When attempting to search network shares mapped from Windows Server 2008 R2 to Windows 7 x64 clients, users frequently encounter the frustrating "no items match your search" message. This occurs despite having the Windows Search Service properly configured on the server and the client's indexing options correctly set up.

The expected behavior is for Windows 7 clients to:

• Forward search queries to the server (where content is indexed)
• Execute the search remotely
• Return results to the client

Here are the approaches that have shown varying degrees of success:

Method 1: Forced Index Rebuild Trigger

The most reliable workaround discovered involves triggering a manual file count:

1. Navigate to the mapped drive in Windows Explorer
2. Select all files (Ctrl+A)
3. Right-click > Properties
4. Wait for Windows to complete the file count
5. Perform the search immediately afterward

Method 2: Service Configuration Checks

Verify these critical services are running:

# PowerShell script to verify required services
Get-Service -ComputerName SERVERNAME -Name WSearch, LanmanServer | 
    Select-Object Name, Status, StartType

These registry modifications have helped some users:

Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows Search\ProtocolHandlers\file]
"UseStableUrl"=dword:00000001

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows Search\Gather\Windows\SystemIndex]
"EnableRemoteQueries"=dword:00000001

For more reliable results, consider using PowerShell:

# PowerShell alternative search function
function Search-NetworkShare {
    param (
        [string]$Path = "Z:\",
        [string]$SearchTerm = "*"
    )
    
    Get-ChildItem -Path $Path -Recurse -File -Force | 
        Where-Object { $_.Name -like $SearchTerm } |
        Select-Object FullName, LastWriteTime, Length
}

# Usage example:
Search-NetworkShare -Path "\\server\share" -SearchTerm "*.docx"

Create a monitoring script to check index status:

# Index health checker
$indexStatus = (Get-WmiObject -Class MSFT_WmiConsumerProviderSuspend -Namespace root\Microsoft\Windows\Search).Status

if ($indexStatus -ne 0) {
    Write-Host "Indexing service requires attention. Status code: $indexStatus"
    # Add remediation steps here
} else {
    Write-Host "Index service operating normally"
}

For corporate environments with large file repositories:

• Consider implementing Windows Search Server
• Evaluate third-party search solutions like Copernic or File Explorer++
• Implement scheduled index verification scripts

The file counting workaround appears to force a proper index rebuild. For production environments, implementing regular index verification through automated scripts provides the most reliable solution while Microsoft has discontinued official fixes for this legacy OS combination.

---

When attempting to search network shares mapped from Windows Server 2008 R2 to Windows 7 x64 clients, users frequently encounter the frustrating "no items match your search" message despite proper indexing configuration. This occurs even when:

• The File Server role with Windows Search Service is installed
• The shared drive is included in server-side indexing
• Indexing status shows as complete

The expected search workflow should be:

Client Search Request → Server-side Index Query → Results Returned to Client

But in reality, the process breaks at the protocol level. Windows 7's search protocol handler has known issues with SMB 2.0/2.1 shares from Server 2008 R2.

Here are three approaches that have shown varying degrees of success:

1. Symbolic Link Method (Permanent Fix)

Create a symbolic link pointing to the UNC path:

mklink /D C:\SearchLink \\server\share

Then search through C:\SearchLink instead of the mapped drive.

2. Indexing Service Fallback

Enable the legacy Indexing Service on the server:

# PowerShell script to enable legacy indexing
Add-WindowsFeature -Name "Indexing-Service" -IncludeAllSubFeature

Configure it to index the share, then modify the client registry:

Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\ContentIndex]
"UseOldSearchBehavior"=dword:00000001

3. Protocol Force-Downgrade

Force SMB 1.0 protocol on problematic clients:

# Disable SMB 2.0/2.1
Set-ItemProperty -Path "HKLM:\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\LanmanServer\Parameters" -Name "SMB2" -Type DWORD -Value 0 -Force
# Restart Server service
Restart-Service LanmanServer -Force

For administrators needing deeper insight:

# Monitor search traffic with Process Monitor
procmon.exe /AcceptEula /BackingFile search_capture.pml /Quiet
procmon.exe /Terminate

The counting workaround mentioned in the original post works because it forces the client to rebuild its local shadow index. You can automate this with:

# PowerShell script to refresh folder statistics
$folder = "Z:\" # Your mapped drive
$itemCount = (Get-ChildItem $folder -Recurse | Measure-Object).Count
Write-Host "Refreshed metadata for $itemCount items"

For environments with strict security policies:

• Ensure "Network access: Let Everyone permissions apply to anonymous users" is disabled
• Verify Kerberos authentication is functioning properly
• Check firewall rules for TCP ports 445 and 139

The most reliable enterprise solution involves:

1. Upgrading to Server 2012 R2 or later
2. Implementing Windows Search 4.0 service
3. Configuring Group Policy to enable remote indexing