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In Excel, the only problem you can encounter in opening a document from the Open dialog box is locating the filename. Everything's fine as long as you can see the workbook filename listed in Open dialog box or know which folder to open in order to display it. But what about those times when a file seems to have mysteriously migrated and is now nowhere to be found on your computer?
Unfortunately, the Open dialog box in Excel 2007 when running under Windows XP doesn't have a search feature built into it. This means that to search for missing workbooks, you have to do it outside of Excel by using the Windows XP's search feature.
To use the Windows search feature to find an Excel workbook, follow these steps:
1. Click the Start button on the Windows XP taskbar and then click Search in the right column of the Search menu.
Windows opens a Search Results dialog box.
2. Click the Documents (Word Processing, Spreadsheets, Etc.) link in the left panel of the Search Results dialog box.
3. (Optional) If you know the last time the workbook file was modified, click the appropriate option button (Within Last Week, Past Month, or Within the Past Year).
If you haven't the slightest idea the last time the workbook was edited, leave the Don't Remember option button selected.
4. Click the All or Part of the Document Name text box and then type the filename or the part of the name that you're sure of.
Type an asterisk (*) for multiple missing characters and a question mark (?) for single missing characters that you can't supply in the workbook filename such as Budget*.xls?, for which Budget 1-2005.xlsx and Budget 2-2005.xls are both matches.
5. (Optional) To search for the workbook on a particular hard drive or folder or by a phrase or name entered in the spreadsheets in the file, click the Use Advanced Search Options link and then enter contents to search for in the workbook in the Word or Phrase in the Workbook text, change the location to search Look In as well as any other of the advanced options that help narrow the search.
Note that if you don't know the workbook filename but you do know the size, a key phrase or name it contains, just enter the appropriate advanced search criteria, leaving the All or Part of the Document Name text box blank.
6. After you finish specifying all your search criteria, click the Search button to have Windows XP begin searching for the workbook file.
After you click Search, Windows displays all the workbook files that match your search criteria in the list box on the right side of the Search Results dialog box. When you locate the workbook file you want to edit in Excel, right-click its file icon and filename and then click Open on the shortcut menu or simply double-click it.
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