Spotlight: Include System Files by Default?

Hello,
I like to use Spotlight as a general system cleaning preference, deleting old applications and their preference files, which are oftentimes in different locations.
Leopard allows one to include system files (including preferences) in Spotlight searches, but this is not enabled by default. Rather, one has to click the button after running the search and manually choose this option.
I would like to have this option enabled by default so this step is not repeated. Is there a way?
Thank you in advance.

Try this. Click on the Desktop, CMD+F, set it up the way you want to, put in some generic search term, such as test, save it, open it, change the search term, and you should be good to go. There's no known way to change the defaults (at least i haven't tried). In Tiger modifying the default_smart.plist buried in the Finder.app did the trick, but I haven't been able to work out the salient details to do that in Leopard.

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hi,
after ugrading to snowleopard i noticed that spotlight fails to show certain files when i type their names in the search field. i have already tried the obvious solutions such as rebuilding the index without any success.
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The problem is the name of the folder "private"--evidently Spotlight will only regard a folder of that name, no matter where it is, as the same class as the official /private folder, which is a container for system files. While Spotlight will index anything it considers a system file, it won't display search results containing such a file unless you explicitly tell it to.
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1. Rename "private" to something else
2. Do your Spotlight searches by Command-F and put the option for System Files in your drop down list so you can access it reasonably quickly
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Batch ACGSManualR1.doc
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I recently installed 'SimplifyMedia' and am trying to figure out how to uninstall the program. I e-mailed customer support and they told me to 'Spotlight' the term 'SimplifyMedia' and erase anything that shows up.
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Spotlight does not search the Library folders by default. It can be configured to do so.
1. Press COMMAND-F to initiate a Spotlight search.
2. Select Other from the drop down menu displaying Kind.
3. Scroll down the list to System Files. Check the box to the right of that entry.
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Spotlight: Include System Files by Default?

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