Question

How to search an attached USB drive
I have been unsuccessful searching an external drive for a specific phrase

Answer 1

You can search a USB drive just like any other fixed or removable drive. Just specify the Look In location to be that of the USB Drive's letter, e.g.

File name:
Containing text:
Look In: H:\

Try and very simple search to start off with (ie no File name OR Containing Text) just to check that it's correctly reading the drive.

If you're still having problems try using the wmic command to list all the connected drives, e.g. from the command prompt type this:

wmic diskdrive list > c:\drives.txt

Then please update your question with the information from the drives.txt file.

Comments

I have tried using the drive letter, it will not find attached external devices. I also had a co-worker try and he was unsuccessful.

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Is it a standard USB thumb drive or is there anything unusual about it? I've updated the answer with information about wmic command, try that.