start search may do more than think

Lots of replies in this ng have been to "open the Run box and then type (command)." Good advice but did you know that typing (command) directly in the Start Search textbox does the same thing in most cases, saving you a step?
When you see the grey text "Start Search" in the box, think "Start Search or Run Command."
Try it with your favorite system tool. Click Start and then enter your command in the Start Search box. Try, for example, "msconfig". Instead of searching for the folder containing the tool, the tool just runs.
There are some quirks that are system specific. For example, I tried out a program called "Smart Go" on my Vista x64 system. It installed but would not activate. I left it on the system. Now if I type 'ver' in Start Search I get the Smart Go installer instead of the expected version info box. Go figure, so to speak.
Enjoy.

There are a few times where this may not work completely, but for the most part it works. The main thing that I see that doesn't work is "appwiz" works in the "Run..." box, but you need "appwiz.cpl" in the Start Menu search box. It's a great tip. Some stuff is the opposite though, as you need "services.msc" in the "Run..." box but just "services" works in the Start Menu. ---------- Mark Dietz PROnetworks <http://www.pro-networks.org>
Colin Barnhorst wrote:

Lots of replies in this ng have been to "open the Run box and then type (command)." Good advice but did you know that typing (command) directly in the Start Search textbox does the same thing in most cases, saving you a step?
When you see the grey text "Start Search" in the box, think "Start Search or Run Command."
Try it with your favorite system tool. Click Start and then enter your command in the Start Search box. Try, for example, "msconfig". Instead of searching for the folder containing the tool, the tool just runs.
There are some quirks that are system specific. For example, I tried out a program called "Smart Go" on my Vista x64 system. It installed but would not activate. I left it on the system. Now if I type 'ver' in Start Search I get the Smart Go installer instead of the expected version info box. Go figure, so to speak.
Enjoy.

I aplaud Colin's consistent unselfish excellent high quality help here and in several other groups. I learn a lot of excellent info. It's also a great function of the groups that people post tips in them. I'm going to put everything but the kitchen sink into that search box, still wrestling with how much search and indexing to allow to run "CPU-wise" including MSN's ancillary search which seems to be more and more integrated.
I have to work with this search box more, and also I think it will yield more info as well when Help gets fleshed out because remember Help comes from a web server at MSFT now and it's still a work in progress and help seems to have a relationship with the search box even when you search the computer.
When I use run though, I don't have to go get it. If you right click the taskbar>toolbars>address>unlock the taskbar that address bar in your taskbar will do double duty as a run box or you can hit the win key +R (not case senseitive) and have run in front of you in one motion. You could of course shortcut run or about anything else and drag anywhere, but that would still be a click to open.
One of the driving forces has to be the acqusition of Dr. Gary Flake by MSFT a Ph. D. who came used to head Yahoo Search and was brought on at MSFT as one of their Distinguished Science Apointments. Coupled with MSFT's acquisition of Rakesh Agrawal, who is credited with creating data mining, from IBM one would hope that this kind of star power in their Search labs will trickle down to the humble desktop and small business users. If I were running and planning enterprise IT I'd be excited about this.
Data-mining pioneer Rakesh Agrawal joins Microsoft http://news.com.com/2100-1022_3-6072321.html
MSN Hires Dr. Gary Flake http://blogs.msdn.com/livesearch/archive/2005/04/12/407637.aspx
A Conversation about Microsoft Ray Ozzie, Yusuf Mehdi & Gary FlakeThree Microsoft Visionaries http://www.itconversations.com/shows/detail843.html
CH
"Colin Barnhorst" wrote in message

Lots of replies in this ng have been to "open the Run box and then type (command)." Good advice but did you know that typing (command) directly in the Start Search textbox does the same thing in most cases, saving you a step?
When you see the grey text "Start Search" in the box, think "Start Search or Run Command."
Try it with your favorite system tool. Click Start and then enter your command in the Start Search box. Try, for example, "msconfig". Instead of searching for the folder containing the tool, the tool just runs.
There are some quirks that are system specific. For example, I tried out a program called "Smart Go" on my Vista x64 system. It installed but would not activate. I left it on the system. Now if I type 'ver' in Start Search I get the Smart Go installer instead of the expected version info box. Go figure, so to speak.
Enjoy.

