Best way to search simultaneously in many large files across different folders and hard drives?

Question

Hello,

I often need to search through many large files located in different folders and on different drives, which FileLocator Pro does very well.

However, I'm looking for the best way to make this search as fast and efficient as possible. I've noticed that when I open multiple search tabs to search different drives simultaneously, I encounter more search errors, such as a TXT file not being able to open. If I search specifically for that file, however, there are no errors. The same happens if I open FileLocator Pro multiple times to search several drives at once. The only way that works reliably is searching one folder and one drive sequentially, but this takes a very long time.

What would be the best and most efficient method to search as many folders and drives as possible simultaneously to speed up the search and maximize the number of threads my CPU can handle?

I've already searched the Q&A for an answer, but haven't found anything specific. Even at…

• https://qa.mythicsoft.com/26789/search-for-multiple-files?show=26789#q26789
• 
• https://qa.mythicsoft.com/16961/search-more-than-drive-time-such-and-drives-agent-ransack-lite?show=16961#q16961

...is only one file searched at a time, and not simultaneously?

Thanks in advance for your support!

Best regards

Answer 1

The program will allow you to perform multiple simultaneous searches but your NAS service might not permit excessive open file handles, hence the 'open file' errors when searching files. You should find that local drive searches do not produce similar errors.

Since network searches are usually bandwidth-constrained you will probably have more success reducing the number of search threads, to keep the number of open file handles low. You can specify the number of search threads in the Configuration -> Advanced -> Threads / Priority Settings:

Help: Threads / Priority Settings