Earlier today I got zapped by what I considered a “bug” in Firefox 7 (and now today, 8) when I copy and pasted a URL to Bob Tisdale’s blog into a short post this morning. Thanks to a new “feature”, the http:// no longer displays in the address bar in Firefox7:
While the feature is supposed to add the http:// back when copy/paste work is done, it doesn’t always work, hence I made a link in a blog post today without the http:// which prompted a slew of “dead link” complaints.
This “feature” is annoying, and I set out to find a way to solve it. I found it, and thought I would report on it for the benefit of readers and whoever might happen upon this blog via search. Here’s the fix:
- Type about:config in Location (address) bar, press Enter
- Filter for browser.urlbar.trimURLs (or scroll until you find it)
- Right-click or double-left-click on that phrase and toggle it to false
The http:// should then show up again, as seen below:
Now maybe readers can help me with a vexing problem in Windows 7.
I use the new search feature a lot in Windows Explorer. Problem is the search engine takes off and starts a search often before I can complete a finished phrase or word set. This prevents any new input until the initial search completes. Or if I make a mistake in typing, same problem. Ditto when searching for emails in Windows Live Mail.
Does anyone know of a way to make the Windows 7 search feature only start after pressing Enter? Or maybe add a bit more delay before the search engine starts on is own?
I’ve searched for weeks for a fix, to no avail.
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@Joe Kirklin That’s exactly why I dumped Google Desktop although I do still use Chrome
The Windows 7 interface annoyed me so much ( a plague on their Usability researchers … ) that I went looking for something better. I have been using XYPlorer ( http://www.xyplorer.com ) for a year now on all my machines and am very happy with it. Including the file search.
Funny, Chrome wisely abandoned the silly http:// on the screen in version 2 or so about 2 or 3 years ago. People were annoyed that the http:// beginning also disappeared when the URL was copied and then pasted, but this was fixed – the http:// was returned when properly used via clipboard – in version 3 or so, also 2+ years ago.
I am sure that the elimination of redundant and always the same http:// is the right direction and I guess that Firefox will ultimately fix the clipboard behavior if it hasn’t been fixed yet.
Thanks for the Firefox tip.
For whole system search I purchased X1, a few years ago. I have 25+ years of computer stuff, docs, files, source code and emails. I’ve changed my “filing” system too many times over the years to remember where things are. Once indexed it does a very good job. I seems to handle all of MY file types. The window layout isn’t the best, but I find things when I need them.
It is one of my few exceptions to my no purchase for basic computer tools.
Pete
Like you, I’m sure, I find the Mac! PC!! Mac!!! idiots tiresome. I use both platforms daily. But sometimes I need to search the PC for something, and then I’m like MAC!!!!!!!!!
****
Ric Werme says:
November 9, 2011 at 7:06 am
Don’t laugh – my main system (I’m typing on it now) runs SUSE 10.1 and the update server evaporated years ago. Some of the stuff here is so old that a huge number of upgrades would have to occur before I could even think of upgrading from Firefox 2.0.0.5!
*****
Ric, you’re a fellow old-schooler! This is composed on an NT4 OS, dual-booted to W95. I’d still use the W95 except Firefox 2.0 won’t run on it. I actually have Linux as a third boot, but can’t get the TCPIP protocol to work on the internet (it DID work w/my previous internet provider).
So you guessed it, I’m cheap. BTW, I DO have a decent (free) antivirus, and I’ve never, ever had any virus.
@Lubos Motl
Even if all copy and paste bugs are fixed (and it is hard to catch all variations of url editing – you would not, after all, want http:// prepended to a urlbar that has something like w foo or g bar [I bind the w to wikipedia for quicksearch, or g to google]), and they have fixed a lot of them.
I am still opposed to the idea of hiding protocol. It teaches people who aren’t copying, but just typing out a site, to skip http:// – this screws up a lot of autolinking in web forms out there.
And protocol is still printed for ftp and https, so, why not include for http? Are those 7 characters really that much of a waste of space?
I guess I don’t understand the problem, or I can’t repeat it. Running Windows 7, in both folder search or start menu search, you can keep typing even as the search is on going, and it will filter its results. For me, it behaves just like google live search. It doesn’t interrupt my typing.
@ur momisugly Anthony:
Slight edit needed to your post.
“…I found it, and though I would report on it for the benefit of readers…”
Should be “thought”, not “though”. I had to re-read it 5 times to figure out what was meant to be said.
I would have to echo what a few others have stated.
I manage about 650 give or take, Windows 7 enterprise computers and none of them have the problem you describe. Typing should not be inhibited while searches are going on and adding more letters should cancel the current search and start a new one.
Have you checked you event viewer for errors regarding the indexing service. Is your indexing service running automatically at start up and is it normally on?
Also is your computer a dog :p JK
If all that stuff checks out by the way, may i suggest executing the search at a folder level.
For instance, if you are looking for a picture, you navigate to the folder where you have your pictures , or the root of your website, if you are searching that, and use the search there.
( You are organizing your files aren’t you? )
In windows explorer pressing ESC usually works to stop a search in progress, though I have occasionally had to press it twice. Still looking for how to change the search pause time.
Google Desktop is no more as they’ve already discontinued it http://googledesktop.blogspot.com/
For Windows 7 searches also check out these tips http://windowssecrets.com/woodys-windows/getting-the-most-from-windows-search-part-1/ and http://windowssecrets.com/top-story/getting-the-most-from-windows-search-part-2/ in addition to the recommended fixes above.
Dragging the link in Firefox to another program will probably lose the protocol but copy and paste should not. No issues with v7/8 on my XP.
Internet Explorer and Windows Explorer are not the same browser?
http://i22.photobucket.com/albums/b331/kevster1346/autocomplete.jpg
Just guessing here. “Use Windows search…” is ticked?
