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How to get spotlight to work properly (and other problems)

C

Ckar

macrumors member
Original poster
Nov 14, 2013
94
0
Coming from Windows where the search actually works properly, how do I get spotlight to work properly? I just downloaded a video file and I do not know where it is, I type the name of the file in spotlight and there are no results. In windows the startmenu search would have netted a result, it even searches inside text files! How come Macs cannot work as well as Windows?

Another problem, when I click on a folder in the dock, how can I get it to go directly into finder, I don't want to click 2 times, clicking once to open the folder and clicking "view in finder" to get to the actual filesystem.

Next, preview is garbage, I liked Windows photoviewer or irfanview much much better. I need suggestions for an alternative. Selecting all files with Command+ A and pressing space to view them won't cut it anymore.

I need a suggestion for a video player, MPC-HC was the best video player ever, don't tell me the best Mac has is VLC...

Same request for a music player, in windows I used MediaMonkey, right now I am using itunes, it is no good. I don't need a fancy music player, just one that works well. I really liked RhythmBox in linux, rhythmbox and mediamonkey are pretty good, I want something similar in the Mac.

How about cutting in Mac? Cut doesn't work the way like it does in windows. It is funny because cut works exactly the way it should work in windows, and macs can't get it right.
 
Last edited:
L

Laco

macrumors 6502
Apr 23, 2008
375
1
Ckar said:
Coming from Windows where the search actually works properly, how do I get spotlight to work properly? I just downloaded a video file and I do not know where it is, I type the name of the file in spotlight and there are no results. In windows the startmenu search would have netted a result, it even searches inside text files! How come Macs cannot work as well as Windows?

Another problem, when I click on a folder in the dock, how can I get it to go directly into finder, I don't want to click 2 times, clicking once to open the folder and clicking "view in finder" to get to the actual filesystem.

Next, preview is garbage, I liked Windows photoviewer or irfanview much much better. I need suggestions for an alternative. Selecting all files with Command+ A and pressing space to view them won't cut it anymore.

I need a suggestion for a video player, MPC-HC was the best video player ever, don't tell me the best Mac has is VLC...

Same request for a music player, in windows I used MediaMonkey, right now I am using itunes, it is no good. I don't need a fancy music player, just one that works well. I really liked RhythmBox in linux, rhythmbox and mediamonkey are pretty good, I want something similar in the Mac.

How about cutting in Mac? Cut doesn't work the way like it does in windows. It is funny because cut works exactly the way it should work in windows, and macs can't get it right.
Click to expand...

You clearly do not like your computer. Return it and buy a PC.
 
R

red321red321

macrumors regular
Jun 3, 2013
153
1
I'm having the same problem since I updated to Mavericks. The Spotlight file search doesnt work as it used to, not sure why this is. I downloaded Alfred 2 and found it is better anyway.
 
Weaselboy

Weaselboy

Moderator
Staff member
Jan 23, 2005
34,136
15,598
California
Sounds like your Spotlight index is corrupt and that is why it is not finding some files. Open Terminal app and paste in the command below then wait for Spotlight to reindex.

Code: 
sudo mdutil -E /

For viewing photos look at the app Xee.

I like MPlayerX for videos.
 
L

leman

macrumors Core
Oct 14, 2008
19,197
19,055
1. If you want to look for filenames, put the name in the quotation marks. I have done some testing and both Windows 7 and 8 were absolutely inferior to OS X when it comes to search - especially if you are looking for a file with specific contents.

2. Preview is not for quickly looking though files, for that you use QuickView - select a file and press space. For me this feature is one of the main reasons to prefer OS X to Windows

3. Best video players for OS X are VLC and MplayerX

4. When I was using Windows, I used pretty much every music player there exited. I find iTunes to be truly excellent. Your tastes and purposes may differ.

5. Cutting what? Text? Or are you talking about moving files?

As to things 'OS can get right' - you don't have to go far. Windows Explorer has messed up scrolling since XP - and it still has not been fixed.
 
C

Ckar

macrumors member
Original poster
Nov 14, 2013
94
0
OK, I fixed some of the issues.

The only ones that remain are:


Another problem, when I click on a folder in the dock, how can I get it to go directly into finder, I don't want to click 2 times, clicking once to open the folder and clicking "view in finder" to get to the actual filesystem.

How about cutting in Mac? Cut doesn't work the way like it does in windows. It is funny because cut works exactly the way it should work in windows, and macs can't get it right. (Cutting and pasting is strange in Mac, text is OK but files do not work the way they are suppose to).

Ckar said:
Coming from Windows where the search actually works properly, how do I get spotlight to work properly? I just downloaded a video file and I do not know where it is, I type the name of the file in spotlight and there are no results. In windows the startmenu search would have netted a result, it even searches inside text files! How come Macs cannot work as well as Windows?

