Everyone has to search for a file now and then, either on a
local system or on a shared network. Windows 2000 Pro provides a reasonably good search
feature within the user interface, but sometimes it is easier to search from a
command console.

To help you accomplish these command-line searches, you can
turn to the Where.exe utility
included with the Windows 2000 Resource Kit. Where.exe can locate files on the
local file system or on the network. You can direct Where.exe to search only
the target folder or perform a recursive search through subfolders.

Used without any arguments other than the file specifier, Where.exe searches the current folder and
displays the name and location of the file(s). You can use the /T argument to
have Where.exe include the size and modification time for the file, and use the
/E argument to show the executable type of any executable files found in the
search.

You can also direct Where.exe to place double quotes around
the output. This can be very useful if you are exporting the listing to a
database via a quote-delimited file.

To learn more about Where.exe and its syntax, consult the
Windows 2000 Resource Kit documentation or simply execute the following command
at a console prompt:

Where.exe /?

Miss a column?

Check out the Windows 2000 Professional archive, and catch up on the most recent editions of Jim Boyce’s column.

Want more Win2K tips and tricks? Automatically sign up for our free Windows 2000 Professional newsletter, delivered each Tuesday!