I was searching through around 400 folders with thousands of files for all of the files that contained "_files" in their names. Should be easy… open Windows Explorer and type in the search box *_files* and wait… but I got back every file as if I had typed "*".
Is the underline a wildcard?
Not according to the documentation I can find, and it does not otherwise behave like a wildcard. For example, searching for "f_le" or "*f_le*" did not find anything.
Is the underline ignored?
Seems like it. Except… if you include a file type in the search then the underline is treated as an ordinary character or if you use the FileName property.
Two solutions:
Add a filetype wild card: *_file*.*
Search using a property name: filename:*_file* (but don't add ".*" if you are also looking for folders!)
What about good ole DOS?
Works exactly as expected. DIR *_files* /s .
What about PowerShell
Also works exactly as expected. dir -Filter *_files* –Recurse
I should have started with PowerShell anyway as the next step was to rename these files! 
What creates file names that include "_file"?
Internet Explorer when you use File, Save As, Web Page Complete.
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