Article ID: 934646 - Last Review: March 28, 2011 - Revision: 3.0

The Advanced tab is unavailable in the Indexing Options item in Control Panel on a Windows Vista-based or a Windows XP-based computer

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Problem description

In the Indexing Options item in Control Panel on a Windows Vista-based or a Windows XP-based computer, you cannot select the Advanced tab. Instead of being available, the Advanced tab appears dimmed. Additionally, the Windows Desktop Search service was not started.

This article helps you repair the Advanced tab by forcing Indexing Options to repair the index catalog. To have us fix this problem for you, go to the "Fix it for me" section. If you prefer to fix this problem yourself, go to the "Let me fix it myself" section.
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Fix it for me

To fix this problem on Windows XP use the steps outlined in the Let me fix it myself section. To fix this problem automatically on Windows Vista, click the Fix this problem link. Click Run in the File Download dialog box, and then follow the steps in the Fix it wizard.


Fix this problem


Thanks to MVP Anand Khanse (https://mvp.support.microsoft.com/profile=D09C51CC-3767-4A69-A800-420AF7EBD7C3) for contributing to this Fix it.


Note this Fix it solution works for all languages. However, for some languages, the wizard text may be in English

Note if you are not on the computer that has the problem, save the Fix it solution to a flash drive or a CD and then run it on the computer that has the problem.

Next, go to the "Did this fix the problem?" section.


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Let me fix it myself

Important This section, method, or task contains steps that tell you how to modify the registry. However, serious problems might occur if you modify the registry incorrectly. Therefore, make sure that you follow these steps carefully. For added protection, back up the registry before you modify it. Then, you can restore the registry if a problem occurs. For more information about how to back up and restore the registry, click the following article number to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:
322756  (http://support.microsoft.com/kb/322756/ ) How to back up and restore the registry in Windows
To fix the Advanced tab in the Indexing Options in Control Panel, follow the appropriate steps for your operating system.
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Windows Vista

  1. Click
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    Start button
    , click All Programs, click Accessories, and then right-click Command Prompt.
  2. Click Run as administrator.

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    User Account Control permission
    If you are prompted for an administrator password or for confirmation, type the password, or provide confirmation.
  3. Type net stop wsearch, and then press ENTER.
  4. Type exit, and then press ENTER.
  5. Click
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    Start button
    , type regedit in the Start Search box, and then press ENTER.

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    User Account Control permission
    If you are prompted for an administrator password or for confirmation, type the password, or provide confirmation.
  6. Locate and then click the following registry subkey:
    HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows Search\SetupCompletedSuccessfully
  7. On the Edit menu, click Modify.
  8. Type 0, and then press ENTER.
  9. Exit Registry Editor, and then restart the computer.
When the computer restarts, Indexing Options re-creates the index catalog.
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Windows XP

  1. Click Start, click Run, type cmd, and then click OK.
  2. Type net stop wsearch, and then press ENTER.
  3. Type exit, and then press ENTER.
  4. Click Start, click Run, type regedit, and then click OK.
  5. Locate and then click the following registry subkey:
    HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows Search\SetupCompletedSuccessfully
  6. On the Edit menu, click Modify.
  7. Type 0, and then press ENTER.
  8. Exit Registry Editor, and then restart the computer.
When the computer restarts, Indexing Options re-creates the index catalog.

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Did this fix the problem?

  • Check if the problem is fixed by verifying whether the Advanced tab in the Indexing Options item in Control Panel is available. If the Advanced tab is available, you are finished with this article. If the problem is not fixed, you can contact support (http://support.microsoft.com/contactus) .
  • We would appreciate your feedback. To provide feedback or to report any issues with this solution, please leave a comment on the "Fix it for me (http://blogs.technet.com/fixit4me/) " blog or send us an e-mail (mailto:fixit4me@microsoft.com?Subject=KB934646 – The Advanced tab is unavailable in the Indexing Options item in Control Panel) message.
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APPLIES TO
  • Windows Desktop Search
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Keywords: 
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