Re: Searching shared folders from Vista clients

Tech-Archive recommends: Repair Windows Errors & Optimize Windows Performance

In order to search within the text of PDF files, you need the PDF ifilter from Adobe. An installation of the latest version of Reader will include it. Adobe has had some security issues in older Reader versions, even recent ones, that are supposed to be fixed in the current download. Alternatively, you could search their site and see if the PDF ifilter is available as a separate download.

In the Explorer window displaying the search results, click Organize -> Layout and turn on the preview pane. I'm getting previews of PDFs but not Office files - no idea why, but I wonder if it's because I'm using Office 2003 on this PC. I'll check at home to see if I can preview Office files with 2007.


"Charles" <Charles@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote in message news:FEFB1453-646A-4F63-B675-E342F3157EB9@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Thanks Dave
Ok, I was able to remote-query the indexed shared folders from a vista
client. Two problems though: 1) I don't think the PDFs are indexed with full
content (only names of folders/files); 2) search results are not ranked by
relevance and cannot be previewed, which makes the output not very usable. On
those two counts, so far, we get a lesser experience that we had with the old
Windows Indexing Service + Aim at file.

I will continue researching the issue and will report further results

"Dave Nickason [SBS MVP]" wrote:

My understanding is that you just have to configure it so that the
appropriate files are indexed, and then the Vista PC will automatically
search the remote index. If you're researching, it's called "remote query."
And, if you try it, it would be great if you'd post back your results. I
use it at home with my WHS, but I've got so little data on there it's
difficult to tell if Search 4 is making a difference in search performance
or not.

See this:

Windows Search 4.0 Administrator's Guide
http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/cc772446.aspx


"Charles" <Charles@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote in message
news:89DE453B-BAE5-4B13-8E8D-B1259B92D8A7@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
>I see, thanks Cliff.
> Dave, just to make sure: is there something specific to be done on the
> server side of Search 4 so that the index can be queried by the > clients?
> What
> about "UNC location" for example? Also, does Search 4 index PDF content
> with
> the default settings?
>
> "Cliff Galiher" wrote:
>
>> Vista came with the equivalent of search 3. Search 4 will be >> integrated
>> in
>> Vista SP2, but right now is still a standalone .msu.
>>
>> Just an FYI. :)
>>
>>
>> -Cliff
>>
>>
>> "Dave Nickason [SBS MVP]" <gwdibble@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote in
>> message
>> news:uZvdnk#qJHA.4996@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
>> > I think Search 4 came with Vista or installed with a Vista update.
>> > I've
>> > given up trying to figure out how to tell which version is >> > installed.
>> > Anyway, if you just open the share in an Explorer window, the search
>> > bar
>> > at the top right should search the index on the server or remote PC.
>> > Just
>> > make sure Search on the server is configured appropriately.
>> >
>> >
>> > "Charles" <Charles@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote in message
>> > news:031C69A5-BEFB-4E86-8607-4946BFB028C4@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
>> >>
>> >> thanks Susan and Dave
>> >> Susan: this does not work for me. I can search a mapped drive, but >> >> not
>> >> with
>> >> the index -- so it basically takes hours. And I can't add a mapped
>> >> drive
>> >> to
>> >> the list of folders to be indexed by the client's own indexing >> >> engine
>> >>
>> >> Dave: sounds perfect. In fact I think that WS 4 is already >> >> installed
>> >> on
>> >> the
>> >> server (must have been through Windows update). I just tried to
>> >> install
>> >> it on
>> >> one of the vista clients, but I get the strange message that the
>> >> "upgrade" is
>> >> not needed. I will try again and will report the results
>> >> "Dave Nickason [SBS MVP]" wrote:
>> >>
>> >>> Have you tried Windows Search 4? If you install it on the SBS, >> >>> any
>> >>> client
>> >>> PC with version 4 will then automatically search the index on the >> >>> SBS
>> >>> from
>> >>> an Explorer window open to the share. If you're happy with the
>> >>> results,
>> >>> this is a really simple, no-cost solution.
>> >>>
>> >>> You will probably need to install Adobe Reader on the SBS to get >> >>> the
>> >>> best
>> >>> results when searching PDFs.
>> >>>
>> >>> "Charles" <Charles@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote in message
>> >>> news:26C510E0-50A8-48B4-B335-5E6A770A9C12@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
>> >>> > We have SBS 2003 SP2 with 5 vista clients and 2 XP clients
>> >>> >
>> >>> > We have tons of documents (Office, PDFs) on our shared folders >> >>> > and
>> >>> > need an
>> >>> > efficient method for searching them, with search results ranked >> >>> > by
>> >>> > relevance.
>> >>> >
>> >>> > We don't have any problems with XP clients: we use a very
>> >>> > convenient
>> >>> > little
>> >>> > client application called "Aim at file" that queries the >> >>> > server's
>> >>> > catalogue
>> >>> > (built with Windows Indexing Service on the server, including
>> >>> > PDFs))
>> >>> > from
>> >>> > each XP client. Aim at file ranks results and even offers a >> >>> > preview
>> >>> > of
>> >>> > the
>> >>> > documents. So far so good.
>> >>> >
>> >>> > Problem; we have been unable to use Aim at file with Vista
>> >>> > clients --
>> >>> > it
>> >>> > apparently is incompatible, or something in Vista blocks the >> >>> > index
>> >>> > queries
>> >>> > going to the server catalogue.
>> >>> >
>> >>> > What solutions exist for efficiently searching shared folders >> >>> > from
>> >>> > Vista
>> >>> > clients, preferably relying on the existing server catalogue?
>> >>> > Thanks,
>> >>> > Charles
>> >>> >
>> >>> >
>> >>> >
>> >>>
>> >>>
>> >
>>



.

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