All I can say is I ran into this at work (still XP at home), and thought WTF? and then served up all my favorite four-letter words at the idiot project manager for Windows 7 at MS who directed the layout and features for Windows 7 and changed a perfectly (almost) intuitive and VERY user-friendly XP and came up with that abortion.
For one thing, it took a LONG time to find the bloody thing.
I LOVED the simple [Windows]>F hot key in XP. Still do!
It seems every new director of such things has to stamp his imprimatur on the entire emterprise, not knowing when to leave well enough alone.
If it ain’t broke…
This is total nonsense. If you are concerned about privacy using Google Chrome uncheck all the features in the Privacy section. Go to the Wrench icon – options – under the hood – privacy and uncheck them; https://www.google.com/support/chrome/bin/answer.py?answer=114836&hl=en-US
Not to mention the source code of the browser is available online to put to rest any other conspiracy theories; http://src.chromium.org/viewvc/chrome/
I don’t recommend using Google Desktop because it IMO is just a waste of time and resources. I don’t search for files on my HDs because I don’t have to, I have them properly organized in folders and know where they are. For this reason I intentionally disable the Windows Search service in Windows 7, this will also disable the instant searching in the start menu search box and in Windows explorer.
Running an outdated OS that is not supported with security updates is a very bad idea. For Microsoft OSes no one who cares about security in the least should still be running Windows 95, 98, ME, NT or 2000 (and all variants there of) anymore as security updates have been discontinued from Microsoft. However, Windows XP is still supported by Microsoft until 2014. If you are running an end of life OS, I highly recommend upgrading your computer or getting a new one to run Windows 7 or Windows XP at the very least. Windows XP will run on very old hardware with minimum requirements being a 233 MHz CPU, 64 MB of RAM (128MB recommended) and 1.5 GB of available hard disk space. Otherwise if you must keep your older computer hardware use a current Linux Distro that will run on your hardware.
I am cheap too and Microsoft Security Essentials is a free and very capable AV for Windows XP, Vista and 7.
Firefox is not so dumb about protocols as a previous poster mentioned, https and ftp, for example, are displayed as fully qualified in the address bar, Chrome has the same behaviour. And a clarification to my earlier post, for me the drag and drop of the address does work with the fully qualified address including the http but it may not work for all.
I agree with BioBob and Elftone – Agent Ransack is the best
http://mythicsoft.com/agentransack/
I am not sure about Windows 7, but in Windows XP and Vista, the built in search only searches those files and directories that Microsoft thinks you should be allowed to search. One reason I like Agent Ransack is because it allows you to search almost the entire drive. (It still won’t search certain “active” files .. like the registry.) For example, in Windows XP, when searching for files named desktop.ini
Explorer Search – 131 files
Agent Ransack – 215 files
Same search in Vista (after first moving a recursive directory to a temporary location to break the recursion)
Explorer Search – 7 files
Agent Ransack – 460 files
Agent Ransack – 1,444 files if recursion is allowed
Unfortunately, Vista 64 was designed to break many pre-Vista programs, such as Agent Ransack. Providing directories with infinite recursion is only one of the problems. (BTW, I had to use system restore to fix the temporary move because “Edit/Undo Move” failed. After that, the recursion was limited and no longer infinite.)
In addition, Agent Ransack allows me to search the browser cache.
Anthony, post your query at this place
http://ask-leo.com/
If he can’t answer directly, he will know who to ask at Mickeysoft.
I’ve tried to find a solution to the search-as-you-type feature, but can’t.
The only suggestion I can make is that you switch off the indexing option, that way the search-as-you-type will be slower. Of course the trouble with that is the search itself when you hit enter will be slower.
I don’t get Windows Vista search either, just gimmie the classic stuff I say. Using FileSearchEX and loving the clean feel..
One other thing – the ‘new” windows search can also hog the process – resulting in a pc that runs like a dog.
Open Task Manager (right clikc on the task bar and select Task Manager)
Select the PROCESS tab
look down in the bottom left corner – check the box
click once on the title Bar to ensure that it is sorted alphabetically (or reverse alphabetically)
Trigger a RE-INDEX of the search tool
Locate the Processes for :
searchfilterhost.exe
searchindexer.exe
searchprotocolhost.exe
NOTE this will disappear and reappear as the search engine does its thing – patience; as long as the re-index is running they will appear !
Select each on – right click select
DOUBLE CHECK YOU HAVE THE CORRECT Process selected
Set the priority to BelowNormal or even Low
Close task manager
This WILL SLOW DOWN INDEXING – BUT will stop the indexer from hogging all the processor power to the detriment of what you want to do – it has been known for the Index to steal ALL AVAILABLE PROCESSOR TIME
If you get ACCESS DENIED messages – log in as ADMINISTRATOR or find your local friendly nerd !
well – I wonder where the text went [Reply: have a little patience. There was only a 4 minute delay between your last post and this one. ~dbs, mod.]
Select the PROCESS tab
look down in the bottom left corner – check the box
click once on the title Bar to ensure that it is sorted alphabetically (or reverse alphabetically)
should read
Select the PROCESS tab
look down in the bottom left corner – check the box
–> Show Processes from All Users
click once on the title Bar to ensure that it is sorted alphabetically (or reverse alphabetically)
AND
NOTE this will disappear and reappear as the search engine does its thing – patience; as long as the re-index is running they will appear !
Select each on – right click select
DOUBLE CHECK YOU HAVE THE CORRECT Process selected
NOTE this will disappear and reappear as the search engine does its thing – patience; as long as the re-index is running they will appear !
Select each on – right click select
–> Set Priority
DOUBLE CHECK YOU HAVE THE CORRECT Process selected