Couple of quick questions for the computer buffs.

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WINDOWS 7 SEARCH
 
A lot of the time, a search I begin from Start>Search programs and files fails to find what I'm looking for. Even if I click on the See more results tab, the item I'm searching for doesn't turn up.
 
To be more specific, it's not stuff I'm looking to see if I have on my PC, I'm looking for stuff I know I have, but, for exqample, I just need to find its location. A good example might be looking for a specific patch/sample for a softsynth; I've tested this out using the exact name and extension of a patch I know is there, but the search fails to find it.
 
Is there a way to set the default search to look absolutely everywhere?
 
Or maybe to search just for any files with a certain file extension?
 
Or is there a better way altogether to search my computer?
 

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  SET TIME FOR PC TO TURN ITSELF OFF and/or SET PC TO TURN ITSELF OFF AFTER A TASK HAS COMPLETED
 
I see that some tasks and programs (such as Auslogics Defragmenter for example) allow you to specify that your PC will shut down after the program has run or the task has finished.
 
To use an example, if I wanted to leave a large download running after I bugger off to bed, is it possible:

• To set up my computer to shut down at a certain time - say the download was going to take an hour, I could specify it shuts down after around 90 minutes
  or
• Can it be set to switch off specifically once the download has finished

I'm talking a full shut down here, not sleep/hibernate etc type of thing.
 

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Thanks in advance
 
 
 
 
 
 

Control panel\all control panel items\indexing options

Modify button allows you to change the location that you index.

Advanced lets you change the kind of files that are included. Click the file types tab and check the files types  that you want to search. Properties just searches for file name date etc., which is what you should be using for machine readable files like dll's plugins samples etc.

Most likely your problem comes from the fact that MS has decided you have no need to search for executable files (or any files really except those that are human readable), and that the ones you are looking for are not included in a standard search, or are marked as hidden or system files, and you do not have your folder options in windows explorer set to show those files. If they do not show in Windows explorer, they will be excluded (even just the file name) from a search.


Another possibility is that if you have more than one account on your computer, the files you are looking for are under a different user account. Windows makes files in one account invisible to anyone logged on with another account. If they are invisible from the account you are logged into, they will not be found with a search.

http://windows.microsoft.com/en-US/windows-vista/Troubleshoot-problems-with-searching

yeah, windows search sucks but you can play with indexing like was mentioned above.
The best way is to install google desktop search, iot does what is supposed to do.

Regarding shutting pc down there is a Task Scheduler in administrative tools which can do what you want and more.
It's pretty sophisticated, thanks to automation there and windows powershell scripts I was pretending I was at work
for a week while I was really on vacation in Europe... 
Command to put there to force shutdown without asking is: shutdown -s -f 

Windows search has never turned up what I know is on my system, so you're not alone there Strummy old pal.

yeah, windows search sucks but you can play with indexing like was mentioned above. The best way is to install google desktop search, iot does what is supposed to do.

Windows search is not as bad as it seems from the interface. Unfortunately to really benefit from the index/database you need to spend a lot of time learning their query language. Waaay too much work to find a misplaced docx, unless you have a few tens of thousands come up in a natural language search all the time.

http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/windows/desktop/bb231256(v=vs.85).aspx 

Simple filters are more practical.

http://windows.microsoft.com/is-IS/windows7/Advanced-tips-for-searching-in-Windows

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GSv-lKwOQvE