Thanks for your kind comment and for carrying the topic forward with more great stuff.
"Chad Harris" wrote in message

I aplaud Colin's consistent unselfish excellent high quality help here and in several other groups. I learn a lot of excellent info. It's also a great function of the groups that people post tips in them. I'm going to put everything but the kitchen sink into that search box, still wrestling with how much search and indexing to allow to run "CPU-wise" including MSN's ancillary search which seems to be more and more integrated.
I have to work with this search box more, and also I think it will yield more info as well when Help gets fleshed out because remember Help comes from a web server at MSFT now and it's still a work in progress and help seems to have a relationship with the search box even when you search the computer.
When I use run though, I don't have to go get it. If you right click the taskbar>toolbars>address>unlock the taskbar that address bar in your taskbar will do double duty as a run box or you can hit the win key +R (not case senseitive) and have run in front of you in one motion. You could of course shortcut run or about anything else and drag anywhere, but that would still be a click to open.
One of the driving forces has to be the acqusition of Dr. Gary Flake by MSFT a Ph. D. who came used to head Yahoo Search and was brought on at MSFT as one of their Distinguished Science Apointments. Coupled with MSFT's acquisition of Rakesh Agrawal, who is credited with creating data mining, from IBM one would hope that this kind of star power in their Search labs will trickle down to the humble desktop and small business users. If I were running and planning enterprise IT I'd be excited about this.
Data-mining pioneer Rakesh Agrawal joins Microsoft http://news.com.com/2100-1022_3-6072321.html
MSN Hires Dr. Gary Flake http://blogs.msdn.com/livesearch/archive/2005/04/12/407637.aspx
A Conversation about Microsoft Ray Ozzie, Yusuf Mehdi & Gary FlakeThree Microsoft Visionaries http://www.itconversations.com/shows/detail843.html
CH
"Colin Barnhorst" wrote in message Lots of replies in this ng have been to "open the Run box and then type (command)." Good advice but did you know that typing (command) directly in the Start Search textbox does the same thing in most cases, saving you a step?
When you see the grey text "Start Search" in the box, think "Start Search or Run Command."
Try it with your favorite system tool. Click Start and then enter your command in the Start Search box. Try, for example, "msconfig". Instead of searching for the folder containing the tool, the tool just runs.
There are some quirks that are system specific. For example, I tried out a program called "Smart Go" on my Vista x64 system. It installed but would not activate. I left it on the system. Now if I type 'ver' in Start Search I get the Smart Go installer instead of the expected version info box. Go figure, so to speak.
Enjoy.

Do you think these odd differences are bugs or are you figuring out some logic to the exceptions?
"Mark Dietz" wrote in message

There are a few times where this may not work completely, but for the most part it works. The main thing that I see that doesn't work is "appwiz" works in the "Run..." box, but you need "appwiz.cpl" in the Start Menu search box. It's a great tip. Some stuff is the opposite though, as you need "services.msc" in the "Run..." box but just "services" works in the Start Menu. ---------- Mark Dietz PROnetworks <http://www.pro-networks.org
Colin Barnhorst wrote: Lots of replies in this ng have been to "open the Run box and then type (command)." Good advice but did you know that typing (command) directly in the Start Search textbox does the same thing in most cases, saving you a step?
When you see the grey text "Start Search" in the box, think "Start Search or Run Command."
Try it with your favorite system tool. Click Start and then enter your command in the Start Search box. Try, for example, "msconfig". Instead of searching for the folder containing the tool, the tool just runs.
There are some quirks that are system specific. For example, I tried out a program called "Smart Go" on my Vista x64 system. It installed but would not activate. I left it on the system. Now if I type 'ver' in Start Search I get the Smart Go installer instead of the expected version info box. Go figure, so to speak.
Enjoy.

