Windows XP is just PATHETIC!

Man, Windows XP is just "SO BAD" that it's just not funny anymore.

I'm struggling (as ever) with something incredibly simple, I'm trying to search for strings in file.

Basically I'm trying to find a function in some of my old code so I've right clicked on the directory and typed in the word I want to find, simple huh? Well no not at all, it's not finding any searches.

I worked it out though.
Ok, Try this, create a blank directory and in it make a txt file with something inside it.
I recommend putting in something appropriate like:-

"WINDOWS XP IS @#!*ING GAY"

Then save.
Now create another file with the same expression and save it as something else, .rtf, .c, etc. Now search for one of the words you just wrote. It will *ONLY* find the words in a txt file.

This doesn't happen on Win98, in which the word will be found in 'all files and folders' like it's meant too.
So I type in words like "Next" and "For" into my blitz directory and I got a big fat 0 results found. DUH!

Can anyone else tell me how to get this most basic of functions to work properly in XTRA PANTS!

Obviously that stupid dancing dog (which I've already turned off) is taking up the space where the actual searching code is.

I give up! :'(

I have win98 and didn't even know it has the capability of searching for strings in files. Does it? I dunno. :P

Have you tried www.annoyances.org ?

Also, before anybody states the invitable, I will say my response so that nobody bothers:
Yes, let's all switch to the operating system where the entire graphical user interface is similar to the "stupid dancing dog."

Ah, but that feature was removed from XP for a reason - I forget what it was - but there was a valid reason.

Not sure if somebody has pointed this out.

Uh? Where the hell is this search feature in win98, then?

No there wasn't.

ENAY - Use Directory Opus instead of Windows Explorer. It works.

yeah the search for strings in text files was removed but can be added back in with some kind registry tweak or something. I did it. Keep searching.

Bwa-ha-ha!!! I haven't been online for a week and now a see this topic - welcome to my world! I'm strugglin with XP every day! It is gay and it is bad. No other version of windows made me say that (but other people said it all the time!), but this one does.
Welcome to the real world...

I use an application called EF Find, costs a few quid but gets the job done!

I really like XP :)

I've been using Directory Opus so long I've forgotten all the things I take for granted every day that XP just can't do all by itself...

...searching for text within (any textual) files among them.

Another thumbs up from me.

XP is the schizznal. Vista is going to be even better. :)

If you want to use that in XP you need to change some keys. It has always been there but you need to add further types for it if you want to use it. There are tools capable of doing it, so its not like you would need to remember the registry keys ;-)

There was a reason - I know stuff.

Try this program for searching instead of XP's search function:

Agent Ransack

I practically don't use any of the functions of XP except actually running the applications because I use Total Commander all the time! And it still sucks much more than any windows before it! Even more than ME (Granted it never was usable for any long perioud of time without crashing so it's hard to tell, but I still think XP is the worst windows yet, screw security and the rest of NT leftover crap - I want my os to do what it's supposed to be doing!)

Another good reason to use UltraEdit as your IDE. It's "Find in Files" functionality is great.

Perl or Python

OSS rules for stuff like this.

what Tonyg wrote will work, although the means of getting to the screen is different then I remember.

Yes it is annoying that they turned it off and made it hard to figure out how to turn it back on again. An option button on the search screen would have been helpful.

I'm sure that MS removed it for your 'convenience', as to not 'confuse' you with files that non-computer savvy people wouldn't know how to handle.

It also gives the impression that it's "fast", since it can now ignore a large number of files that are less likely to produce the result you 'probably' were looking for.

Congratulations, you just discovered the result of what happens when you create an operating system for the lowest common demoninator.

(Computers that do what they think you probably want to do rather than what you tell them to do -- don't you just love it?)

The Operating System's job is to give your applications a stable environment in which to run. Windows XP does its job nicely. Anything else is window dressing.

.

:)
(Nobody will ever know...)

Google desktop, and if it doesn't find it, you can teach it how to.

XP is starting to annoy me. Windows messenger will keep starting up no matter what I uncheck/change. And it can't be uninstalled through Add/Remove and the damn firewall keeps asking if i want to unblock Empire at War when I go to play multiplayer - no matter how many times I unblock it it will keep asking me, which kinda ruins the games.

Did you try to uninstall it through 'Add/Remove Windows Components' on the XP disc?

Dabz

Enay - why not simply search for *.bb

Then look at the files listed and their directories - and figure out from that which is the one you want.

Alternatively bung all the listed files into a directory and include them all in one hell of a big bb file.

Then search internally inside blitz.

Nah just re-write the function I reckon it would be easier in the long run.

