Win 7 Explorer - SEARCH will not find metadata.

[curtwpk]

Windows 7



I installed PDF-ShellTools trial version today.   Looks good.  I can edit metadata and see it displayed on the WExplorer columns.

BUT I cannot search based on keywords (tags).  The tags are there.  They display.  But Search wont find them.

I have already reset Indexing.

How can I make Search find files based on pdf metadata content ? ?

THANKS ! !

[curtwpk]

By the way....
Yes... the folder I am searching IS listed in the included files/folders for SEARCH.

-curt

[RTT]

Win7 32 or 64-bit?
Just in case, I tested right now the latest trial version (2.0.1) in a Vista 32-bit, Win7 64-bit and Win8 64-bit PCs, and it's indexing just fine.
Check if the SYSTEM account has read access to these files, under the file properties security settings (1 in the attached screenshot).
Check also if your PDFs, under the file advanced properties, have the option "Allow this file to have contents indexed in addition to file properties" checked (2 in the attached screenshot).
What are your index settings for the PDF file type under the indexer advanced options (3 in the attached screenshot)?

[curtwpk]

Thanks for the response!

I have win 7 home premium 32bit  (see 1st screen shot)

Going through your suggestions, I cant find anything wrong.  I have not changed anything.

I see there is no "SECURITY" user with permissions.   But none of the files have that.

Maybe these screen shots will allow you to point me in the right direction?

[curtwpk]

I made one change.  I added "SYSTEM" to the list of users for the folder I am indexing and testing.
It made no difference.  I still cannot search for keywords on .pdf files in this folder.
See screenshot.

[RTT]

Instead of adding the SYSTEM account manually, from the Advanced Security Settings, click the change permissions button and check the "include inheritable permissions from this object's parent" option for each of the folders, beginning at "C:\CURTFILES", and then "C:\CURTFILES\.Indexed Files".
Not sure if needed, but I also have the "Administrators" account included, so after setting the inheritance for "C:\CURTFILES", check if that account is included too, and if not add it manually, before setting the inheritance to the "C:\CURTFILES\.Indexed Files". After, check if the PDFs contained in that folder have also the inheritance set.
Your last screenshot is for a .doc file, but I suppose it is the same for the PDFs?

I still cannot search for keywords on .pdf files in this folder.

It's working in other folders?

[curtwpk]

I'll check out what you say.  In the meantime..

Yes, the .pdf files are the same as the .doc files.  Took a picture of the wrong one.

When I look at the files subordinate to my master folder( ".indexed Files" ) , they all show that they inherited security from the folder.

I am experimenting with only one Indexed folder for now.   I cannot search Tags on .pdf files - no matter what folder they are in.

[curtwpk]

Frustrating... but I must make this work   

I think everything is set as you say.  I have screen shots to show the current state.
The first shot shows the files in /.Indexed Files  .  There is a mix of pdf and .doc.  You can see how they are TAGged.

The second shot shows the SEARCH.  It picks up the .doc file - but not the .pdf files.

The other shots show how inheritance is set.

I DID rebuild the Index.

[curtwpk]

Two more pictures

[RTT]

That "PDF Professional Filter" reference on the last screenshot is being provided by what software? What PDF IFilter you have installed? Is it working, and you are able to find the PDFs searching for words in the content?
Have you tried to change to the "Index Properties Only" option?

Try this MS Fix It tool.

You may also take a look to the Windows event log to see if there are related errors that may shed some light on the issue.

I've now also tested the last trial version in a Windows 7 32-bit machine, and "no problemo".

[curtwpk]

I dont know where "pdf professional filter" came from.  Maybe when I was trolling for solutions on the Adobe site ?

I'll see if I can get rid of it.

If I change to  "Index Properties Only" I thought I would loose the access to TAGs?

I'll try some things you suggest. 

Fingers crossed.   I really want this to work.  We are trying to organize thousands of files of many different TYPEs on dozens of computers and your's looks like the most promissing solution to the .pdf problem.   Just gotta get over this hump.

Thanks for sticking with me here....

[curtwpk]

Here is where Adobe iFilter comes from:
http://www.adobe.com/support/downloads/detail.jsp?ftpID=4025&promoid=DTEHN

[curtwpk]

PROGRESS ! !

1.  I uninstalled Adobe reader and re-installed it from their web site.  That seemed to have gotten rid of the Professional Filter thing.  I have some memory that I may have used an Adobe tool enable their owne PDF iFilter?

2.  Then I changed the FILE TYPE indexing Method to "file properties only".   That AUTOmatically changed the Description from "PDF Filter" to "File Properties Filter".

The second step appears not to be necessary. I went back and tried both options (file properties only - and- file properties and contents).  They both seem to work ok.

So the culprit appears to be an iFilter that got installed somehow.  Probably the "built-in" PDF-iFilter that comes inside Adobe Reader.

I think this works now.  Whew !

I will buy a copy this morning and do some more testing on our bigger project.

T H A N K S  !

see attachments

[RTT]

If I change to  "Index Properties Only" I thought I would loose the access to TAGs?

That option makes the indexer to only gather metadata properties (title, subject, author, tags, etc.), using a property handler, such as the one in PDF-ShellTools. The other option uses the property handler to index metadata properties, and an IFilter to index the text content. In older Windows versions the IFilter was used to index metadata too.

Here is where Adobe iFilter comes from:

That links to the 64-bit version of the IFilter. Newest versions of Acrobat and Acrobat Reader include a 32-bit IFilter, so you only need to install that one if you have a 64-bit Windows.
Probably your installed IFilter was the older version, that Adobe provided as standalone.

2.  Then I changed the FILE TYPE indexing Method to "file properties only".   That AUTOmatically changed the Description from "PDF Filter" to "File Properties Filter".

The second step appears not to be necessary. I went back and tried both options (file properties only - and- file properties and contents).  They both seem to work ok.

So the culprit appears to be an iFilter that got installed somehow.  Probably the "built-in" PDF-iFilter that comes inside Adobe Reader.

I think this works now.  Whew !

Excellent! Probably an older version of the PDF IFilter was the real culprit. My suggestion to change to "file properties only" was to test that possibility, as the IFilter included in the new Acrobat and Acrobat Reader versions works fine.

Indexing the content may be important or not. It depends on your PDFs management needs, but if metadata properties are enough, disabling the content indexation makes the background indexer process almost imperceptible. Not so when large PDFs content is being indexed.

[curtwpk]

Thanks.  That all makes sense.

I have in fact checked "properties only " for the indexing since it is only the metadata that I want to organize on. 

I understand that I can however, search non-indexed files on whole content if I have the patience.  I wonder how to do a non-indexed search on CONTENT if the files are set up as Indexed-properties only ? ?  I'll work on that.

Anyway... for the future I guess you now know to tell folks to re-install Adobe if they have index problems with PDF-ShellTools     Thanks for your patience and expertise.   Your noticing that "Professional PDF Filter" is what made the bells go off for me. 

Thanks Rui,
Curt