Troubleshooting Search-Related Windows Problems through Registry Fixes

There are several search related Windows problems, which might be easily corrected by smart registry fixes. In this post, we will review two of them.

1. Windows XP has a known issue for not finding a number of File Types when you do a Search for Files "containing text" or using the "A word or phrase in the file" option. This can be remedied for many file types, but not all. The cause is the lack of a PersistentHandler value in the Registry for this type of file.

You can correct this by clicking Start, Run and entering REGEDIT. Navigate to HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT and locate the entry for the file type in question. For example, .txt, .doc, etc.  Expand the branch for that file type, and if the PersistentHandler subkey does not exist, create it. Do this by clicking on the file extension key and going to Edit, New, Key. Name the Key, PersistentHandler. Click on the PersistentHandler sub-key. In Regedit's right pane, double click on the Default value and enter the following (copy and paste may be your best bet):

    {5e941d80-bf96-11cd-b579-08002b30bfeb}

If the PersistentHandler sub-key does exist, do not change the default value. This could have very undesired consequences. Close Regedit and reboot the computer. This file type will now be searched for "A word or phrase in the file" type searches.

An alternative is to download a small VB Script utility here. Save the file you just downloaded to your hard disk. Locate the file you just saved and double click it. Enter the file extension you wish to modify. If the PersistentHandler sub-key exists, no changes will be made. If it does not exist for the file type in question, the Registry will be updated accordingly. Reboot when you're finished with the file types you wish to change.

2. Another problem is reported on the SEARCH icon in folders does nothing & "Search" is missing from Start menu items. 

Go to REGEDIT and locate the following string:

HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies\Explorer\NoFind

If "NoFind" has the value "01 00 00 00" change it to "00 00 00 00" and it will probably solve your problem. You will need to restart ("log off & log in" will probably suffice). 

Hot BIOS entry keys for different computer models

There are multiple reasons, why you need to enter the computer BIOS mode, mostly, for troubleshooting purposes. For example, your Hard Drive boot sector is corrupted, and your computer is just hanging up trying to access the primary master disk. You need to boot-up from DVD or USB, so the boot sequence should be altered in BIOS.

Usually, when you turn on your PC, there is a very short period, when the BIOS entrance command appears on the screen, but if you miss the moment, you will have to start all over again. If you know, what the keys combination you should use is, you need to execute it immediately upon computer reboot, and sometimes it requires multiple repetitive clicks to activate it.

The BIOS keys are different as per computer manufacturer and even as per computer model. Per you convenience, I am listing the BIOS start up keys combinations for the most popular computer models.

Acer - Aspire, Power, Veriton, Extensa, Ferrari, TravelMate, Altos

• Press Del or F2 immediately after powering on.
  
• The BIOS on the Acer Altos 600 server uses the Ctrl+Alt+Esc key and the F1 key for advanced options.
  
• Older Acer computers may use also use the F1 or Ctrl+Alt+Esc keys to access BIOS.

AST - Different models might use the following combinations: Ctrl+Alt+Esc or Ctrl+Alt+Del.



Cannon - F1.

Castex - Del.
Compaq - Presario, Prolinea, Deskpro, Systempro, Portable

• Press F10 while the cursor in the top right corner of the screen is blinking.
  
• Older Compaq computers may use the F1, F2, F10, or Del key to give access to BIOS.

CompUSA - Del.


Cybermax - Esc.


Dell - XPS, Dimension, Inspiron, Latitude. OptiPlex, Precision, Vostro

• Press F2 when the Dell logo appears. Press every few seconds until the message Entering Setup appears.
  
• Dell 400 - F1
  
• Dell Dimension - F2 or Del
  
• Dell Inspiron - F2
  
• Dell Latitude - Fn+F1 (while booted)
  
• Dell Latitude - F2 (on boot)
  
• Dell Optiplex - F2 or Del
  
• Dell Precision - F2
  
• Older Dell desktops and laptops may instead use Ctrl+Alt+Enter or Del to enter BIOS.
  
• Older Dell laptops may use Fn+Esc or Fn+F1.

Digital - F2.


eMachines - eMonster, eTower, eOne, S-Series, T-Series

• Press Tab or Del while the eMachine logo displays on screen.
  
• Other eMachine computers may use F2 to enter BIOS.

Enpower - Ctrl+Alt+S.



Fujitsu - LifeBook, Esprimo, Amilo, Tablet, DeskPower. Press F2 once the Fujitsu logo appears.

Gateway - DX, FX, One, GM, GT, GX, Profile, Astro

• Press the F1 key repeatedly after restarting the computer.
  
• Some older Gateway computers use F2 to access the BIOS Setup utility.

Hewlett-Packard (HP) - Pavilion, TouchSmart, Vectra, OmniBook, Tablet

• Press the F1 key after restarting the computer.
  
• HP Tablet PCs may use F10 or F12.
  
• Other HP computers may allow access to BIOS using the F2 or Esc keys.

IBM - PC, XT, AT

• Press F1 immediately after powering on the computer.
  
• Older IBM computers (including some laptops) may utilize the F2 key for BIOS entry.
  
• IBM PS/2 - Ctrl+Alt+Ins after Ctrl+Alt+Del.

