Search SharePoint file content using File Explorer?

[pfurrie]

Corporate IT moved our local file server content to SharePoint (offsite).  We've been provided with shortcuts in File Explorer that allow us to navigate the new file location from with File Explorer.  That's good.

However, I'd like to be able to do indexed searches of our departmental content from the same File Explorer interface... just like I was able to do when the content was on our local file server.  If we use the SharePoint web interface and do a search, it turns out it is indeed using an indexed search of the content of the files.  I'm just looking for the way to have this happen with the File Explorer panel, using the standard search field.

First: Is this even possible?  Someone from corporate IT told me I need to "login to SP directly, not use the shortcuts as we've deployed."  Is that correct.

Second: If this is possible, how would this function be enabled?  Maybe it really isn't possible, though it would be a **bleep** shame if that's the case.  

[#2]

@pfurrie I don't think the local Windows Search index will include SharePoint content. SharePoint Search indexes SharePoint content and is accessible via the Browser. There is an API for Search, so it would be possible to build one, but I am not aware of any currently. 

[#3]

When you say "local Windows Search index," are you referring to the local client PC? If so, then wouldn't our Windows file server be a non-local search index? The PC utilizes the search index on that server very transparently, handing the search request to the server, and the server is accomodating and hands the search result back to the PC immediately. If the SharePoint file location is integrated into the users File Explorer (as ours is), I'd hope that the behavior of the interface (between the client PC and SharePoint) would be the same as the client PC to a Windows file server. Why not? Going to the browser (web browser) ought to be unnecessary.