Windows 7 Windows Search does not index emails in Outlook PST

rastamanx

New Member
Windows Search (and/or Outlook 2007 Instant Search) does not index emails from Outlook PST files

Hi Gang....so I'm having a similar problem trying to get Windows Search to index my emails.
I am currently running Windows 7 Pro 64-bit and Outlook 2007. Upgraded from Windows XP Pro (SP3) and Outlook 2003 doing a clean install and then migrating app data over using Windows EZ migration.

Windows Search (i.e. Federated Search) is able to index my local files, but does not show any email files.
I've tried all of the following:
* reindexing as described in Watch out for a Microsoft Outlook 2007 indexing issue in Windows Vista
* running Microsoft Digonistic
* running Windows 7 assist utility: Find and Fix Problems with Windows Search
* Creating new Outlook profile
* Running scanpst on outlook PST files
* Confirming that Outlook Instant Search is enabled
* making sure that Indexing Option File type RTF indicates Rich Text Format

I do note that, after trying the re-indexing (uncheck/recheck) fix, Windows Search IS able to index individual outlook messages which I have saved in My Documents folder(s), but it does not index my PST files.

Moreover, when I open up the Search Options in Outlook Instant Search, the "Indexing" and "Search" options are DISABLED/GREYED OUT! So, I am unable to select any PST files for indexing and/or customize search options.

Other details to consider which may be affecting:
* I'm running Office 2007 SP2
* I originally installed the Office Software under my Windows User Profile (w/ Administrator privileges) by launching the installer using "run as administrator"
* The PST files are stored on my D: drive (and outlook profile has been set up to do this)


Any help/assistance towards solving this problem would be greatly appreciated.

Thx!!
~Rx
 
If this does not help, then I have no idea what else to try. This problem you report has been up in the air for a long time already. I personally use Opera mail and Mozilla Thunderbird. :)


Link :razz:
 
Thanks for the reply, Cybercore.
I've tried rebuilding the index (several times), but it didn't solve the problem. :(
 
SOLUTION!!

After digging around for a week, I finally found the cause of the problem, and was able to fix it.
See: Link Removed due to 404 Error

Google Apps Sync Disables Outlook Search

The installation of the Google Apps Sync plugin disables Outlook’s ability to search any and all of your Outlook data. When a Google Apps user installs the sync plugin for Outlook, the plugin modifies a registry key which disables Windows Desktop Search from indexing and providing search functionality for all Outlook data, not just the Outlook data being synchronized from GMail. Because Outlook search relies upon the indexing performed by Windows Desktop Search, Outlook search functions are broken as a result. It is also important to note that uninstalling the plugin may not fix the issue. Outlook users who are considering the Google Apps Sync plugin should become aware of this issue. If you have already installed this plugin, please take note of the steps below to address the issue.
For Outlook users who have already installed this plugin or have experienced this issue, the only remedy is to change the registry key that was modified by the plugin (click the link for more detail on the registry key):
1) Press the Windows Key + R on your keyboard, and type “REGEDITâ€Â￾. This will open the Windows Registry Editor.
2) Browse to the following: "HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Policies\Microsoft\Windows\Windows Search"
3) You will manually have to reset the value of “PreventIndexingOutlookâ€Â￾ to “0â€Â￾ (without the quotes). To do this, right click on the “PreventIndexingOutlookâ€Â￾ key, select “Modify…â€Â￾, then change the value data to “0â€Â￾.
4) Close the registry editor.
The Outlook team has been made aware of a second issue that affects users of the Microsoft Office Outlook Connector which syncs Windows Live Hotmail with Outlook. When a user has the Outlook Connector installed, then installs the Google Apps Sync plugin, the next time Outlook is started an error message comes up stating that “some functionality will be disabledâ€Â￾. The Google Apps Sync plugin modifies a registry key that is used by the Outlook Connector, which results in users seeing this error message. When confronted with this error message, we recommend that users click “Yesâ€Â￾ to enable functionality. The Outlook Connector will then continue to function normally. The Outlook Connector will reset this registry key to the correct value.
 
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