6. Create a New User Account – Fix a Broken User Profile
Windows user profiles can be corrupted due to:
- Login/logout glitches
- Conflict of interest
- User-specific registry errors
Steps to Create a New Account:
- Open Settings → Accounts
- Select Family & other users
- Click Add account → I don’t have this person’s sign-in information
- Create a local account with: New username and Password (optional)
- Once created, log out of your old account and sign in to your new account
7. PC Reset – The Most Drastic Last Solution
When Needed:
- All previous solutions failed
- There are indications of extensive system malfunction
- Want to restore Windows to its original state without reinstalling
Safe Reset Procedure:
- Backup important data to an external drive
- Open Settings → Update & Security → Recovery
- Select Reset this PC → Keep my files (safest option)
- Follow the wizard’s instructions:
- Select the system drive (usually C:)
- Confirm the reset process
Other Interesting Articles
Solution Selection Guide
Comparison Table 7: File Explorer Search Error Solutions
| Yes | Solution | When to Use? | Difficulty Level | Time | Risk | Tools Needed |
| 1 | Restart Windows Search Service | Search bar not responding/freezing | Easy | 2-5 minutes | Low | services.msc |
| 2 | Rebuild Search Index | Incomplete/inaccurate search results | Keep | 10 minutes-2 hours* | Low | Control Panel → Indexing Options |
| 3 | DISM & SFC Scan | Comprehensive system error + BSOD symptoms | Keep | 30-60 minutes | Low | Command Prompt (Admin) |
| 4 | Disable/Enable Windows Search | Service can’t be started | Easy | 10-15 minutes | Low | services.msc + restart PC |
| 5 | Use Everything Tool | Need an emergency search without repair | It’s Very Easy | 5 minutes | None | Everything App (voidtools.com) |
| 6 | Create a New User Account | User-specific errors (corrupted profiles) | Keep | 15-30 minutes | Medium** | Settings → Accounts |
| 7 | Reset PC | All solutions fail + severe system damage | Tall | 1-2 hours | Tall*** | Settings → Recovery |
Information:
- *Index rebuild time depends on the number of files (1 million files ≈ 1 hour).
- **Medium risk on solution 6: need manual migration of files/settings to a new account.
- ***High risk on solution 7: uninstalled applications (data backup required).
Guidelines for Selection Based on Symptoms
| Main Symptoms | Priority Solutions (Execution Order) |
| Search bar freezes/unresponsive | 1 → 4 → 5 → 6 |
| Inaccurate search results | 2 → 1 → 3 |
| Errors after Windows Update | 3 → 2 → 7 |
| A “SearchIndexer.exe error” message appears | 3 → 2 → 6 |
| Search doesn’t work only on certain accounts | 6 → 1 → 2 |