Question

How do I (recursively) search all file contents in Windows 7? I am using the content:xxx command, in the Search settings box in Windows Explorer, to search xxx in this example. This does not work:

As an example of how this search is broken, I see an org.eclipse.wst.common.component file with text that I am searching for and Windows 7 is not returning it in the results. I assume it’s only searching known text-based file types. How can I make it search all files? I need to find everything I am looking for.

P.S. If there is a DOS-based solution, I will also accept this. Maybe a batch file using dir /s /b and findstr could be constructed.

EDIT: Noted my need for a recursive search.

Answer 1

Here is my three file DOS solution, but I am still looking for a proper Windows 7 solution if anyone has one:

1. search.bat

@ECHO off
FOR /r %%a IN (*.*) DO CALL process.bat %%a

Searches all files recursively, and runs process.bat on each one.

2. process.bat

@ECHO Off
ECHO "%1" >> output.txt
TYPE "%1" | FINDSTR /i "search_string_here" >> output.txt

Prints out the name of each file, in quotes because some files will break the batch file code without, then finds the search string, search_string_here, and prints out the entire line that the search string is found in.

3. output.txt (sample output)

Contains the output, formatted as follows, searching search_string_here in my project_name Java project stored in D:\project_name\, displaying all files searched as well as results if there are some:

"D:\project_name\.classpath" 
"D:\project_name\.project" 
    <name>search_string_here</name>
"D:\project_name\content_search_all_files.bat" 
"D:\project_name\output.txt" 
    <name>search_string_here</name>
"D:\project_name\pom.xml" 
...

Above you can see that search_string_here was found, full line being <name>search_string_here</name>, in D:\project_name\.project file… among other results.

Again, I am still looking for a proper Windows 7 solution if anyone has one.

Warning: “Line is too long” Errors; FINDSTR may be buggy:

Apparently, FINDSTR < grep, as if you didn’t know. Here’s an article that dives into the error in FINDSTR that are do not reproduce when the same input is used in a different file:

Obviously, “line is too long” is a catch-all message for a number of
different errors. FINDSTR has some issues. Some time ago, I said that
FINDSTR was marginally useful. After today, I’d say it’s even less
useful than I thought it was then.
– http://blog.mischel.com/2008/10/14/copying-large-files-on-windows/