suddenly, I can't search within my computer or external hard drives. It spins forever and finds nothing. I have put in an easy search which is readily available but can't be found by searching.
What might cause this?
Mary Lou
iMac, Mac OS X (10.4.11)
Hello Mary Lou,
Could be Spotlight has messed up, but try this first...
"Try Disk Utility
1. Insert the Mac OS X Install disc, then restart the computer while holding the C key.
2. When your computer finishes starting up from the disc, choose Disk Utility from the Installer menu at the top of the screen. (In Mac OS X 10.4 or later, you must select your language first.)
Important: Do not click Continue in the first screen of the Installer. If you do, you must restart from the disc again to access Disk Utility.
3. Click the First Aid tab.
4. Select your Mac OS X volume.
5. Click Repair. Disk Utility checks and repairs the disk."
http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=106214
Then try a Safe Boot, (holding Shift key down at bootup), run Disk Utility in Applications>Utilities, then highlight your drive, click on Repair Permissions, reboot when it completes.
(Safe boot may stay on the gray radian for a long time, let it go, it's trying to repair the Hard Drive.)
In the interim until we can figure this out, I only use these 2 for searches...
Find Any File...
http://apps.tempel.org/FindAnyFile/
EasyFind...
http://www.devon-technologies.com/download/
Near the bottom of the page.
I followed your directions. The disk repair didn't find anythng to repair.
After the safe Boot, there were no permissions to repair.
I tried a simple search with the find/File command and got nothing.
I'll use your recommended way to find files.
Is there any other explanation for the find command to stop working?
Thanks for your help.
Mary Lou
You may find those apps far more useful, but to find out why Search doesn't work...
Open Console in Utilities & see if there are any clues or repeating messages when this happens.
Console had this text:
Mac OS X Version 10.4.11 (Build 8S2167)
2012-04-28 21:54:05 -0400
Apr 28 21:54:17 Mary-Frosts-Computer-2 diskarbitrationd[51]: SystemUIServer [216]:25347 not responding.
2012-04-28 21:54:22.527 SystemUIServer[216] lang is:en
2012-04-28 21:54:25.438 SystemUIServer[216] AirPortExtra: no card found, exiting
2012-04-28 21:54:25.438 SystemUIServer[216] failed to load Menu Extra: NSBundle </System/Library/CoreServices/Menu Extras/AirPort.menu> (loaded)
**********
Disk Utility started.
Repairing permissions for “Macintosh HD”
Determining correct file permissions.
parent directory ./Users/Shared/SC Info does not exist
Permissions repair complete
The privileges have been verified or repaired on the selected volume
Oh Oh, do you have aby exteral drives connected?
Which exact iMac is this?
At the Apple Icon at top left>About this Mac.
Then click on More Info>Hardware and report this upto but not including the Serial#...
Hardware Overview:
Model Name: iMac
Model Identifier: iMac7,1
Processor Name: Intel Core 2 Duo
Processor Speed: 2.4 GHz
Number Of Processors: 1
Total Number Of Cores: 2
L2 Cache: 4 MB
Memory: 6 GB
Bus Speed: 800 MHz
Boot ROM Version: IM71.007A.B03
SMC Version (system): 1.21f4
Yes, I have several external hard drives but this isn't something new. The Search feature has always been able to include them in the search.
Hardware Overview:
Model Name: iMac
Model Identifier: iMac5,1
Processor Name: Intel Core 2 Duo
Processor Speed: 2 GHz
Number Of Processors: 1
Total Number Of Cores: 2
L2 Cache (per processor): 4 MB
Memory: 2 GB
Bus Speed: 667 MHz
Boot ROM Version: IM51.0090.B09
SMC Version: 1.8f2
Thanks for your continuing help.
Mary Lou
Well, we have a Disk problem, but could be other Hardware issue.
Do you have the Internal Drive backed up?
I have recently moved most files to an external drive because I will be moving to a newer iMac. (Brother died recently and gave me his iMc krunning Snow Leopard.)
Are you suggesting wiping the hard drive clean and doing a reboot?
If that's the solution, I should make sure I am prepared to leave it to someone else and then I could easily reformat the hard drive.
Mary Lou
Is your backup a bootable clone, or just drag & drop copies?
I don't exactly the problem is, but in Disk Utility, highlight the whole drive & look below to see if it says...
S.M.A.R.T. Status : Verified
Yes, this is what I got:
S.M.A.R.T. Status : Verified
My backup is of files only. When I move to the other iMac, I planned to move files by firewire connection.
Will this override the OS software on the computer, or will it simply move my files and applications over?
Mary Lou
If you're talking about using Migration Assistant on the other one, it won't override the OS files, just carry over your files & settings, etc.
Magic has occurred! Late last night I discovered that my Search function is working!
Gremlins? It is frustrating not to know what went wrong, but good to have it functioning again.
Thanks so much for sticking with me on this issue.
Mary Lou
Great to hear, do we no longer get those messages in Console?
