Search no longer works on Mail app on 10.4.11

[MacBoobsPro]

I have found that the search function in mail.app no longer works. I can type an email address or name etc that I know for a fact is there but search fails to bring back any results.

The company I work for has a system where whenever an email comes in it is read and then placed in a folder in mail called 'Completed' so we know the email has been seen by someone and acted upon.

I noticed that occasionally the search function would not work and then I found it was getting worse now it simply no longer works. I think the best it manages is 2 characters in the search field then as soon as you type a 3rd it says no results found.

Is there a way to rebuild the database or something? Is this a common fault?

Without the search function I now have to manually search nearly 6000 messages.

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

 

[wrldwzrd89]

Two things to try:

1. Rebuild Mail's internal SQLite database.
2. Rebuild Spotlight's index of Mail messages. The way I recommend doing this is to add the /Users/username/Library/Mail folder to the Spotlight Privacy settings, quitting System Preferences, logging out, then logging back in, and removing the entry you just added.

 

[MacBoobsPro]

Thanks I''l take a look.

 

[MacBoobsPro]

So I rebuilt the database and although it seems to have had a beneficial effect it still does not work correctly. If i choose 'to, from or subject' I can see the results but if i choose all mailboxes and entire message as the search criteria I get nothing.

If I upgrade the whole system to Leopard how can I get my old archived messages to appear in Leopard mail?

I want to do a clean install because when I took over I noticed this machine has a very 'iffy' install of Tiger with apps missing or not working correctly.

 

[wrldwzrd89]

So I rebuilt the database and although it seems to have had a beneficial effect it still does not work correctly. If i choose 'to, from or subject' I can see the results but if i choose all mailboxes and entire message as the search criteria I get nothing.

If I upgrade the whole system to Leopard how can I get my old archived messages to appear in Leopard mail?

I want to do a clean install because when I took over I noticed this machine has a very 'iffy' install of Tiger with apps missing or not working correctly.

Leopard Mail will import your mail messages when it first starts, assuming you put the Mail folder in the place Mail expects to find it after the clean install is done.

 

[Mr_Brightside_@]

Google it- seriously. I noticed the same thing was happening to me and used Terminal to rebuild the entire Spotlight database- which Mail uses.
Think this was it.