Lenovo (formerly IBM) - ThinkPad, IdeaPad, 3000 Series, ThinkCentre, ThinkStation

• Press F1 or F2 after powering on the computer.
  
• Older Lenovo products allow access to BIOS using Ctrl+Alt+F3, Ctrl+Alt+Ins, or Fn+F1.

Leading Edge - Ctrl+Alt+S.



Micron (MPC Computers) - ClientPro, TransPort

• Press F1, F2 or Del immediately after powering on the PC.

NEC - PowerMate, Versa, W-Series

• Press F2 or F1 to enter the BIOS Setup.

Packard Bell - 8900 Series, 9000 Series, Pulsar, Platinum, EasyNote, imedia, iextreme

• Press F1, F2, or Del to enter BIOS.

Quantex - Del.



Sharp - Notebook Laptops, Actius UltraLite

• Press F2 after the computer starts.
  
• Some very old Sharp PCs require a Setup Diagnostics Disk to access BIOS.

Shuttle - Glamor G-Series, D’vo, Prima P2-Series, Workstation, X Mini XPC, Surveillance

• Press F2 or Del on startup.

Sony - VAIO, PCG-Series, VGN-Series

• Press F1, F2 or F3 after turning on the computer.
  
• Sony VAIO - (After Sony start up screen) F2 then hit F1

Tandon - Press the Ctrl+Shift+Esc keys.


Tiger - Del.



Toshiba - Portégé, Satellite, Tecra

• Press F1 or Esc after powering on to access BIOS.
  
• Toshiba Portable PC (Phoenix) - Press the F2 key while the system processes its Power
  On Self Test (POST).

If all else fails, hold down the space bar during startup. This should halt the machine and allow the customer to enter the startup key. The computer will display the BIOS key option.

Amber Light of Death (ALOD) Troubleshooting on Dell Computers

Dealing with customer computer troubleshooting for significant period of time, somehow, I was lucky not to get the “Amber Light of Death” before. But, obviously, this problem is quite frequently discussed in the online computer-related forums and message boards, thus is quite common.

Problem Description

The computer power is pushed, and the power light is continuously blinking, you see power monitoring leds are ON, and fans are working. But computer does not proceed to the OS boot, and even does not go to the BIOS. The computer monitor is essentially blank.

Problem Source

Based on the Dell users manual description the following problem points out on the power distribution failure inside the computer, while the computer does receive the electrical power from the power outlet.

Troubleshooting

Unfortunately, the problem has multiple explanations, and there are many things that can go wrong in its relation. Therefore, I will propose the following troubleshooting plan, starting from easy-to-do items and continuing to more complicated. Following every step, verify the computer performance. This way, you will know exactly, what the problem source is.

1. Check the power selection switch at your computer and ensure that the voltage selection is set properly to match the AC power at your location. Switch it back and force to ensure that it is indeed at the right position.

2. If you use UPS, reset it.

3. Try different power outlet to ensure that the problem is coming not from your external power supply.

4. Perform the computer “cold reboot” - shut it down, wait 5 minutes, and turn it again.

5. Shut down your PC, open the case, and verify all the cables are connected properly. Ensure that the processor power cable is securely connected to the system board.

6. Examine all your USB ports (front & back) for pins that are bent or pushed in and fix any that are bent. This appears to be the most frequent reason of the problem appearance.

7. Reset 3V battery on the Motherboard.

8. Replace 3V batter on the Motherboard.

9. Remove one-by-one all the nonessential hardware elements in the computer by disconnecting them from the motherboard, like non-essential boards, Floppy, DVD, network cards, etc.

10. Blow carefully with air blower inside the computer case. That will ensure that no pieces of metal or debris could cause the short circuit.

11. Swap the power supply in from another PC. Dell claims the power supply replacement is the #1 solution to this problem.

12. If there is no improvement, there is a good chance that the Motherboard should be replaced. Several users reported that the Motherboard was a core source for the problem appearance. But, in most cases, it means that it might be easier and cheaper to shop for a new computer.

Hard Drive Benchmarking and Information - HDTune

HD Tune is a hard disk utility that can burst speed test, temperature, reference and information. You can use it to measure the raw performance of your drive, including transfer rate, burst rate, access time and much more. In addition, it provides detailed information about the features supported disk, as well as the current temperature, SMART information (if available) and an error scanner.

HD Tune is a Hard Disk utility which has the following functions:

• Benchmark: measures the performance
• Info: shows detailed information
• Health: checks the health status by using SMART
• Error Scan: scans the surface for errors
• Temperature display

HD Tune may also work with other storage devices such as memory cards, USB sticks, iPods, etc.
Users reported that this software is able to find bad sectors on the HDD, when chkdsk fails to locate and report them.

You can make this utility portable to run it from your USB Drive, but software will right some registry settings. If you leave the default options/configurations intact (at the options, just DO NOT click OK), the only registry entries left will be the regular entries for recently used documents, recent files, MRU, etc. But these cannot be avoided because they are Microsoft generated, and their impact is insignificant.

Download the installer and extract to a folder of your choice. The application files are located in the {app} subfolder. Copy the folder content to the desired location and launch HDTune.exe. If needed, you can uninstall the utility from your HDD. Anyway, I have loaded both versions for your use. You can choose which one you want.

Operating Systems: Vista/ Win2k/ WinXP

Developers Website: http://www.hdtune.com/