IPete2.

to disable MSN messenger, click start, run, type msconfig<return>, click startup and untick msmsgs

to disable the windows messenger service, go to Start->All programs->administrative tools->services and stop the service from there and tell it never to start again (although I believe this is disabled in SP2 by default)

Enay: to add .bb files to XP search, create a .reg file with the following:

Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00

[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\.bb]
@="bbfile"
"PerceivedType"="text"
"Content Type"="text/plain"

[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\.bb\PersistentHandler]
@="{5e941d80-bf96-11cd-b579-08002b30bfeb}"

and then double click it.

(or manually add those entries to the registry).

On the one hand you have PC's which require a high level of technical knowledge and competency just to maintain and preserve it's performance and functionality from repeated spyware attacks, and in-depth user knowledge to configure the operating system to do things properly.

On the other hand you have Apple's OSX operating system which require no knowledge at all, is pretty safe from spyware, and resolves the configurability issue by deciding what options and configuration you should have and not letting you change them.

You could of course learn Linux, where even more technical knowledge is required just to install, and there's no technical support from any software provider (if you can find software for it in the first instance) anywhere...

The devil you know, or the devil you dont? I've given up complaining about Windows as there's nobody listening to shout at.

Top post Banshe.
I thing it's time to move to Linux.
Too much reading...

Hello.

Am I missing something? The search function in XP has an option to search for 'a word or phrase in a file' and comes up trumps with any file type (of a text based nature, eg, .asp, .bb, etc). Ok, I'm going through the search option on the start menu, but is that such a chore?

What's the problem?

Goodbye.

In 98 you could search ALL files for a phrase inc. exes and stuff in XP it's only text based files unless you apply some kinda registry tweak. I found this out about a year ago when looking for a function name in a dll.

Hello.

Ah. But that doesn't sound like what the cheese-monger wants to do. It sounds like he's searching for a text file of some description.

Goodbye.

No, he's looking for a bb file that contains a function he wants.

just came across this, seems to be what you're on about.

http://h3x0r.ath.cx/download.php?view.32

Im not sure if a computer operating system should or even can be classified as 'gay', whether happy or having homosexual tendencies, I've yet to notice any evidence of emotion or sexuality in my computer. Maybe that's just another Microsoft bug.

Anyway, Yeah...

hmm, yet soggyP said the search works in bb files. I'm confused as I thought that it didn't work in non-"basic" files like text, html etc.

This link seems to explain it and point to a MS fix:

http://www.maxpc.co.uk/tips/default.asp?pagetypeid=2&articleid=5870&subsectionid=719

I'm seeing evidences of emotion in my computer everyday. It's too obvious it hates me. Real bad.

The most crappy thing XP ever did to me was it failed to boot after installing Corel Draw 7, then... I read on the web a simple fix to do in the recovery console (on the XP CD). I found out that my XP CD was actually a manufacturer's restore CD which formats and restores so I couldn't use that. I asked a mate for an XP disk to use and said can he make 100% sure it's not a restore CD, and he claimed he did this. So I popped it in my PC and boot from it and it all looks OK, blue screen loads up etc then all of a sudden with no prompting from me it says "Formatting C:" OMG, with some kinda ninja like reflexives I hit the reset button but it wouldn't boot at all arg!!! Got a real XP disk but couldn't recover the boot partition. So finally had to do a full install on another harddrive and use GetBack NTFS to recover all my files (luckily they were intact). It's just that a full install inc. all drivers, applications, Internet settings, preferences etc is a massive and boring chore as many of you know I'm sure. Backup? weel I had one but erased it by accident, that's another story. All this cos XP failed to boot after an old piece of software (that worked on 98) was installed on it!!!

Now it works I like it though.

Nobody tell GA about safe mode, it'll break his heart...

Nah it didn't work in that too (or any of the other various modes). Been using safe mode since 95 too my dear.

My XP paperweighted itself after first installing SP2 -- it would show the XP logo, and then reboot itself without error. Rinse & Repeat.

Safe mode, last known good config, etc. wouldn't work either.

Of course best of all is that I had tried to play it safe by waiting a few weeks before installing it. No one else I knew had any problems, so I figured I should go for it. *sigh*.

At least now I have a Ghosted copy of my current install, should such a thing happen again.

same happened on my mum's Laptop. Turns out SP2 was not compatible with the Celeron with certain stepping she had installed UN-F*CK*NG BELIEVABLE but true. I had to flash the BIOS to make it XP compatible.

I had to reinstall XP from scratch, and SP2 worked just fine on the fresh install. No idea what threw it off the first time.