If you are experiencing problems with "Everything", post here for assistance.
Post Reply
roadcone
Posts: 7
Joined: Mon Dec 06, 2021 8:18 pm

Search Windows Start Menu

Post by roadcone »

On three laptops now, Windows 10 search has stopped. Neither the Start Menu nor the File Explorer searches work. I have run the Search and Index trouble-shooter very many times. Each time it tells me there is a problem and invites me to fix it - it fixes it (green tick) and before I can get to the search bar, it has turned itself off.

Everything does a sterling and fast job on the disks but I do miss being able to press the Windows key and search the menu for those items that I don't use very often so choose not to have cluttering up the Desktop. Is there any way I can have Everything search there?

Thank you.

Clive
void
Developer
Posts: 16751
Joined: Fri Oct 16, 2009 11:31 pm

Re: Search Windows Start Menu

Post by void »

Please try the EverythingToolbar - Everything deskband for the taskbar.


Consider setting a hotkey to bring up Everything:
  • In Everything, from the Tools menu, click Options.
  • Click the Keyboard tab on the left.
  • To the right of Show window Hotkey, press a new keyboard shortcut, eg: Ctrl + F12
  • Click OK.
roadcone
Posts: 7
Joined: Mon Dec 06, 2021 8:18 pm

Re: Search Windows Start Menu

Post by roadcone »

Hello Void Site Admin and thank you for your reply.

I have installed the deskband Everything installs in Program Files; EverythingToolbar installs in Program Files (x86) - is that correct?

But there is nothing to run and no settings I can find in Everything that connects it to Toolbar. I have enabled the W10 Searchbar in the Task Bar ... but ... I cannot type anything into this search bar. As I have said, neither search works, but maybe I did not explain it sufficiently. In File Explorer, the search pane appears but when I click on the search box it flickers dark grey for a moment and no cursor appears and I am unable to type anything in to it. Similarly, on the Task Bar search box, when I hover over it it highlights slightly to indicate I am in the correct place, I click once, the box then behaves variously: sometimes it just flickers, sometimes it does nothing, sometimes it goes black then white and the cursor appears momentarily before disappearing. No matter which, typed text does not appear in the search box.

I had already got a keyboard shortcut working nicely to call up Everything search box (Alt+F to complement Ctrl+F to find text on a page).

Have I installed or configured your toolbar incorrectly or is the problem more basic and within W10?

Regards

Clive
void
Developer
Posts: 16751
Joined: Fri Oct 16, 2009 11:31 pm

Re: Search Windows Start Menu

Post by void »

I did not develop the EverythingToolbar.

Try posting in the EverythingToolbar thread.
sometimes it just flickers, sometimes it does nothing, sometimes it goes black then white and the cursor appears momentarily before disappearing. No matter which, typed text does not appear in the search box.
Sounds like an issue with your Windows 10 install.
roadcone
Posts: 7
Joined: Mon Dec 06, 2021 8:18 pm

Re: Search Windows Start Menu

Post by roadcone »

Yes, _I_ am sure that it is and there are a lot of posts online about this issue, some current and some going back some years. This laptop was OK but ages ago an Asus encountered the problem. Then, ages later, a PC Specialist laptop (a Clevo) and now this one, which is my main one.

I have since sorted out the Toolbar issue. It shows as an additional Toolbar which has to be selected then dragged into position. In respect of its interface with Everything it is working very well.

However, unless I am missing something, it does not provide the same functionality as the Win Key + typing in text does (it does not explicitly search the menu). For example, Win Key followed by the text string calc finds the calculator in the menu and offers it as a clickable link to open (but not in my broken W10, of course). Using Everything or EverythingToolbar offers almost two boxes of finds, most of which are files whose name contains the text string 'calc'. Buried in there are four lines showing calc.exe. So on the face of it, Everything will provide a fabulous replacement for the broken File Explorer search, it will not provide an explicit menu search replacement.

Regards

Clive
roadcone
Posts: 7
Joined: Mon Dec 06, 2021 8:18 pm

Re: Search Windows Start Menu

Post by roadcone »

Trying out Windows 11 on another laptop. Everything works fine but W11 does not support additional toolbars so EverythingToolbar won't work and I have found no way to add it to the Taskbar. Ho Hum!
horst.epp
Posts: 1447
Joined: Fri Apr 04, 2014 3:24 pm

Re: Search Windows Start Menu

Post by horst.epp »

roadcone wrote: Tue Dec 07, 2021 6:10 pm Trying out Windows 11 on another laptop. Everything works fine but W11 does not support additional toolbars so EverythingToolbar won't work and I have found no way to add it to the Taskbar. Ho Hum!
To solve this install the tool StartAllBack (only a few euros).
It fixes many Windows 11 problems with the taskbar
and allows the manual install of the Toolbar without any problems.
roadcone
Posts: 7
Joined: Mon Dec 06, 2021 8:18 pm

Re: Search Windows Start Menu

Post by roadcone »

I am really not ungrateful for the latest suggestion, but I've passed the point of 'down the rabbit hole' on this problem.

I can't search on W10 so have to install a replacement search app. That app does not enable me to use the taskbar search so I have to install a support app. That app does not work on W11 so I have to install an enabling app. I seem to be losing sight of the original problem.

And now I know that the PCS laptop that exhibited the original search failure when it had W10 installed faithfully recreates the problem on W11. I have no idea what MS is playing at! Maybe they have shares in voidtools!!

Clive
Post Reply