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The Search feature in Windows Vista has two dirty secrets. First, Vista doesn't index every file on your PC. Although that keeps your searches fast, it also means you may not be able to retrieve a particular file.
Second, Vista's index deteriorates with age, just like a rusty car. This article shows you how to solve both problems.
Adding places to Vista's index
Vista indexes the files it thinks you need: everything in your Documents, Pictures, and Music folders, your e-mail, your Contacts, and more. But many people store important files elsewhere, out of the index's reach. Perhaps you've plugged an external hard drive into your PC. Or maybe you store some important files on a networked PC in the other room.
 | You must own an Administrator account to add different folders to the index. The administrator controls the entire computer, deciding who gets to use it and what each user can do on it. On a computer running Windows Vista, the owner usually holds the almighty Administrator account. He or she then sets up accounts for each household member and decides what they can and can't do with the PC. |
Follow these steps to add those places to the index's usual stomping grounds.
1. Open the Start menu and choose Control Panel.
The Control Panel, Vista's bundle of switches and options, appears in a window.
2. Open the Indexing Options window.
On some PCs, you may have to click the System and Maintenance icon first. The Indexing Options window appears, listing the number of indexed files, and the folders it indexes.
3. Click the Modify button.
The Indexed Locations window appears, letting you pick and choose which areas of your hard drive should be indexed.
Note: Only Administrators may see or change indexed locations. If you hold a less mighty account, you must click a Show All Locations button and enter an Administrator account holder's password to see all the locations.
4. Select the areas you want to index and then click OK.
Vista refers to external hard drives and thumbdrives as "removable disks." So, to make Vista index a particular folder on your F drive, click the little downward-pointing arrow next to the F drive's name. The folder names tumble beneath the drive's name.
To add a single folder to the index, click the box next to its name. To add the entire drive's contents, click the box next to the drive's name.
When you click OK, Vista adds that location to the index, a process that may take from minutes to hours depending on the number of files.
Rebuilding the index
When Vista's Search feature slows down considerably or doesn't seem to find files you know are in the pile, try Vista to rebuild the index from scratch.
 | Vista's kind enough to re-create its index in the background while you keep working, but to avoid slowing down your PC for several hours, consider sending the rebuild command in the evening. That way, Vista can toil while you sleep, ensuring that you'll have a complete index the next morning. |
Follow these steps to rebuild your index:
1. Open the Start menu and click the Control Panel.
The Control Panel appears in a window.
2. Open the Indexing Options icon.
Don't spot it? Click the System and Maintenance icon to reveal the Indexing Options icon.
3. Click the Advanced button and then click the Rebuild button.
Vista warns you that rebuilding the index takes a long time.
4. Click OK.
Vista begins indexing anew, waiting until it's finished with the new index before it deletes the old one.
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