I may be an idiot but I have no idea how to use the search function in windows 7.

Will someone please help? Oh how I miss the scruffy search companion mutt and nice clear questions like “all or part of the file name [wildcard * accepted]” or “how big was it” or “when was it written” or “a word or a phrase in the file name”—- Nothing but nothing gets any response from the new search engine—nothing at all. Maybe I have it set wrong. Maybe I don’t know it’s language but it is totally useless to me.

HELP! Please.