Search Companion cannot be found
Doug Knox MS-MVP
Error: "A file that is required to run Search Companion cannot be found. You may need to run setup".
The file that is missing, or corrupt, is one of two. BAR.XSL or BALLOON.XSL, depending on your search preferences. These files are both normally located in the Windows\srchasst\mui\0409 folder on your hard drive. These files may be locally cached in the Temporary Internet Files, so this may explain why some users have this problem "intermittently".
Here are two fixes.
Fix #1) Right click on each of the links below and select Save Target As. Save the files to \Windows\srchasst\mui\0409 folder.
http://sa.windows.com/sasearch/bar.xsl
http://sa.windows.com/sasearch/balloon.xsl
The Windows\Inf folder is a hidden folder. You can adjust your Explorer Folder Options (View tab) to Show hidden files and folders.
Fix #2) Open Explorer and go to the Windows\Inf folder. Locate the srchasst.inf file. Right click it and select Install. You'll ned your XP CD or the files from the I386 folder. (This fix will require you to have your Win XP CD). Again, the Windows\Inf folder is a hidden folder. You may need to adjust your Windows Explorer options to show hidden files and folders. You can also click Start, Run and enter %SystemRoot%\Inf to open directly to the Inf folder.
--
"Do not Panic! Your password is correct. It just looks wrong!" - MS-MVP Kelly
--------------------------------
Doug Knox, MS-MVP Windows 9x/XP
Win 95/98/Me/XP Tweaks and Fixes
http://www.dougknox.com
--------------------------------
Associate Expert
ExpertZone - http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/expertzone
--------------------------------
Please reply only to the newsgroup so all may benefit.
Unsolicited e-mail is not answered.
"Catherine" <ach...@arvorek.net> wrote in message news:397601c1b4d4$cc146680$3aef2ecf@TKMSFTNGXA09...
> When I want to start a search I go to:
> Start
> Search
> For files or Folders
>
> Then the following error message appears:
>
> 'A file that is required to run Search Companion cannot be
> found. You may need to run setup.'
>
> Does that mean I have to reinstall my XP on my 24 hours
> brand new computer?
AbbyNormal
> Before applying either of these fixes, please take a moment to provide =
> me with some information. Several MVP's are working with Microsoft to =
> identify the cause of this problem. Your assistance in this is greatly =
> appreciated. Please go to =
> http://www.dougknox.com/xp/tips/search_feedback.htm and provide the =
> answers to a few questions. No personal information is collected, and =
> your e-mail address will not be used for any other purpose.
>
> You may need to run setup".
>
> BALLOON.XSL, depending on your search preferences. These files are both =
> normally located in the Windows\srchasst\mui\0409 folder on your hard =
> drive. These files may be locally cached in the Temporary Internet =
> Files, so this may explain why some users have this problem =
> "intermittently". =20
>
> Here are two fixes.
>
> Fix #1) Right click on each of the links below and select Save Target =
> As. Save the files to \Windows\srchasst\mui\0409 folder.
>
>
> http://sa.windows.com/sasearch/balloon.xsl
>
> The Windows\Inf folder is a hidden folder. You can adjust your Explorer =
> Folder Options (View tab) to Show hidden files and folders.
>
> srchasst.inf file. Right click it and select Install. You'll ned your XP =
> CD or the files from the I386 folder. (This fix will require you to have =
> your Win XP CD). Again, the Windows\Inf folder is a hidden folder. =
> You may need to adjust your Windows Explorer options to show hidden =
> files and folders. You can also click Start, Run and enter =
> %SystemRoot%\Inf to open directly to the Inf folder.
>
>
> "Do not Panic! Your password is correct. It just looks wrong!" - MS-MVP =
> Kelly
> --------------------------------
> Doug Knox, MS-MVP Windows 9x/XP
> Win 95/98/Me/XP Tweaks and Fixes
> http://www.dougknox.com
> --------------------------------
> Associate Expert
> ExpertZone - http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/expertzone
> --------------------------------
SystemSuite 4.0, which, according to the box, claims it is fully
compatible with WXPH. NOT!
I am planning on writing them for my $60.00 back. Several problems with
several modules, I.e., PowerDesk Pro kept giving me error messages and
freezing my system, realized after installing Outlook every 2-3 hours
that some part of their "clean-up" must have been trashing OL because
after I uninstalled SS4.0, I haven't had to reinstall OL since, the
Whois lookup never worked, etc., etc., etc.
I mention this because I also lost the Search ability with that same
error message ONLY after I installed OnTrack's s/w and ran some of the
cleanup modules. I am convinced that this is the culprit with the
problems I have experienced because I didn't have these problems until
this past weekend when I installed this s/w.
HTH in your efforts to determine the problem.
AbbyNormal (The Original)
RHinNC
about a couple of months ago. I remember it happening, what I did was toggle
between the classic search and new search a couple of times and then it
started working again.
"Doug Knox MS-MVP" <dk...@mvps.org> wrote in message
news:#E7xhsNtBHA.1396@tkmsftngp05...
Doug Knox MS-MVP
The problem is that these two files (and others related to Search) can be dynamically updated from the web. This could be to provide new options, new text for the animated characters, new whatever. The problem occurs when Search goes to see if any of these files is updated. It looks to the http://sa.windows.com server for its updates. It looks for a "No, there is no update" message from the server. If it doesn't get one, it assumes that the next file it sees coming down is an update. Firewalls and proxy servers will often generate error messages in HTML format. Search treats it like an update and overwrites the existing files. Some ISP's and outfits that provide wireless internet access also "hijack" the data stream in order to display their "Welcome to......." screen. This has the same effect. The Search files get overwritten by "bad data".