I checked Console. It appears that things were still wrong when I turned the computer on this morning and then cleared up. Maybe you can figure out how that happened. Here is the Console report:
Mac OS X Version 10.4.11 (Build 8S2167)
2012-04-30 08:59:44 -0400
125 [Time 1335790784] [Host] [Sender printerAgent] [PID 136] [UID 501] [GID 501] [Level 5] [Message Label: com.hp.printerAgent]
2012-04-30 08:59:45.664 SmileboxTray[144] 2012-04-30 08:59:45 Starting tray...
2012-04-30 08:59:45.674 FlipShareAutoRun[137] Could not connect the action buttonPressed: to target of class NSApplication
2012-04-30 08:59:45.674 FlipShareAutoRun[137] Could not connect the action buttonPressed: to target of class NSApplication
2012-04-30 08:59:45.674 FlipShareAutoRun[137] Could not connect the action buttonPressed: to target of class NSApplication
2012-04-30 08:59:45.674 FlipShareAutoRun[137] Could not connect the action buttonPressed: to target of class NSApplication
Apr 30 08:59:47 Mary-Frosts-Computer-2 mDNSResponder: Adding browse domain local.
Apr 30 08:59:50 Mary-Frosts-Computer-2 mDNSResponder: NOTE: Wide-Area Service Discovery disabled to avoid crashing defective DNS relay 192.168.1.1.
2012-04-30 08:59:51.200 SystemUIServer[102] lang is:en
2012-04-30 09:04:54.912 SmileboxTray[144] NSScanner: nil string argument
2012-04-30 09:04:54.912 SmileboxTray[144] NSScanner: nil string argument
2012-04-30 10:04:56.241 SmileboxTray[144] NSScanner: nil string argument
2012-04-30 10:04:56.242 SmileboxTray[144] NSScanner: nil string argument
2012-04-30 10:59:56.655 SmileboxTray[144] NSScanner: nil string argument
2012-04-30 10:59:56.655 SmileboxTray[144] NSScanner: nil string argument
2012-04-30 11:08:04.176 usbink[301] UsbBulk: Found device 0x2503
2012-04-30 11:08:04.179 usbink[301] UsbBulk: found interface: 0x2903
2012-04-30 11:08:04.180 usbink[301] UsbBulk: found 3 pipes
2012-04-30 11:08:04.180 usbink[301] UsbBulk: grabbing BULK OUT pipe index 1, number 2
2012-04-30 11:08:04.180 usbink[301] UsbBulk: grabbing BULK IN pipe index 2, number 2
2012-04-30 11:08:04.180 usbink[301] UsbBulk: skipping pipe 3 because it is not a bulk pipe
2012-04-30 11:08:06.259 usbink[301] UsbBulk: ReadPipeTO Failed, err = e0004051
2012-04-30 11:08:14.213 usbink[302] UsbBulk: Found device 0x2503
2012-04-30 11:08:14.216 usbink[302] UsbBulk: found interface: 0x2903
2012-04-30 11:08:14.216 usbink[302] UsbBulk: found 3 pipes
2012-04-30 11:08:14.216 usbink[302] UsbBulk: grabbing BULK OUT pipe index 1, number 2
2012-04-30 11:08:14.217 usbink[302] UsbBulk: grabbing BULK IN pipe index 2, number 2
2012-04-30 11:08:14.217 usbink[302] UsbBulk: skipping pipe 3 because it is not a bulk pipe
2012-04-30 11:08:15.259 usbink[302] UsbBulk: ReadPipeTO Failed, err = e0004051
2012-04-30 11:09:57.010 SmileboxTray[144] NSScanner: nil string argument
2012-04-30 11:09:57.010 SmileboxTray[144] NSScanner: nil string argument
2012-04-30 11:19:57.460 SmileboxTray[144] NSScanner: nil string argument
2012-04-30 11:19:57.460 SmileboxTray[144] NSScanner: nil string argument
2012-04-30 11:29:57.896 SmileboxTray[144] NSScanner: nil string argument
2012-04-30 11:29:57.896 SmileboxTray[144] NSScanner: nil string argument
Apr 30 11:31:12 Mary-Frosts-Computer-2 /usr/sbin/ocspd: starting
2012-04-30 11:39:58.385 SmileboxTray[144] NSScanner: nil string argument
2012-04-30 11:39:58.385 SmileboxTray[144] NSScanner: nil string argument
2012-04-30 11:49:58.840 SmileboxTray[144] NSScanner: nil string argument
2012-04-30 11:49:58.840 SmileboxTray[144] NSScanner: nil string argument
2012-04-30 11:59:59.204 SmileboxTray[144] NSScanner: nil string argument
2012-04-30 11:59:59.204 SmileboxTray[144] NSScanner: nil string argument
2012-04-30 12:09:59.627 SmileboxTray[144] NSScanner: nil string argument
2012-04-30 12:09:59.627 SmileboxTray[144] NSScanner: nil string argument
2012-04-30 12:20:00.059 SmileboxTray[144] NSScanner: nil string argument
2012-04-30 12:20:00.059 SmileboxTray[144] NSScanner: nil string argument
2012-04-30 12:30:00.418 SmileboxTray[144] NSScanner: nil string argument
2012-04-30 12:30:00.418 SmileboxTray[144] NSScanner: nil string argument
What is Smilebox?
OS 10.4.11 search isn't working
