Even though I know there are documents on my PC that contain certain words or phrases, I cannot find them by using the Search button within Start. I don't know the exact names of these files, but I know some of the words they contain. When I put a word or phrase into the appropriate box, the search results come up empty every time. I have Windows XP and MS Word 2007.

Hi DeeRossi, You may refer the following KB article and check if it helps to resolve the issue:Using the "A word or phrase in the file" search criterion may not workhttp://support.microsoft.com/kb/309173 Hope this information is helpful.Praseetha KMicrosoft Answers Support EngineerVisit our Microsoft Answers Feedback Forum and let us know what you think.If this post helps to resolve your issue, please click the "Mark as Answer" or "Helpful" button at the top of this message. By marking a post as Answered, or Helpful you help others find the answer faster.

Thanks for your help. I read through the suggested article, but don't think it applies to me because all the files I'm looking for are either .doc or .docx files. I'm a freelance writer and I have 100s of word docs (many of them are stored on an external hard drive.) I often need to find articles I wrote a few years ago that mentioned a specific name or substance, but can't do it according to file names. Is there a way to set up the search function so that it will find the key words or phrases I type in?

Even though I know there are documents on my PC that contain certain words or phrases, I cannot find them by using the Search button within Start. I don't know the exact names of these files, but I know some of the words they contain. When I put a word or phrase into the appropriate box, the search results come up empty every time. I have Windows XP and MS Word 2007.Try the much more powerful, but free, Agent Ransack: http://www.mythicsoft.com/page.aspx?type=agentransack&page=home

Thanks so much! I tried Agent Ransack and it located 52 files that I knew were there when Windows came up empty. I'll be able to use this tool many times over.

Thanks so much! I tried Agent Ransack and it located 52 files that I knew were there when Windows came up empty. I'll be able to use this tool many times over.You're welcome. Thanks for the update.