Our product creates a large number of files during runtime that contain program data. The Windows Search feature of Vista and Win7 attempts to index these files and folders and wastes CPU time and disk space doing so. I'd like to add a folder to the list of folders excluded from indexing.
I imagine a solution probably includes some Installscript plus the Windows API but I'm coming up blank on what functions to call. Anyone out there done this before?
You would need to make changes to the fodler options somehow, I dont really know any details of what you need to do. But as a pointer I would look at the registry entry for HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\explorer\Advanced\Folder or HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\Advanced
Im sure that you could script to change the registry entry to disable indexing during the install, then re-enable indexing after the install. I supose that this may turn on indexing for all end users even if they didnt originally have indexing on unless you script to avoid that.
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Like I said, I dont really know, I am just trying to help point you in the general direction 🙂
Thanks for the additional info. Turns out we don't actually need to modify this in the end. But for those that stumble upon this thread looking for the same, I eventually found some lower level developer API stuff for Windows Search: http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/bb266516%28v=vs.85%29.aspx
