spotlight does not stop indexing

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spotlight does not stop indexing

I need help: Just started the brand new MacPro 2x 2.66. The long desired spotlight (I run osx 1.3.9 before) does not work. Spotlight never stop to index. It runs and runs. If I add the hard drive to privacy in the system preferences it stops, but as soon as I get it back it just continues to index. So I've never been able to use Spotlight. Another harddrive in the machine (one without just data, no system) is swiftly indexed. But as soon as I have the main HD open for indexing, Spotlight continues to index for ever.

The harddrive causing the prooblem has previously been used in another computer under 1.3.9

Any ideas for fixing this would be much appreciated.

MacPro 2x 2.66 Mac OS X (10.4.8)

MacPro 2x 2.66, Mac OS X (10.4.8)

Posted on Jan 29, 2007 8:59 AM

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Answer 1

Jan 29, 2007 1:14 PM in response to Linus2

How long did you let Spotlight run to index your system drive?

More important, what did you do the minute you got your new machine?

I would have thought that the new machine came preloaded with Tiger and that point, Spotlight would have been working perfectly.

I would also think that you would have done a fresh install of all your software onto the new drive. Fresh machine, fresh software. Great combination. Doing so would have let Spotlight update the index on the fly and created a virtually pure bug-free machine.

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Answer 2

Linus2 Author

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Jan 31, 2007 2:39 AM in response to Daniel Marr

Daniel,

thanks for response. The story is this. I had a G5 that suddenly went dead. After discussing this with my local Mac supplier I decided not to repair but to buy a new one (couldn't wait for the repair - I work commercially 10 hrs a day using the Mac). The harddrives in the old Mac survived the crash.

So: when the new Mac arrived I placed the main HD from the old machine in the new MacPro and started. When I was promted if I wanted to transfer old data to the new machine I approved. After 1 hr the new machines was up and running with all old sofwares, pw, adddresses and mails restored. Everything has been working perfectly after this transfer except Spotlight. The old - crashed - Mac was running osx 10.3.9

So I would guess my problems have something to do with files from the old computer now influencing Spotlight. 10.3.9 did not have any Spotlight at all, so i do not really understand this.

As far as I know I have not done anything to the system since I got the new machine, but trying to cure Spotlight I have in terminal entered sudo mdutil -E
That did not help.

Any ideas would be much appreciated.

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Answer 3

Jan 31, 2007 5:22 AM in response to Linus2

What are you trying to do?

Dragging the HD to the Privacy pane and using the mdutil -E command both delete the index files. Spotlight then starts from scratch trying to reindex (in the case of Privacy, this happens when you pull the drive out - with mdutil, it happens immediately unless you also disable Spotlight with the -i off tag)

Since this drive had 10.3.9 installed, it may be trying to index all the system files for Panther. They are normally excluded on the boot drive, but may be seen as regular data by a Tiger system running off a separate HD.

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Answer 4

Linus2 Author

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Jan 31, 2007 6:45 AM in response to Mike-N-nahyunil

Mike,
thanks for reply.

The problem is that Spotlight is continuously indexing. It means that I cannot search for files and worse I cannot search for mails in Mail.app. My local Mac distributor has an idea that old, corrupt mails may be the problem.

Just recently Spotlight actually indicated that it was done and ready. As soon as I entered anything in Spotlight search field it started to index again with estimates of everything between 200 hours and 6 minutes to completion.

A very naive view is that Spotlight is in some kind of way looping. Do you know if there are any old index files from 10.3.9 that perhaps could interfer?

I do appreciate all kinds of ideas...

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Answer 5

Jan 31, 2007 6:50 AM in response to Linus2

Since you're on a MacPro now, there's really no point in holding on to Panther...

I would say-not a professional tech-copy the data you need off the drive and erase it. Then just use it as a second data drive.

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Answer 6

Linus2 Author

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Jan 31, 2007 7:05 AM in response to Mike-N-nahyunil

Mike,

the drive is no longer in the MacPro. I just copied all files from the old drive when installing the new MacPro. Needed to get all files back so I could work. Do not know how much of old Panter files that were transferred. This was done during the first start of the new machine. Got the question if I wanted to transfer files, accounts etc from old HD, and I approved that. So Panther is no longer in the MacPro, unless parts of Panther was transferred.

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Answer 7

mahigton

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Feb 3, 2007 3:17 PM in response to Linus2

I'm having what sounds like exactly the same problem. I bought an Intel MacBook Pro, Core 2 Duo, a few days ago. Spotlight was working fine. Last night, I connected a Firewire cable to my old G5 (dual 2 GHz) running 10.3.9, and used the Migration assistant to pull applications and documents over from the G5 to the MacBookPro. Now Spotlight continuously indexes and reindexes the hard drive. I can watch the progress with Spotless, and see the index file slowly getting bigger and bigger - then suddenly jumping back to tiny again, and starting the whole process again. Deleting the preferences, disabling indexing of the drive, deleting the index file, and restarting indexing (using Spotless) has not cured the problem. I'm trying a couple of other things, but I think I might have to do a clean install of the OS, and be rather more picky about transferring stuff over manually from the old G5.

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Answer 8

Feb 10, 2007 2:48 PM in response to Linus2

Hello,
I'm seeing the same kind of problem. Here are the symptoms:

-Some or all data from a Mac previously running 10.3, is migrated to a Mac using 10.4. The Migration Assistant is used.
-Spotlight will continuously re-index, stop for a brief period, and repeat, either by itself, or when a search is attempted.
-Erasing the indices with mdutil -E, running fsck, fixing permissions and stopping/starting Spotlight doesn't resolve the problem.
-Excluding the migrated user directory will stop the madness. I.e., other users and shared directories like Applications, are searchable, and Spotlight will stop the continuous re-indexing.
-Recreating the user directory from scratch, and then copying in data from a backup, may once again start the madness.

The big question is, what, exactly, causes the indexing cycle?

The client affected by the problem is very disappointed, and had cause to wonder "how is this any better than Vista? I would have been better off with a Windows PC". I really need to resolve this, but I'm not sure of the best way to get Apple Tech involved with this bug.

Many Macs Mac OS X (10.4.8)

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Answer 9

Feb 11, 2007 6:06 AM in response to Jeff Mings

Can you give us a layout of your system? For example is it a single Mac, shared, on a network, one drive, two, what kind, etc.

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Answer 10

Feb 11, 2007 7:51 AM in response to Linus2

Do a search for Mac Spotless. I cannot recommend it highly enough, in tandem with Easyfind. My new Tiger install CRAWLED until I installed it and turned off Spotlight. Now it BLAZES.

Spotlight burns up hard drives, putting hours of extra use on them.

Leslie Bell

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