I'm not sure what the reasoning is for the oddities. My guess is that it has to do with the content that is indexed. Since the search box looks only at stuff that is indexed, you need the full filename for some stuff. In the run box, it will open the first file it finds in the system32 folder with the given name if whatever is entered doesn't have a file extension. Since services.exe comes before services.msc, that would likely explain the reasoning there. I'm not really sure what might truly be causing these things though. ---------- Mark Dietz PROnetworks <http://www.pro-networks.org>
Colin Barnhorst wrote:

Do you think these odd differences are bugs or are you figuring out some logic to the exceptions?
"Mark Dietz" wrote in message There are a few times where this may not work completely, but for the most part it works. The main thing that I see that doesn't work is "appwiz" works in the "Run..." box, but you need "appwiz.cpl" in the Start Menu search box. It's a great tip. Some stuff is the opposite though, as you need "services.msc" in the "Run..." box but just "services" works in the Start Menu. ---------- Mark Dietz PROnetworks <http://www.pro-networks.org
Colin Barnhorst wrote: Lots of replies in this ng have been to "open the Run box and then type (command)." Good advice but did you know that typing (command) directly in the Start Search textbox does the same thing in most cases, saving you a step?
When you see the grey text "Start Search" in the box, think "Start Search or Run Command."
Try it with your favorite system tool. Click Start and then enter your command in the Start Search box. Try, for example, "msconfig". Instead of searching for the folder containing the tool, the tool just runs.
There are some quirks that are system specific. For example, I tried out a program called "Smart Go" on my Vista x64 system. It installed but would not activate. I left it on the system. Now if I type 'ver' in Start Search I get the Smart Go installer instead of the expected version info box. Go figure, so to speak.
Enjoy.

Good thought. It may be a larger issue than that though because I have a third party installer that has bumped ahead of a system tool in x64. According to the dev the system32 folder would not be in play. When I enter the name of the tool I get the installer for SmartGo instead. Bugged it, of course.
"Mark Dietz" wrote in message

I'm not sure what the reasoning is for the oddities. My guess is that it has to do with the content that is indexed. Since the search box looks only at stuff that is indexed, you need the full filename for some stuff. In the run box, it will open the first file it finds in the system32 folder with the given name if whatever is entered doesn't have a file extension. Since services.exe comes before services.msc, that would likely explain the reasoning there. I'm not really sure what might truly be causing these things though. ---------- Mark Dietz PROnetworks <http://www.pro-networks.org
Colin Barnhorst wrote: Do you think these odd differences are bugs or are you figuring out some logic to the exceptions?
"Mark Dietz" wrote in message There are a few times where this may not work completely, but for the most part it works. The main thing that I see that doesn't work is "appwiz" works in the "Run..." box, but you need "appwiz.cpl" in the Start Menu search box. It's a great tip. Some stuff is the opposite though, as you need "services.msc" in the "Run..." box but just "services" works in the Start Menu. ---------- Mark Dietz PROnetworks <http://www.pro-networks.org
Colin Barnhorst wrote: Lots of replies in this ng have been to "open the Run box and then type (command)." Good advice but did you know that typing (command) directly in the Start Search textbox does the same thing in most cases, saving you a step?
When you see the grey text "Start Search" in the box, think "Start Search or Run Command."
Try it with your favorite system tool. Click Start and then enter your command in the Start Search box. Try, for example, "msconfig". Instead of searching for the folder containing the tool, the tool just runs.
There are some quirks that are system specific. For example, I tried out a program called "Smart Go" on my Vista x64 system. It installed but would not activate. I left it on the system. Now if I type 'ver' in Start Search I get the Smart Go installer instead of the expected version info box. Go figure, so to speak.
Enjoy.