How do you find files in the NAS? Feiniu can only search the current folder, while Synology can search even text in PDFs by opening an index

my Feiniu has been running for over two years, with 46,000 photos, over 300 movies, and over 20GB of WeChat files—all in it. Last month, I flipped through a scanned copy of a home purchase contract. I remember leaving a NAS last year, so I clicked into the folder and flipped through it layer by layer. After twenty minutes of searching, I couldn't find it, and finally found it lying in the 'Documents' directory called 'New Folder (2)'. That day, I took it seriously: putting the documents in is only the first step; only if they can be retrieved does it count.

first categorize your search methods; if you dive in without categorizing them, you'll probably end up empty-handed.

first figure out which method you're looking for

the file search scenarios I've encountered myself, there are three types.

the first method, know the file name, or at least remember a few characters in the name. For example, looking for the "purchase contract"—even if you can't remember the full name, typing out the word "contract" can still help you get it out. This is the easiest way—the search box shows results directly.

the second type, I can't remember the name at all, only remember the type and when it was released. For example, "a piece of material I wrote for my dad last year" might be called an appeal or feedback, but it's a document and was placed around October last year. These two conditions are enough to narrow the scope to just a few documents.

the third and most dangerous thing: only remembering a sentence in the document. For example, I remember a certain manual said "Light decay minus twenty-seven," but the file name was forgotten long ago. This depends on content search, and content search is something most NAS unboxers ignore and require you to turn it on yourself.

three ways to find and three paths, I'll go through them one by one. I've checked both Feiniu and Synology machines, and the two brands have a serious temperament.

know the file name: Synology Results in Two Strikes, Feiniu has a pitfall

Synology is the most worry-free. Open File Station, there's a search box in the top right, type keywords and press Enter to search for all NAS shared folders. After searching, you can directly locate the folder in the results. It also recognizes wildcards: typing "*.mp4" lists all videos, and "contract*" can capture all documents starting with contracts in one go. On my cousin's Synology, searching for something basically involves three steps: opening, typing, and output.

Feiniu's pit is hidden here. The first time I typed 'Contract' in the upper right corner of File Management, it showed 'No matching file.' I thought the file was really lost. Later, I understood: Feiniu's search only works for the folder you are currently in and does not search subdirectories or search across directories globally. In other words, you have to first dig into a general directory and then search that layer, which is like the search box is just a "current folder filter."

global search feature, the official Feiniu forum has been urging me, and when I wrote this, it hadn't been officially launched yet. The emergency solution right now is to install a tool called FSearch—a file name search tool that mimics Everything on Linux. Feiniu runs Debian at its core, which works perfectly. After installation, scan the entire drive for the first time, then type the file name and it appears almost instantly. If you don't want to mess around, the local method is to set some rules for naming directories: "documents," "scans," and "appliance invoices" should each be kept separately. When searching, rely on memory to drill through the directory and then search that layer.

Everything can't find a NAS drive, don't waste your effort on this path

writing this, some might be thinking: Isn't everything on your computer? It's a magic tool for instantly searching the entire drive. just map the NAS to a network drive and that's it. My first reaction was also this, but after testing it, I gave up.

The principle of

Everything speed is to directly read the underlying logs of the NTFS file system, so new files are instantly indexed as soon as they are placed. The mapped NAS network drive uses the SMB protocol, which does not grant outsiders access to the underlying logs. Therefore, Everything official sources do not support indexing the network drive —if you stare at the mapped Z drive in Everything, it will always be blank.

there's a compromise: Everything has a beta version (1.5 Alpha) that adds a "folder index," which can indeed include network paths, but I gave up after trying it. It doesn't update this folder in real time; files are renamed, new things are added, and the index doesn't even know, so you have to manually rescan; My more than forty thousand photos take me half an hour at a time, and a couple of days after scanning, they expire again. It's just okay for people who occasionally look for files, but not for NAS devices that store files every day.

by the way, don't skip the directory rule just because "NAS has search." If you really just lie flat, you rely entirely on searching, and the search box will trick you—starting the file name as "New Folder (2)" or something like that, and even a genius can't find it.

can't remember the name, but you can turn them up by type and time

second way to find is filtering, not searching. After searching (or browsing without searching), there is a row of filters at the top of the results page: file type, size, modification date. I found the "document from last October," selecting the document type and setting the revision date between September and November last year. The remaining documents could be counted on one hand, instantly recognizable with a glance.

this filtering is actually similar in Windows Explorer, but for someone like me who treats NAS as a repository, filtering in the web backend is more convenient: first, it doesn't take up computer disk cache; second, you can rename and move directories directly in File Station after screening. The end of finding things is often tidying up, casually changing that "New Folder (2)" into a human language, so you don't have to dig through it again next time.

Feiniu is also limited by the directory scope and must first check the catalog before screening. So my habit is to keep important items in two or three fixed folders—better to keep them shallow than deep. The deeper the directory, the more trouble filtering and searching become.

only remembered a sentence in the document: 'Synology' index switch

third way is to create a real gap. Synology has a built-in Universal Search suite. After installation, it only indexes file names by default. To search for content, you have to turn it on yourself: go to the package settings, add the folder you want to search to the "Index folder," and check the "Index File Contents" . After checking it, it will read through the PDF, Word, Excel, and other document contents in these folders one by one to create an index. Then, type "Light Decay -27" in the search box, and any document that has appeared in the main text will appear.

I helped my cousin with Synology once before. A few points to note earlier: First, the first time indexing is slow—it took over two thousand documents to run for over an hour. CPU usage during indexing is visibly high, so don't rush to open it during backup tasks; Second, the scanned PDF is an image, and the machine cannot recognize the text inside. For these documents, the file name needs to be chosen properly; Third, external drives like USB drives and external hard drives plugged into the NAS, which are clearly not indexed by the official team, so don't count on them; Fourth, directories with a lot of documentation can be omitted; the more indexes, the more tired, the more the machine gets.

Feiniu's content search is currently also missing. There are two ways to truly meet the needs: one is to the document directory a duplicate copy of the document directory using Syncthing or a synchronous drive, and have Everything search both the content and file name on the computer (this is how I manage files I receive on WeChat); Second, if you have a large volume of documents, use professional document management tools. I entrusted my 20,000 e-books to calibre-web . The full text of book titles and authors has its own index, which is much better than searching bare files in the system.

Find files on your phone, two app routes

talking about phones again. When you're out, it's normal to ask for a file and pull out your phone to check your NAS. Feiniu's phone App after logging in, you enter the file page, with a search option at the top. As usual, it searches for the current directory; Synology's DS file also has a search box at the top of the homepage. This is truly global—just type the file name and it gets the full result. Once found, you can send it to WeChat or transfer it to your files. For those who frequently use their phones to search for files, Synology's experience is indeed ahead of the curve.

photos and videos are a different matter; don't use file search to find them. Checking photos by face or timeline album apps is much faster, I never search for file names starting with "IMG" in file management for over 40,000 photos. File search manages documents, albums manage memories, each doing their own thing.

wrap it up. The order for searching for files is as follows: if you know the name, Synology clicks the search box, Feiniu riddles to the directory before searching or goes to FSearch; If you can't remember the name, filter both type and time; For those who only remember content, Synology opens a content index, and Feiniu users sync a document to their computer and hand it over to Everything. The most effective saying than any technique is still the same—set the rules properly, put your heart into naming, and don't let your future self criticize your current self.