find command
 

when using the find command, i type in :

find / "HOWTO"

this works fine as long as the string is in the directory that i tell it to search in, but if the file is somewhere else, it won't find it. so if i put HOWTO into the /etc directory, and do a search from /, it won't find it... it will if i am in /etc, though. how do i make it look further than just the directory that i am in?

http://www.die.net/doc/linux/man/man1/find.1.html
i don't know the answer but a quick google found this.
you might even have it on you puter. just type in a terminal

right... did that allready. the command simply states

find [path] [expression]

what i want to know is is there any other way to find a file... any better way or command, or what is the answer to my previous question? i usualy learn better from example, not the text book, anyway... thanks for that response, though...

try
open terminal

$ locate <name>
$ whereis <name>
$ which <name>

thanks ehdwuld that worked great! appreciate the help...