Stop Windows 7 from searching while I’m typing in the search field, and wait for me to press Enter

Solution 1:

I do not have a solution for the Explorer functionality, but my workaround is to pop open Notepad and type whatever I want to search for, then copy it and paste that into Explorer. (I do this for Google searches as well now that Google behaves like Windows 7 thanks to its Instant Search function.)

My Notepad solution involves a keyboard hotkey, so you can put a shortcut to Notepad on your desktop or somethwere, right-click it, select Properties, and type a shortcut key in the appropriate field. (I use T.)

My sentiments are that keyboard > mouse, so my process ends up being:

1. Open Notepad                               (e.g., Ctrl+Alt+T)
2. Type my search terms
3. Select all                                        (Ctrl+A)
4. Copy                                              (Ctrl+C or Ctrl+Ins)
5. Switch to the Explorer Window     (e.g., Alt+Tab)
6. Activate the search field                (Ctrl+F or F3)
7. Paste                                             (Ctrl+V or Shift+Ins)
8. Search                                           (Enter or just wait a second for it to automatically search)

It seems lengthy but is actually quite quick.

Solution 2:

I'm pretty sure this is a feature and cannot be turned off. Turning it off would essentially relegate the functionality back to XP.

Solution 3:

Annoying as hell, I agree, but easy to get around. Before you type anything else, type a row of X's. It'll start to throw up X-box, etc, but when you get to about five X's it'll shut its mouth in bafflement and you can type in your search in peace, like so: 'xxxxxxxwhy does google copy every damn thing I type in without letting me finish?'. You can even make typos without a single red wavy line appearing. Peace at last. Just highlight and delete the X's before hitting 'enter'. Soooo much better for your blood pressure, I find :)