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General discussion

Search function for Favorites in IE6?

Jun 1, 2004 4:54AM PDT

I am running on Win ME with IE6 as my browser.

I "efficiently" sorted my many favorites into folders, and naturally can't find any of the sites now... doh!

Is there a search function please, either with IE6 or by added software that offers this function, assuming one knows a relevant keyword, and if so whether such keyword would operate against the Favorites title or body-text of the stored sites?

Failing that, I guess one just brings them all back into one folder, re-labels and re-folders them so that they are more identifiable? To this end, I heard somewhere that there was a bit of software that could sort Favorites, so perhaps the trick is to re-label them and then sort them - eg alphabetically.

How best to proceed please?

Many thanks
Regards
Mo

Discussion is locked

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Re:Search function for Favorites in IE6?
Jun 1, 2004 5:58AM PDT
Is there a search function please, either with IE6 or by added software that offers this function, assuming one knows a relevant keyword, and if so whether such keyword would operate against the Favorites title or body-text of the stored sites?

I use Win98 and I find nothing wrong with simply using the Windows Find function (right-click Start, Find). Course, if I set it to look in the TIF folder before pressing enter, things can be found sooner. Are you saying this isn't possible?
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Dear Cursorcowboy - yes, possible - thankyou, this is what I found...
Jun 1, 2004 6:46AM PDT

On my WIN ME (running IE6), I have Start Search (equivalent to Start Find), which found my keyword Favorite by simply looking on my main hard drive location, rather than specifically directing the search to TIF files.

I did not realise that the Search function extended beyond the standalone software into internet records. I guess I have a lot to learn...

Thank you again.
Regards
Mo

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Re:Re:Search function for Favorites in IE6?
Jun 1, 2004 6:51AM PDT

ll favorites (for IE5.5) are conveniently stored in a folder called windows\favorites (might be somewhere else if you use profiles), and as Cursorcowboy already remarked Explorers find function will let you search on both the first part of the filename, or any part of the url that's stored in it.

Alphabetically sorting in a folder and of the folders itself in IE is under the right mouse button, and it helps a lot to find a favorite. No need for any add-on software (like in Mozilla).

Still, I would advise to invest some time in renaming and reogrouping the favorites and folders they are in using the GUI of IE. You're the only one who knows how you want them, and that can't be automated.

Kees

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Dear Cursorcowboy and Kees - Can you tell me please ...
Jun 1, 2004 7:18AM PDT

Thank you both for your replies. I am aghast that I did not know enough about the Search function and I don't know what GUI stands for (but thanks Kees cos my right mouse button works as you said).

I am wondering whether CNET markets a CD which is in line with the so-called Microsoft certification exam, the reason being that however much I know, I apparently don't even know some basic things - scary.

Therefore, I was thinking that this might be a good way of finding out what I don't know and hopefully putting that situation to rights. Also, I believe the MS certification is worth having, or at least knowing the content of?

Thanks and regards
Mo

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Re:Dear Cursorcowboy and Kees - Can you tell me please ...
Jun 1, 2004 7:20PM PDT

Mo,

GUI is 'Graphical User Interface', everything you can do with your mouse and 'fill in the blanks', without having to know difficult DOS-commands or programming languages.

There are a lot of sites which let you search for acronyms. http://www.ucc.ie/cgi-bin/uncgi/acronym is one I've bookmarked.
Have a look at http://www.google.com/search?q=acronym+gui also.

Microsoft certifaction is much too difficult and deep for the average user. It's meant for techs, and you don't want to be one, I suppose.

My advice: go to the public library, and see what introductory books on Windows XP or IE or MS Word, or whatever program you use, they have. It will vary from 'Learn IE in 20 easy lessons' to 'The complete Windows XP user guide' and from 100 to 1000 pages. Good reading, most of them.

Once you find a few books you like particularly and can understand and use, you can consider to buy them at a regular bookshop, to have the time to digest them and be able to make notes in them.

Good luck with your studies. You'll learn a lot. I'm looking forward to seeing you answering the most difficult questions on this forum!

Kees

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Dear Kees - You have given me two objectives...
Jun 2, 2004 1:45AM PDT

1 To convert my top-down knowledge to bottom-up knowledge(*), and

2 To answer the Forum's most difficult questions.

I'm just glad that you didn't say "And your time starts now"!

(*) It's ironic that one can know what all these acronyms stand for, but not know what they do in real terms. I consider your suggestion of Library Books to be a well-timed dose of reality. I already have the following sites, which are useful (allowing the superficial knowledge caveat), the first re acronyms, the second for definitions:

http://www.inner-smile.com/art_smileys.htm
http://whatis.techtarget.com/definitionsAlpha/0,289930,sid9_alpL,00.html

Thank you - PS Can you throw me an easy question first please?

Regards
Mo

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NT - Clicking an ''FTP'' hyperlink for downloading, my IE bombs using Win98?
Jun 2, 2004 2:06AM PDT

.

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Dear Cursorcowboy, I can get ...
Jun 2, 2004 2:37AM PDT

both of the links I quoted just by clicking on them (assuming your reply is addressed to me). I run on WIN ME.