MS is aware of this, and thanks to the contributions of users like yourselves, are working on a fix. When? That I don't know. What method will they use to fix it? I don't know that either. Whether it will be a single update or part of a Service Pack has yet to be determined. I voted for fix it NOW! But hey, I don't work for Microsoft :)
It may be possible to mark the files in the Windows\srchasst\mui\0409 folder as Read-Only to prevent them from being overwritten. But this would also mean that they couldn't be updated by a valid update.
--
"Do not Panic! Your password is correct. It just looks wrong!" - MS-MVP Kelly
--------------------------------
Doug Knox, MS-MVP Windows 9x/XP
Win 95/98/Me/XP Tweaks and Fixes
http://www.dougknox.com
--------------------------------
Associate Expert
ExpertZone - http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/expertzone
--------------------------------
Please reply only to the newsgroup so all may benefit.
Unsolicited e-mail is not answered.
"AbbyNormal" <ABbyN...@THeNUTHousE.com> wrote in message news:MPG.16d4bfe97...@msnews.microsoft.com...
AbbyNormal
> Abby and RH, and anyone else interested...........
>
> be dynamically updated from the web. This could be to provide new =
> options, new text for the animated characters, new whatever. The =
> problem occurs when Search goes to see if any of these files is updated. =
> It looks to the http://sa.windows.com server for its updates. It looks =
> for a "No, there is no update" message from the server. If it doesn't =
> get one, it assumes that the next file it sees coming down is an update. =
> Firewalls and proxy servers will often generate error messages in HTML =
> format. Search treats it like an update and overwrites the existing =
> files. Some ISP's and outfits that provide wireless internet access =
> also "hijack" the data stream in order to display their "Welcome =
> to......." screen. This has the same effect. The Search files get =
> overwritten by "bad data". =20
>
> MS is aware of this, and thanks to the contributions of users like =
> yourselves, are working on a fix. When? That I don't know. What =
> method will they use to fix it? I don't know that either. Whether it =
> will be a single update or part of a Service Pack has yet to be =
> determined. I voted for fix it NOW! But hey, I don't work for =
> Microsoft :)
>
> It may be possible to mark the files in the Windows\srchasst\mui\0409 =
> folder as Read-Only to prevent them from being overwritten. But this =
> would also mean that they couldn't be updated by a valid update.
>
> "Do not Panic! Your password is correct. It just looks wrong!" - MS-MVP =
> Kelly
> --------------------------------
> Doug Knox, MS-MVP Windows 9x/XP
> Win 95/98/Me/XP Tweaks and Fixes
> http://www.dougknox.com
> --------------------------------
> Associate Expert
> ExpertZone - http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/expertzone
> --------------------------------
> Unsolicited e-mail is not answered.
> "AbbyNormal" <ABbyN...@THeNUTHousE.com> wrote in message =
> news:MPG.16d4bfe97...@msnews.microsoft.com...
> > In article <#E7xhsNtBHA.1396@tkmsftngp05>, dk...@mvps.org says...
> provide =3D
> > > me with some information. Several MVP's are working with Microsoft =
> to =3D
> > > identify the cause of this problem. Your assistance in this is =
> greatly =3D
Hi Doug. This scenario does not apply to me, if that helps at all. I use
OP f/w and after seeing this message to connect to sa dot windows dot
com and not really knowing what that was and where it was going, I
created a rule for this so that it would be blocked since it tried to
connect every time I used search. Therefore, MY search has never been
updated since I also have ALL auto updates cut off at the knees on this
box. But thanks for clearing up that little mystery for me about what
the heck sa is.
AbbyNormal
Doug Knox MS-MVP
What is normally considered Automatic Updates does not apply here. The Search update is independent of Automatic Updates. There may well be other issues that can cause this problem. But the end result is the same. One or more of the files winds up replaced with bad data.
--
"Do not Panic! Your password is correct. It just looks wrong!" - MS-MVP Kelly
--------------------------------
Doug Knox, MS-MVP Windows 9x/XP
Win 95/98/Me/XP Tweaks and Fixes
http://www.dougknox.com
--------------------------------
Associate Expert
ExpertZone - http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/expertzone
--------------------------------
Please reply only to the newsgroup so all may benefit.
Unsolicited e-mail is not answered.
"AbbyNormal" <ABbyN...@THeNUTHousE.com> wrote in message news:MPG.16d550d54...@msnews.microsoft.com...
Tom S
The Windows XP search feature breaks when used inside our firewall and proxy
server. When I tried to search, I found that the bar.xsl style sheet had
been replaced by our web page that allows us through our proxy server
(Symantec I-Gear). It apparently thinks this is a valid update
and replaces the style sheet. Setting it to read only failed to fix it, it
was replaced each time. Proxying through the firewall would fix it as long
as you were authenticated. Reinstalling per the instructions fixed it for
one search. I added *sa.windows.com to the proxy exception list in IE and
it seemed to fix the problem. It goes and checks and sees there is no
update and leaves it alone. Sounds like it's getting the update from the
wrong place!
Thanks for posting this info...
Tom Steger
Pierce County Information Services
PC & Network Services
BTW, your link didn't give an opportunity to provide feedback
"Doug Knox MS-MVP" <dk...@mvps.org> wrote in message
news:#E7xhsNtBHA.1396@tkmsftngp05...
Doug Knox
We're not collecting information anymore on this issue. MS has identified
the problem. The issue is that the Search Companion is expecting a "No
there is no update" answer, and isn't getting it. It then assumes that the
next data down is an update. MS is working on a fix for this.
--
Doug Knox MS-MVP
.
"Tom S" <m...@work.com> wrote in message news:OOuWFqnuBHA.2560@tkmsftngp04...