Finder does not search my external-HD

[Jfreez]

Ok so I want to put my music onto my new Macbook Pro. All of it is currently on my NTFS external HD. I cannot just drag my external HD into iTunes because it's filled with 500gb+ of movie files and iTunes will import them too, then giving me the "no room on mac HD" error message.. I want to somehow filter ONLY mp3 files and then drag them into iTunes.

So I open my external HD and Cmd+F, then search File Name for mp3 on Free Agent Hard Drive (my externalHD). Zero results. This happens even though I can open up my external HD and SEE all my mp3 files.

So I go onto another message board and someone tells me to download 2 things (apparently to index my drive or something so Spotlight can search it?). Macfuse and NTFS-3g. So I do. And restart. Same thing. They can't figure it out and direct me here, so here I am.

Here is my search results

Here is proof that there ARE mp3 files on the drive

 

[spinnerlys]

Can you write to the external HDD, which is formatted in NTFS?

You can also turn of the "copy to iTunes Music Folder when adding to the library" option, so it will not copy anything to your internal HDD.

iTunes > Preferences

 

[Jfreez]

Yes, I can write to the NTFS drive now that I installed those 2 things.
And thanks, but I want the music files on my Mac HD so I don't have to plug in the drive all the time.

 

[mr666]

It's a Catch-22. Spotlight can only index a drive volume by writing to it (updates a set of files in a hidden folder). OS X cannot write to NTFS mounted with the Apple driver. Spotlight (and Finder) cannot search a drive that is not mounted with the Apple driver.

 

[cam970]

You can search an external drive by changing finder preference options in the advanced tab from search this mac to search the current folder. Worked for me!

 

[lithoart]

cam970's solution worked for me! I'm sooo happy!

Go to Preferences for Finder, and then go to Advanced icon.
On When performing a search:, make sure you select "Search This Mac"

Worked for me!

I'm so happy!!!
Have been missing this capability for ages.
And since I used it extensively before, I am extremely pleased to have found this solution.

Thanks, cam970!