214.5% cpu....wtf is this!?!?!?

[Blondie :)]

So, I'm removing files off of my external hard drive (the one that I use for Time Machine Backups) and everything is going fine.

Out of the blue, I hear my fans start up like a jet taking off of a flight line. But nothing intensive has been running recently, so I decided to investigate.

I opened activity monitor and...HOLY CHRIST!!! This random process called "mds" is taking up 214.5% of my CPU.

Does anyone know what in the hell this process does? Please let me know

Here is the photo: http://i1131.photobucket.com/albums/m541/Mitch_Guzman/Screenshot2011-06-19at54243PM.png

Thanks,
Mitch Guzman

 

[ECUpirate44]

Just kill it. Could be a fluke.

 

[calderone]

That is spotlight. It is indexing. This is normal.

 

[simsaladimbamba]

mds – what MDS process is and why it uses CPU on the Mac found via "mac os x mds"

 

[Blondie :)]

That is spotlight. It is indexing. This is normal.

Indexing what? All of the files that it's going to remove off of my external hard drive?

 

[Intell]

Indexing what? All of the files that it's going to remove off of my external hard drive?

It changes the indexes that each drive has. It is logging the newly added files and removing the files that are no longer on the one drive. I suggest, adding the external drive(s) to Spotlight's Privacy list so it doesn't index them. The Privacy list is in the Spotlight pref pane.

 

[GGJstudios]

Indexing what? All of the files that it's going to remove off of my external hard drive?

No, it's indexing drives so when you search, it can find things faster. You can also determine if it's indexing by the Menu Bar icon:

(not indexing)

(indexing)

Spotlight: How to re-index folders or volumes

 

[Blondie :)]

No, it's indexing drives so when you search, it can find things faster. You can also determine if it's indexing by the Menu Bar icon: Image (not indexing) Image (indexing)

Spotlight: How to re-index folders or volumes

Well then, from what you're saying, my computer is NOT currently indexing....

http://i1131.photobucket.com/albums/m541/Mitch_Guzman/Screenshot2011-06-19at60027PM.png

 

[simsaladimbamba]

Well then, from what you're saying, my computer is NOT currently indexing....

http://i1131.photobucket.com/albums/m541/Mitch_Guzman/Screenshot2011-06-19at60027PM.png

But sometimes the mds process goes a bit havoc.
If it happens often, then you should worry, What Mac OS X version do you run?

How to attach an image to your MR post.​

 

[Blondie :)]

But sometimes the mds process goes a bit havoc.
If it happens often, then you should worry, What Mac OS X version do you run?

How to attach an image to your MR post.​

I have 10.6.7 on my machine. Thanks for the post about images btw, it should help out a lot in the future

 

[GGJstudios]

Well then, from what you're saying, my computer is NOT currently indexing....

http://i1131.photobucket.com/albums/m541/Mitch_Guzman/Screenshot2011-06-19at60027PM.png

If you have a runaway mds process, try restarting your computer. If it's not truly indexing, that should fix the problem.