[Dogboy]

I found a fix. You can disable "stupid search" mode (as I
think it should be called) by going to control panel, selecting "Administrative tools", then and "Services". Select "Windows Search" and click "stop". You can also then select "Disabled".

When I did this, it works more like XP's search function, and I was able to use it to find my .emp file (a file that Vista's search function concluded does not exist).