Forgive my ignorance but I don't know which is an FTP link (nor what difference this would make). However, if you are looking at the definitions link, their main site is simply:

www.whatis.com

Does this help? PS These are not downloads but sites to add to Favorites.

Regards
Mo

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Dear Cursorcowboy - I seem to recall that ... so try ...
Jun 2, 2004 4:21AM PDT

I recalled that Henri Leboeuf's site was much oriented to WIN98. There is an FAQ "You cannot download files from an FTP Server" at this link:

http://www.generation.net/~hleboeuf/ftp.htm

Henri's site is well respected, to the best of my knowledge, but I really don't know if it is up to date or will solve your FTP problem. I don't think Win98 originally came with a native FTP service and there was an MS patch at one time and 3P software that provided "clients"(whatever they are), plus something to do with your ISP and whether you had write, or just read capability (authority).

I'm not an expert, and hopefully someone who is will answer your query more effectively - I just happen to remember getting really cross that my efforts on trying to find out what File Transfer Protocol meant always seemed to refer to Win98, rather than my WinME, so it stuck in my mind.

Regards
Mo

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NT - 'u did a very good job with that question which BTW isn't all that ''simple'' - congrats.
Jun 2, 2004 5:09AM PDT

.

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Dear Cursorcowboy - thank you - in principle until you tell me ...
Jun 2, 2004 5:48AM PDT

First, it must have been something I ate. Wink But did it help? otherwise back to the drawing board...

I hope it did, but you must say whether it did, cos I reckon somebody somewhere knows the FTP answer and we won't find them unless you tell the result so far.

I guess that, aside from me, there might be the odd one or two people reading the Forum who'd love to know.

PS Simple in inverted commas in your post - darn - you know me too well Wink

Regards
Mo

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NT - 'u you asked Kees for a ''simple'' question, I supplied one ,-)
Jun 2, 2004 10:17PM PDT

.

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(NT) ROFL - You rascal! Regards, Mo
Jun 2, 2004 11:33PM PDT

.

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How to Search Favorites (part 1 of ...)
Jun 2, 2004 4:39AM PDT

(This is weird, the somewhat detailed information I entered for this yesterday is no longer here. Anybody else experiencing this? ... anyway ...)

I always sort my many hundreds of links, on the many computers that I use at home and work. In doing that, I often forget where I placed it.
There is a relatively easy way of searching your Favorites.

First) To easily get to your Favorites,
just press Windows-R (hold the Windows key and press "R").
That will open the "Run" window.
Type in "favorites" and press Enter (or click [OK])

2) With your Favorites open, in a Windows Explorer window,
press Ctrl-F (hold the Ctrl key and press "F")
That will open the Search companion to the Explorer.

3) If the "All files and folders" selection is visible, then click it, otherwise,


(continue reading to the next part, I needed to break this up. The forum is preventing me to enter it all in one box. sigh...)

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Re:How to Search Favorites - Thankyou - it works and ...
Jun 2, 2004 5:29AM PDT

it's easier for me to do a Start Run and type in Favorites (American spelling) which brings up all of them (as you said it would) - which is good, because I can see all of what I am looking at, or looking for. The Ctrl-F feature worked as well. There is also a means of changing Icons into a detail list on every opening - I know this and will find the instructions from my action pile.

Good tip - Thank you. Page 1 does it fine (so to speak) so I am printing out page 2 for later reference.

PS There is a workaround for getting long posts onto one page, but I think CNET has also done a "fix" for this. I will post back on this. The disappearing text does seem to happen from time to time. Best type long posts into Word/Wordpad and then copy/paste and repost if necessary. Said from experience.

Thank you
Regards
Mo

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How to Search Favorites (part 2 of 2)
Jun 2, 2004 4:46AM PDT

3a) If you know part of the website title, or what you might have named the website in your favorites,
in the "All or part of the file name" field enter just part of that name.
Suggestion: DO NOT enter spaces, since entering spaces, if not entered exactly what you are looking for the result will not find what your want.
So, just enter one word, or even part of a word.

..... OR .....

3b) If you know part of the URL address,
in the "A word or phrase in the file" field enter just that part.
Suggestion: DO NOT enter slashes "/" or common things like ".com" because being either too specific or too generic you will probably not get what you want, or too much.
So, for example, if you were looking for a website like "www.somethingiforgot.com" it is better to enter just "something" or "thing" or "forgot" or even just "some" or "ethin" or "forg" or or or (get the idea?).

Last) Then click the [Search] button.

The hits found can be double-clicked right from that Search window, it will open your IE.
And, that Search window will have an "In Folder" column, which tells you just what folder within Favorites that you placed it.
That will help reminding you for the next time you might want that same bookmark.

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Re: Search function for Favorites in IE6?
Sep 15, 2004 9:28PM PDT

There was a very helpful discussion about this on the PC Magazine "Tip of the Day" - see

http://discuss.pcmag.com/pcmag/start/?msg=29509

(If that gets lost go to their discussion site and ask for message 29509.)

I too had this problem (2458 favorites in 313 folders) and ended up, as do so many, writing a tool to help me. You can find it, and many competitors on the download site here http://www.download.com/3120-20-0.html?qt=favorites&tg=dl-2001 or just click on Downloads, and search for "favorites" in Windows.

William Hite