Spotlight can't find file

Start with http://www.pinkmutant.com/articles/Leopard/leospot.html and my mod to Finder's Find at http://discussions.apple.com/message.jspa?messageID=6725932 for what you can change so you can find stuff excluded by the default structure.

Check your Spotlight preferences. You may not have it set to display that kind of file.

System Preferences->Spotlight->Privacy->select the boot volume, click the minus sign, click the plus sign, and add the boot volume.

I have the same problem. For me it seems (still troubleshooting) to be related to specific folders I have restored from a backup. Adding and removing these folders from the Spotlight Privacy list makes no difference.

OK, I think I have narrowed it down. The issue (I think) has to do with ownership permissions.
See http://support.apple.com/kb/HT2409?locale=pt_PT

As I copied these files and folder from a back-up archive, and the Apple Geniuses didn't give my repaired system the same name as my old one, the copied files have an "unknown" owner and only some of them will allow me to change the owner to me.

But maybe this will help the person who initiated this thread: check ownership permissions of your file and, if needed, change the owner to yourself.

Dimitris, my own suggestion is very simple: forget Spotlight. Disable it using Spotless, which is available here: http://www.versiontracker.com/dyn/moreinfo/macosx/33800

Then download either, or both Easyfind http://www.versiontracker.com/dyn/moreinfo/macosx/8707 and Find File http://www.versiontracker.com/dyn/moreinfo/macosx/10906315

I haven't used Spotlight for over a year now, and have even found a way to remove that pesky magnifying glass from my menubar.

I can find anything I want, any time I want, very fast and simply and above all - reliably.

<Edited by Moderator>

Tom,

if you don't mind would you tell me how to remove the spotlight magnifying glass from my menu bar. I no longer use spotlight, it's useless when searching for ANYTHING on my imac. Apple touts it as a great tool when actually it's of no value. I use 'find a file' and it finds ANYTHING on my mac, regardless of what kind of file it is. I'd like to get rid of spotlight and that magnifying glass from my menu bar.

Thanks
Alfonso

Sure, garfons - I'm sure a Unix-savvy person would know how to write a script for it, but I found it as an option in Onyx.

If you download Onyx and go to "parameters" and then click on the "Spotlight" button at the top, this gives you the option to turn the magnifying glass on or off.

You know, it's been so long since I did that, and have no magnifying glass, that I had to run through my applications folder and fire up a few before I could remember how I did it!

Enjoy your annoyance-free menu bar!

🙂

Tom in London wrote:

I can find anything I want, any time I want, very fast and simply and above all - reliably.

<Edited by Moderator>

Good for you. However I can't find anything in my firewire-attached drives with Spotlight OR Find File.

http://members.cox.net/sd78/nofind1.jpg

This goes back to 10.4 at least, when I still had a G4 Cube.

I'm seriously looking for a Finder replacement because it is only one of many serious problems that drive me ut of my mind.

Try my mod. It's in the second post above.

baltwo, I appreciate your help but I just remembered PathFinder, I downloaded it and it works.

http://members.cox.net/sd78/nofind2.jpg

In less than a second it found the thousands of files that are on the "Photoes" drive. The OSX Finder searches for at least 4 - 5 seconds until it settles on "0 found".

Pathfinder is 39.99 but maybe I send them 139.99 because I am so (forbidden words here) at Apple.

I don't usually spend a lot of time with the Finder but this weekend I was reorganizing a lot of image files and I ended up verging on suicide.

Message was edited by: Asu

Good for you. I prefer using Apple's tools and have never used a Finder substitute. If the price is right, go for it.

Hi,

In Case Spotlight refuses to find things, and it doesn't has to do with the rights, try this:

Open a standard Finder Search Window (CMD-F)

DON'T ENTER TEXT INTO THE SPOTLIGHT FIELD. Hands off! Don't you...!

Instead, just select the search criteria "File Name" and "begins with" or "contains" or so and enter the name of the file you are searching.

By leaving the Spotlight Field blank, Finder acts like before and doesn't make use of the spotlight index. You still can't find invisible files, but that's another issue.

Fox

By leaving the Spotlight Field blank, Finder acts like before and doesn't make use of the spotlight index. You still can't find invisible files, but that's another issue.

I think not. Put all of your volumes into System Preferences->Spotlight->Privacy and then try your trick. Won't work. Finder exclusively uses the index.