Microsoft completely redesigned the File Explorer search function for 1909. Your description is how the old search looked up to and including 1903.
The File Explorer search in 2004 looks and works the same as first seen in 1909. Either the errant machine is on 1903 (or earlier) or some 3rd-party add-on may be modifying File Explorer's behaviour (OldNewExplorer, for example).
Can you check
Win key + r, winver
on the two PCs?
My previous suggestion would have dealt with add-ons like Old/new explorer for example.
See that looks different to my machine that is having the issues. The magnifying glass on mine is on the right, but on your image its on the left. Plus I dont have the square button with the right arrow on like yours.
Repeat to michaelswift
Can you check
Win key + r, winver on the two PCs?
Perform a clean boot on the problem PC
Use Shellexview to disable shell extensions.
The square button with the right arrow appears in a standard install of 1909 or 2004 as soon as you type anything in file explorer's search box. Before you type the 1909/2004 search box looks looks like this, magnifying glass to the left.
what does Winver show on the PC with the problem?
I can confirm that both pc's are running the 2004 version. I shall perform a clean boot and use shellexview then report back.
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I tried both the clean boot and disabled all in shellexview and still the problem is there. I even tried to reinstall windows but keep getting an error of 8007001f 0x400d - the installation failed in the second_boot phase with an error during migrate_data operation
I guess that was an in-place upgrade repair install attempt rather than a clean install.
Was that PC upgraded from e.g. 1909 and if so were there any problems in doing so?
Sadly diagnosing upgrade failures over a protracted period of time (days) has very limited success.
So, I managed to work out that the software causing the issue was Actual Window Manager. I did a clean install of Windows and the search was fine. Then one by one I started installing my programs and when I installed Actual Window Manager, the search issue returned.
The problem now is after I decided to uninstall Actual Window Manager, the issue has remained. I have even removed, what I think, are all the traces of it to.
Good- can you confirm that the problem was new in 2004 and you were using that program successfully in 1903/1909 or whichever it is?
A standard trick, depending on what you did to uninstall it, is to reinstall it, preferably monitored by a 3rd party uninstaller, and then start the uninstallation using that 3rd party uninstaller. That uses the program's uninstaller, then performs an additional scan for leftovers.
E.g. Revo Uninstaller, Wise Uninstaller, Hibit Uninstaller ...
I'm particularly interested as I use it, but now am beyond the point I can upgrade it as far as the license is concerned.
Which version are you using?
Asusming you have a current license, you can of course check for an update, and contact its support.
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