Q: Searching for files that can never be found with Spotlight

What's unclear?  I consolidated three external hard drives. I dragged all files from two of them into the third. Everything that was in the three drives is now in one of them.

Well, I've been told by people who are supposed to be experts that Spotlight won't index more than one file. Folder? Those are not the words they used. Maybe they said, "one backup" or "one loading".  I don't remember, but I did discuss the situation in detail. They also said that it's no longer necessary to index Spotlight, that it does that by itself, automatically. Well, it hasn't  indexed two of the folders/backups/whachamacallits. What's it waiting for? It has only indexed what I put in my new machine in August of 2015, while the other two hard drives contain material going back years. I might try indexing it again, though. However, it was when I was asking for help on indexing Spotlight that I was told what you see above.

What about the situation I've described? Have you found EasyFind to be helpful in this situation?

Well, suppose I say, "Spotlight won't index all of them, just one of them."? Clear now?

I once did index Spotlight, but it took more than an hour for the process to complete. That made me believe that something had been done. This time. following the instructions you sent, there was no waiting, not even any indication that anything was or had been done. I followed the instructions, except that there was no "OKAY" button to click. Also, the Time Machine still only goes back to August, 2015. I seriously doubt that I just reindexed Spotlight. I might add that there is nothing (ZERO) in the box below the words, "Prevent Spotlight from searching these locations"; in fact, there is usually nothing there. I want Spotlight to search everything;

Much of this is too technical for me, but I did look at the external hard drive in "devices." Something's going on. There is a rotating wheel with arrows. Maybe that means that Spotlight is doing what it's supposed to be doing. I don't know, but I'll check back at 3:00 PM PST.

The little wheel was still rotating at 3:00 PM. I hope that's a good sign. I'll check at hourly intervals.

(1) The wheel stopped rotating, but I still don't know what has been done; for instance, the calendar on the right side of the Time Machine still only goes back to August of 2015. That's when I bought the computer I'm now using. If the two older hard drives had been truly integrated, wouldn't the calendar go back further?

(2) "Select the Drive in the Finder and Get Info (cmd-I). Look at the Format at the top of the info and also look at the bottom under Sharing & Permissions to see if it has Read/Write by anybody."

I was unable to do that. I selected the external hard drive in "Devices," and I clicked the  cmd button and the number 1 button, and I also tried the cmd button and the letter l button, but  I never saw an "info" section, and I didn't see a "Sharing and Permissions" section.