[techmexsupport]

I'm on Windows 10, and I like to keep Windows indexing active to make searching much faster and less of a headache when needed (a simple file search takes a half hour otherwise).

But I have noticed that, after adding my C:/ folder to the main search path, it keeps adding these folders (among others):

C:\Users\UserName\AppData\
C:\Users\UserName\MicrosoftEdgeBackups\

I've removed them multiple times, but it always keeps readding them. Anyone know why they keep adding these back, and how do I stop this behavior?

 

[SpywareDr]

Sounds like when you add the root folder (i.e, "\") of drive C: then it automatically will index everything under C:\. If you don't want it to do that, try adding only the parent folders of what you want it to index. For example, to get a list of all of the folders in "C:\Users\username" into a file, get to a CMD prompt, then copy and paste in the following command and press [Enter]:

dir /a:d c:\users\%username% /b /a>%temp%\templist.txt&notepad %temp%\templist.txt​

You now see a list of the folders in you computers "C:\Users\username" pop up on your screen in Notepad. Now add a "C:\Users\username\" to the beginning of everything in the list and eliminate the two (or more) folders that you do not want indexed. For example, you might want to index only everything in and under these folders:

C:\Users\username\Desktop
C:\Users\username\Documents
C:\Users\username\Downloads
C:\Users\username\Dropbox
C:\Users\username\Links
C:\Users\username\Local Settings
C:\Users\username\Music
C:\Users\username\My Documents
C:\Users\username\Pictures
C:\Users\username\Videos​

 

[techmexsupport]

Sounds like when you add the root folder (i.e, "\") of drive C: then it automatically will index everything under C:\. If you don't want it to do that, try adding only the parent folders of what you want it to index. For example, to get a list of all of the folders in "C:\Users\username" into a file, get to a CMD prompt, then copy and paste in the following command and press [Enter]:

dir /a:d c:\users\%username% /b /a>%temp%\templist.txt&notepad %temp%\templist.txt​

You now see a list of the folders in you computers "C:\Users\username" pop up on your screen in Notepad. Now add a "C:\Users\username\" to the beginning of everything in the list and eliminate the two (or more) folders that you do not want indexed. For example, you might want to index only everything in and under these folders:

C:\Users\username\Desktop​

C:\Users\username\Documents​

C:\Users\username\Downloads​

C:\Users\username\Dropbox​

C:\Users\username\Links​

C:\Users\username\Local Settings​

C:\Users\username\Music​

C:\Users\username\My Documents​

C:\Users\username\Pictures​

C:\Users\username\Videos​

Thanks so much for this info! I really appreciate it. I just wanna make sure we're on the same page. To be clear, I don't want to exclude ANYTHING on the C drive. I want a simple quick fix where everything on my drive is indexed and searchable. Windows is taking it upon itself to exclude things. I don't want it to do that. I'm trying to understand why it doesn't like the AppData and MicrosoftEdgeBackups folders and keeps excluding them against my will. Does that make sense?

 

[SpywareDr]

You're welcome! And yes. Don't know what I might have been thinking? <Sheesh>

Scroll down to Appdata on this Microsoft page and see if anything there helps: Configuration and Settings - Windows Search Platform

 

[techmexsupport]

Thanks for the link. It does explain why they add it to the inclusion list. I guess I'm fine with it. I just don't understand why, after I tell it to stop excluding it, Windows 10 figures it'll readd it anwway. That is a stupid quirk when the users should have 100% control. But I can live with it I suppose.

Thanks again for the help!

 

[SpywareDr]

I'm not sure that I would give the "users" of today "100%" control either. Even as it is now they still somehow manage to mess up or totally destroy their Operating System ... and of course they do not have a backup.

PEBCAK? (Problem Exists Between Chair and Keyboard)