Spotlight for System 10.5 Reindexing Issue

[Penny Burnet]

You deserve a Gold Star

Merlin,
Thank you so much for all your help!!!!! You are a wonderful person to have researched this for me. I would give you a hug but I cannot. I thank you for checking into this for me. You deserve a Gold Star!

If you hear of anything else just let me know.

Thanks again,
Penny

 

[merl1n]

Merlin,
Thank you so much for all your help!!!!! You are a wonderful person to have researched this for me. I would give you a hug but I cannot. I thank you for checking into this for me. You deserve a Gold Star!

If you hear of anything else just let me know.

Thanks again,
Penny

I have a work around which you may like or dislike -VNC.

VNC is built into Leopard, but not Tiger. If the disk in question is directly attached to a Tiger system, you can install a VNC server. (I don't think Tiger has a "screen sharing option" in the Sharing Prefs). Then (since Tiger has already performed a spotlight index on your disk) you can connect to your Tiger Machine by doing a "Share Screen". What you would do on the Tiger system is enable "file sharing". Then your system will appear on the sidebar of a Finder window on your Leopard machine under the "Shared" catagory. Just select the tiger machine and click the button "Share Screen". The on this screen you can do a spotlight search for the file(s) you are looking for, locate the path and just copy them (or work on them on your tiger system remotely) to your leopard system.

If you have leopard on both systems, just enable "file sharing" and "screen sharing" in System Preferences -> Sharing, since, again, VNC is built into Leopard.

Just a suggestion.

 

[Penny Burnet]

Found Fix

Merlin,
The new update to system 10.5.2 has just been released today and it fixed the spotlight problem. I can now find the files to the networked external hard drive.
I am glad they came up with a fix.

 

[Penny Burnet]

Oh Well

It reindexed the external-networked hard drive until I added new files and then it went back to the same old same old. Oh well maybe they will fix it someday.

 

[merl1n]

Merlin,
The new update to system 10.5.2 has just been released today and it fixed the spotlight problem. I can now find the files to the networked external hard drive.
I am glad they came up with a fix.

You mean 10.5.3. I just finished installing it on my 3 systems.

It reindexed the external-networked hard drive until I added new files and then it went back to the same old same old. Oh well maybe they will fix it someday.

Question: How did you upgrade the OS? Through Software Update (Delta updater) or by installing the 10.5.3 combo updater?

The reason I ask, is that the majority of problems people experience with the OS updates is that they do it thru Software Update. If you haven't applied the combo update, I suggest the following and this may fix your problem:

1. Download the 10.5.3 combo updater from here (its a very large file and will take about 1/2 hour depending on your internet connection):

http://www.apple.com/downloads/macosx/apple/macosx_updates/macosx1053comboupdate.html

2. Repair permissions on your boot disk from Disk Utility

3. Reboot in Safe Mode

4. install the combo updater (doesn't matter if you installed the Delta update)

5. Repair permissions on your boot disk from Disk Utility

6. Re-index your network drive by removing it from spotlight and then adding it back.

See if this cures your problem.

 

[Penny Burnet]

Worked

Merlin,
That worked!!
Apple had two different downloads for the upgrade?
I don't understand why?
Was it the way I installed it?
I used your instructions and followed them to a tee and it worked!
You are the greatest! Did you know that!
Thanks again,
Penny

 

[merl1n]

Merlin,
That worked!!
Apple had two different downloads for the upgrade?
I don't understand why?
Was it the way I installed it?
I used your instructions and followed them to a tee and it worked!
You are the greatest! Did you know that!
Thanks again,
Penny

I never do OS upgrades thru Software Update. Other things like application updates etc. are ok this way, but not the OS itself. For some people it works fine, but for others, it produces problems.

The OS update is considered a "Delta" update and only patches (changes what it finds and overwrites some files, adds some files, and appends data to some files) the system. The combo update has ALL of the changes (that's why it is so big) added from the original 10.5 release and subsequent releases thereafter. It replaces ALL of the old files and adds any missing files.

Applying the combo update in SAFE BOOT mode is the safest way to do it. The reason is that you don't want any applications running (other than what Apple deems safe) or running in the background as these may interfere with the installation.

Glad I could help.

 

[merl1n]

I never do OS upgrades thru Software Update. Other things like application updates etc. are ok this way, but not the OS itself. For some people it works fine, but for others, it produces problems.

The OS update is considered a "Delta" update and only patches (changes what it finds and overwrites some files, adds some files, and appends data to some files) the system. The combo update has ALL of the changes (that's why it is so big) added from the original 10.5 release and subsequent releases thereafter. It replaces ALL of the old files and adds any missing files.

Applying the combo update in SAFE BOOT mode is the safest way to do it. The reason is that you don't want any applications running (other than what Apple deems safe) or running in the background as these may interfere with the installation.

Glad I could help.

Left out a few words in my previous post:

"The OS update is considered a "Delta" update..." should read...
"The OS update thru Software Update is considered a "Delta" update..."

Again, I'm glad I could help.