Another problem, when I click on a folder in the dock, how can I get it to go directly into finder, I don't want to click 2 times, clicking once to open the folder and clicking "view in finder" to get to the actual filesystem.

Next, preview is garbage, I liked Windows photoviewer or irfanview much much better. I need suggestions for an alternative. Selecting all files with Command+ A and pressing space to view them won't cut it anymore.

I need a suggestion for a video player, MPC-HC was the best video player ever, don't tell me the best Mac has is VLC...

Same request for a music player, in windows I used MediaMonkey, right now I am using itunes, it is no good. I don't need a fancy music player, just one that works well. I really liked RhythmBox in linux, rhythmbox and mediamonkey are pretty good, I want something similar in the Mac.

How about cutting in Mac? Cut doesn't work the way like it does in windows. It is funny because cut works exactly the way it should work in windows, and macs can't get it right.
Click to expand...
 
P

priitv8

macrumors 601
Jan 13, 2011
4,038
641
Estonia
What's wrong with cut&paste in Finder?
Using drag&drop it works exactly as in Windows.
Using kbd/menu you copy and decide at destination whether to copy or move (ie cut&paste).
 
C

Ckar

macrumors member
Original poster
Nov 14, 2013
94
0
priitv8 said:
What's wrong with cut&paste in Finder?
Using drag&drop it works exactly as in Windows.
Using kbd/menu you copy and decide at destination whether to copy or move (ie cut&paste).
Click to expand...

Is it command + X? Or is there another leyboard shortcut that does it?

And when I right click the file, the word "cut" isn't there, there is "copy" though.
 
P

priitv8

macrumors 601
Jan 13, 2011
4,038
641
Estonia
Ckar said:
Is it command + X? Or is there another leyboard shortcut that does it?

And when I right click the file, the word "cut" isn't there, there is "copy" though.
Click to expand...
As I say, you approach this from wrong (Windows Explorer) end!
In OS X Finder you never CUT, you only Copy (Cmd+C).
At the destination, you can either Paste (Cmd+V) or Move (Cmd+Alt+V)
http://dailymactips.com/2012/09/18/how-to-cut-paste-files-and-folders-in-mac-os-x-mountain-lion/
Basically, in Windows you decide at source, in OS X you decide at destination.
 
Last edited:
C

Ckar

macrumors member
Original poster
Nov 14, 2013
94
0
priitv8 said:
As I say, you approach this from wrong (Windows Explorer) end!
In OS X Finder you never CUT, you only Copy (Cmd+C).
At the destination, you can either Paste (Cmd+V) or Move (Cmd+Alt+V)
http://dailymactips.com/2012/09/18/how-to-cut-paste-files-and-folders-in-mac-os-x-mountain-lion/
Basically, in Windows you decide at source, in OS X you decide at destination.
Click to expand...

That fixed it.

I also did a google search and fixed the finder issue. Mac OS X can be such a retarded OS sometimes.

I also have a new problem:

When I search spotlight for a text file and select it, all it shows is a preview. I need to open the actual text file itself to copy the text. This problem is ridiculous, must be a bunch of dummies working at Apple.
 
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R

raybies

macrumors member
Jul 18, 2013
65
0
Spotlight: The location has to be indexed before it will find anything... unlike explorer where you can search directories that aren't indexed.

Preview: It rocks bcos it will "preview" everything... but it does kind of sucks for images, Cmd + A > Space is slow. I started using Adobe Bridge.

OS X: What about the when dialog windows appear... you can't use the cursor keys, you have to click a button.

iTunes: sucks bcos it doesn't play flac.

+1 for MPlayerX; didn't work with Mavericks until recently.
 
R

raybies

macrumors member
Jul 18, 2013
65
0
Ckar said:
That fixed it.

I also have a new problem:

When I search spotlight for a text file and select it, all it shows is a preview. I need to open the actual text file itself to copy the text. This problem is ridiculous, must be a bunch of dummies working at Apple.
Click to expand...

Supposedly: defaults write -g QLEnableTextSelection -bool true

But I can't get it to work in 10.9
 
C

Ckar

macrumors member
Original poster
Nov 14, 2013
94
0
raybies said:
Supposedly: defaults write -g QLEnableTextSelection -bool true

But I can't get it to work in 10.9
Click to expand...

I don't need the preview, I just need the file to open to textedit when I click on it.
 
C

Ckar

macrumors member
Original poster
Nov 14, 2013
94
0
sabbyp said:
I agree, op is rather unwilling to change from windows to this 'retarded' os, so why bother?
Click to expand...

After some tweaking the OS isn't too bad, it is just some of the defauly settings are counter intuitive.

I also have another issue, how come every time I open a newly downloaded video file the file reverts back to quicktime, then I have to close it and right clck and getinfo and select mediaplayer X as the default player.
 
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