knowledgebase search tips

Enter specific keywords that describe the information you want to find. Be sure to separate keywords with spaces and to include relevant information, such as product name, platform, and any error message.

Searches aren't case sensitive, and you don't need to type "and" between keywords. The search results include documents that contain all of the words in your query. You can narrow the number of results you get by adding more words to your query, or you can broaden your search by including fewer words.

Some tips on searching:

  • Choose keywords carefully. Be specific and enter the most obvious words first ("error 1050" rather than "error").
  • Use words likely to appear on the site (terms specific to the product or software, common acronyms).
  • If you want the search to include a common word (such as "where," "at," or "and"), put the word in quotes as part of a phrase or term ("Windows 2000 and XP") or indicate its inclusion with a plus sign (+how).

Phrase Searches

Search for exact phrases by enclosing them in quotation marks. Phrase searches are especially useful when searching for exact quotes or proper nouns within documents.

Example: "how to find your serial number"

Using the "+" Operator

Common words such as where and how are generally ignored, as well as certain single digits and letters. Because these terms are so common, they often slow down your search without improving your results.

If one of these common words or characters is necessary to find the results you want, you can include it by putting a plus sign (+) at the beginning of the word.

Example: +how +to find serial number

Using the "–" Operator

Sometimes what you're searching for has more than one meaning—windows can refer to the Microsoft operating system or application windows. You can exclude a word from your search by putting a minus sign or hyphen ( - ) immediately in front of the term you want to avoid.

Example: windows -Microsoft