How to search within text files for special characters?

dsiomtw

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I still can't figure out this Windows 8 search function ...

I have a bunch of text files and I need to search for the following string for example within the files:

now()

Can anyone tell me what I need to do to search for this string?

It seems like Windows 8 ignores just about all non-alphanumeric characters when searching.

If I can't search within files for a simple string like the above I'm screwed!
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 8.1
all.png
 

My Computer

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Thanks for your reply.

Sorry if I was unclear, but I'm referring to searching through 100s of text files at once using Windows built-in search functionality, not just searching within a single file using Notepad.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 8.1
Well, I was the one that misunderstood the question. The easiest way is to use notepad++
it has 'find in files' option, which is located in the 'Search' menu.. This will allow you to search multiple files in a folder (you can specify the folder) and will show you the line numbers of each file as well. You can toggle whether subfolders and hidden folders are included in the search, and it will also allow you to search with \t \n etc. and to search with regular expressions if you need.

EDIT: actually, notepad++ is my favorite text editor instead of the regular notepadd.
 
Last edited:

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    8.1x64PWMC Ubuntu14.04x64 MintMate17x64
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Home Brewed
    CPU
    I7 4970K OC'ed @4.7 GHz
    Motherboard
    MSI-Z97
    Memory
    16 GB G-Skill Trident X @2400MHZ
    Graphics Card(s)
    NVIDIA GeForce GTS 450
    Sound Card
    X-Fi Titanium Fatal1ty Professional Series
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Dual HP-W2408
    Screen Resolution
    1920X1200
    Hard Drives
    256 GB M2 sm951, (2) 500GB 850EVO, 5TB, 2 TB Seagate
    PSU
    Antec 850W
    Case
    Antec 1200
    Cooling
    Danger Den H20
    Keyboard
    Logitech
    Mouse
    Logitech Performance Mouse MX
    Internet Speed
    35/12mbps
    Browser
    Firefox
Interesting. I use TextPad which I've used for at least 10 years, but I'll look into this Notepad++. Thanks!
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 8.1
Try using the search using the Files search scope on the Start Screen via either the mouse or WinKey/F.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    8.1 Pro X64
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
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    Acer T690
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    Intel Pentium D Dual Core
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    Acer/Intel E946GZ
    Memory
    2GB (max upgrade)
    Graphics Card(s)
    Intel Graphics Media Accelerator 3000 - PCI Express x16
    Sound Card
    Integrated RealTek ALC888 high-definition audio with 7.1 channel audio support
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Acer AL1917W A LCD
    Screen Resolution
    1440 X 900
    Hard Drives
    350 GB Seagate Barracuda 7200.10
    Thumb drives
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    Standard 250 watt
    Case
    Desktop 7.2" (183mm) W x 17.5" (445mm) L x 14.5"
    Cooling
    Dual case fans + CPU fan
    Keyboard
    Acer Windows PS/2
    Mouse
    Wireless Microsoft Arc
    Internet Speed
    54mbp/s
    Browser
    IE11
    Antivirus
    Defender
    Other Info
    Office Pro 2013 / Nokia Lumia 1520 Windows Phone 8.1DP GDR1
Yea notepad++ is an amazing text editor! Beware of the newest update 6.6.6 o_O lol
Notepad++Creepy.PNG
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 8.1 Professional
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Hewart Packard
    CPU
    AMD Athlon 64 x2 Dual Core Processor 4000+ 2.10 GHz
    Motherboard
    ECS Nettle2 1.0
    Memory
    2Gb DDR2
    Graphics Card(s)
    NVIDIA GeForce 6150SE nForce 430
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Dynex
    Screen Resolution
    1360x768
    Browser
    Internet Explorer
    Antivirus
    Avast
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