Why did my Knowledge Base search not find any texts?

Note: Some individuals have access to internal documents based on ADS group. If you do not find any documents on a subject you expect to be covered, try logging into the Knowledge Base on the upper left.

The Knowledge Base works best when you construct your searches in a particular way. Following are some guidelines for effective Knowledge Base searches:

• Check your spelling.
  
  
• Use two to five significant words in your search. Using too many words will eliminate many Knowledge Base documents that might contain your answer, yet using too few words will give you too many documents to read. Start with the name of your software package and the function you're trying to accomplish. Either of the following are good examples: mac os x vpn connection install windows 7
• Try using other forms of the words in your search. For example, if your search on vista installation doesn't find the document you want, try searching on vista installing, or better yet, vista install .
  
  
• Try using synonyms for your search terms. For example, if you don't find anything by searching on windows hosed, maybe you'll have better luck with windows crash .
  
  
• If you're looking for information that isn't specific to a particular version, try omitting version numbers in your search. For example, search on internet explorer rather than internet explorer 9.0 .
  
  
• Avoid searching on specific filenames. For example, rather than searching for sndrec32.exe , try looking for windows sound .

It may be that the information you're looking for isn't in the Knowledge Base at all, perhaps because:

• Your question isn't related to Indiana University or information technology (IT). The Knowledge Base contains mainly IT-related information. If you're searching for medical terminology, for example, you're not going to find the information here.
  
  
• Your question isn't related to systems used at IU (for example, we use PPP, not SLIP). The Knowledge Base is driven by information needs of the IU IT community.
  
  
• Your question is too specific. The Knowledge Base contains information about questions that are frequently asked at IU. If your question hasn't been asked often, it may not be in the Knowledge Base. However, those at IU can get individualized help by completing the Ask a Question form.
  
  
• Perhaps the information simply hasn't been entered into the Knowledge Base yet. Staff add and update Knowledge Base content every day, but KB answers do not cover every computing problem. If you need further help, contact your campus Support Center and you will receive prompt assistance.

Comments/Questions/Corrections