Search Microsoft's online Knowledge Base like a pro
Itai Rolnick
Published: 24 Oct 2002 11:38 BST
Some symptoms can also be described with several different terms, all of which are equally valid. The terms greyed out, grayed out, and disabled can all be found in various MSKB articles describing similar conditions.
Try various word forms
One of MSKB's most annoying shortcomings is that the search engine doesn't provide stemming. In other words, it doesn't have the capability to search for alternate grammatical forms of search terms. For instance, the article "Remote Access Service (RAS) Error Code List" (Q163111) won't be returned if you queried titles only for RAS error codes, because the word code appears in the article's title instead of codes. To get around this problem, you often have to use various forms of your search terms, such as display, displays, displaying, and displayed.
Fine-tune your searches
As with any search system, two factors control the number of hits: the number of search terms provided and the search scope. The search scope can be set by selecting the appropriate radio button, Title Only or Full Text, which narrows or broadens the results, respectively. Also, try adjusting the search string. Unless set to Any Of The Words entered, the search engine treats search terms as if they had the and operator between them. So more search terms impose more limitations on the search engine and yield fewer results.
Browse your search results
There are various ways to browse the results. At the top of the results page, you should see the tabs shown in Figure D. Using these tabs, you can browse the search results page in three views: Refine Your Search, Preview Articles, and View Results Only.
| Figure D |
 |
If you have a relatively fast Internet connection, I recommend using the Preview Articles mode, which provides a split-screen interface. It allows you to skim through articles without losing touch with the result set. Alternatively, you can press [Shift] and click the articles' title links to open the articles in a new window for a quick peek.
Express search using Google
My final search tips come from my fellow TechRepublic members. In response to a previous article, member Uber Geek suggested setting Google to search Microsoft's Support Web site, superseding TechNet's internal search mechanism. Because Google usually provides the results considerably faster than Microsoft's search, this little trick can save you loads of time. Member Gbakken posted a follow-up and offered a link that leads directly to a Google Web page that is set to search Microsoft's support site.
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