Why is cortana/search so temperamental?

[hughlle]

I'm not sure if this is specific to my SP3, but on the whole, search just sucks.

I know they wanted to make her all life like and that, but did they have to make her temperamental as well? One moment, if I type in update, it will return me a result for windows update, what I had been after, an hour later the same search might then just show a list of apps installed that have something update related, next time it might just be some documents from onedrive, and the next it might just be a list of web searches. A lot of the time I can see an app in my start menu, but if I type it in, it just gives me web results.

Really annoying me how unreliable it is. I really wish there was a way to block it from searching the web. That's what I have a browser and search engine for!

 

[Cyb3rDud3]

There is a way if I am not mistaken, it's in the cortana settings.

 

[Tsurugaya]

Cortana is a Latina.

 

[vsherry]

You can just select "My Stuff" at the bottom to the left if you want to filter out Web results.

 

[hughlle]

Looks like I might have to try a reset. My SP3 and S3 have completely different Cortana settings. On the SP3 despite all of my region and language settings being as Microsoft desires, I get told that Cortana is not available in the location and language I have selected (English, UK). There is no setting anywhere for turning off internet results. On my S3 it is completely different and I have such settings for disabling things.

Cortana doesn't bother me, refuse to use it, waste of my time, but searching start menu is just tedious. Doesn't help that it tries to second guess you. I typed note, for notepad, and notepad came to the top of the list, and then a second later it compelte vanished from the list and was replaced with some other things containing note that it deemed more relevant. I just don't understand how they can have screwed up something so basic. You search a folder, it searches the folder, you search the start menu, it searches everything, most of the time everything but the start menu.

 

[GreyFox7]

Looks like I might have to try a reset. My SP3 and S3 have completely different Cortana settings. On the SP3 despite all of my region and language settings being as Microsoft desires, I get told that Cortana is not available in the location and language I have selected (English, UK). There is no setting anywhere for turning off internet results. On my S3 it is completely different and I have such settings for disabling things.

Cortana doesn't bother me, refuse to use it, waste of my time, but searching start menu is just tedious. Doesn't help that it tries to second guess you. I typed note, for notepad, and notepad came to the top of the list, and then a second later it compelte vanished from the list and was replaced with some other things containing note that it deemed more relevant. I just don't understand how they can have screwed up something so basic. You search a folder, it searches the folder, you search the start menu, it searches everything, most of the time everything but the start menu.

They have lots of practice... long ago there was a really good utility called "Lookout" which MS eventually bought and since destroyed and still to this day search is nowhere near as good as that utility was.

 

[Russ]

Cortana is a Latina.

I thought some of her attitudes and responses seemed familiar!!
(Was married to a Latina for over 30 years.)

Russ

 

[kristalsoldier]

Looks like I might have to try a reset. My SP3 and S3 have completely different Cortana settings. On the SP3 despite all of my region and language settings being as Microsoft desires, I get told that Cortana is not available in the location and language I have selected (English, UK). There is no setting anywhere for turning off internet results. On my S3 it is completely different and I have such settings for disabling things.

Cortana doesn't bother me, refuse to use it, waste of my time, but searching start menu is just tedious. Doesn't help that it tries to second guess you. I typed note, for notepad, and notepad came to the top of the list, and then a second later it compelte vanished from the list and was replaced with some other things containing note that it deemed more relevant. I just don't understand how they can have screwed up something so basic. You search a folder, it searches the folder, you search the start menu, it searches everything, most of the time everything but the start menu.

I had a very similar problem - but only on my SP3 and not on the S3. But I also received a cumulative Windows update last evening and since then Cortana is operating just fine. Earlier, it would show - like you reported - Cortana is not available in your region (UK). But now it works. Perhaps look for that update - you must have gotten it already though.

 

[hughlle]

I had a very similar problem - but only on my SP3 and not on the S3. But I also received a cumulative Windows update last evening and since then Cortana is operating just fine. Earlier, it would show - like you reported - Cortana is not available in your region (UK). But now it works. Perhaps look for that update - you must have gotten it already though.

Just downloading now.

I think I have identified a culprit (among many). Items in the start menu that are within a folder, such as say Microsoft office, cannot be found through searching the start menu. E.g if I search onenote, I get MUI onenote, and a link to onenote 2016, but nothing for onenote 2013 or any of the other office 2013 products. Same with some games that are organised like this.