 |
 |
Spotlight slow, unreliable
|
|
|
|
|
Addicted to MacNN
Join Date: Oct 2001
Location: Yokohama, Japan
Status:
Offline
|
|
Sorry if there's a better place for this thread that I missed.
I just got Tiger installed, and I've found Spotlight misbehaving on my machine.
It's already indexed everything (it's no longer got the blinking dot in the center of the magnifying glass), but mds, which I believe is the metadata server, is taking up all of my available CPU time. When I try to make a query, Spotlight just beachballs, and then finally returns maybe a minute later with "no results found" even for things that I know it should find, like "Safari."
Also, I can't add anything to the prohibited list in the Spotlight prefpane. When I try, it just beachballs for a bit and then does nothing.
Anyone know what's going on?
|
|
|
| |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Mac Elite
Join Date: Jul 2002
Status:
Offline
|
|
Yeah, it's indexing your drive. Wait for it to stop flashing in the magnifying glass (or check and make sure the mdimport processes have gone away) and you'll know it's done. Then it should work pretty damn well.
|
|
|
| |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Mac Elite
Join Date: Dec 2001
Location: Chicago
Status:
Offline
|
|
Also what machine are you on? Are you using any type of external drive? Is it all HFS formatted?
|
|
|
| |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Addicted to MacNN
Join Date: Oct 2001
Location: Yokohama, Japan
Status:
Offline
|
|
Like I already said, the flashing stopped a long time ago. There are two mdimport processes going, but they're not using any CPU time; it's all mds. I guess that must not matter, though.
I'm on an 800MHz iBook G4 with a 40GB internal and 160GB external drive. I know that's a lot of data, but this has been going on for many hours already.
|
|
|
| |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Senior User
Join Date: Oct 2001
Location: From The Deep End Of The Jar ©
Status:
Offline
|
|
Originally Posted by wataru
Like I already said, the flashing stopped a long time ago. There are two mdimport processes going, but they're not using any CPU time; it's all mds. I guess that must not matter, though.
I'm on an 800MHz iBook G4 with a 40GB internal and 160GB external drive. I know that's a lot of data, but this has been going on for many hours already.
Have you tried a restart yet?
|
|
20"iMac intel 2.66 Duo: 4GB RAM : OS 10.6.6
|
| |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posting Junkie
Join Date: Mar 2004
Location: MacNN database error. Please refresh your browser.
Status:
Offline
|
|
I've heard of a few heavy-duty indexing taking hours. It took about 30 minutes or less on my stuff (80GB PB and 80GB mini).
|
This is a computer-generated message and needs no signature.
|
| |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Mac Elite
Join Date: Dec 2001
Location: Chicago
Status:
Offline
|
|
Originally Posted by wataru
Like I already said, the flashing stopped a long time ago. There are two mdimport processes going, but they're not using any CPU time; it's all mds. I guess that must not matter, though.
I'm on an 800MHz iBook G4 with a 40GB internal and 160GB external drive. I know that's a lot of data, but this has been going on for many hours already.
Disconnect your Firewire drive and see if Spotlight works. I'm not saying Spotlight has a problem with external drives (mine is fine), I'm just saying that yours might be giving it difficulty for some reason. And first step to fixing the problem is identifying it.
|
|
|
| |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Clinically Insane
Join Date: Oct 2001
Location: San Diego, CA, USA
Status:
Offline
|
|
It says it's stopped indexing on his system, though, so something's screwy whether or not it's still indexing.
|
|
Chuck
___
"Instead of either 'multi-talented' or 'multitalented' use 'bisexual'."
|
| |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Professional Poster
Join Date: Jan 2002
Location: London, UK
Status:
Offline
|
|
FWIW, I just installed Tiger and when I attached my external, it would periodically look as though it had finished indexing (the throbbing stopped and the search field appeared when I clicked the glass icon), but after a few minutes the next time I clicked it, it would show that it was still indexing.
|
|
|
| |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Addicted to MacNN
Join Date: Apr 2001
Location: The bottom of Cloud City
Status:
Offline
|
|
Even when it works properly I find it rather slow on a Dual G5.
|
"Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh"
|
| |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Clinically Insane
Join Date: Jun 2001
Location: planning a comeback !
Status:
Offline
|
|
Originally Posted by Severed Hand of Skywalker
Even when it works properly I find it rather slow on a Dual G5.
That really gives me hope for my dated iBook G3 500. 
-t
|
|
|
| |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posting Junkie
Join Date: Mar 2004
Location: MacNN database error. Please refresh your browser.
Status:
Offline
|
|
I plugged my 160GB external and my 60GB iPod onto the mini and let both index at the same time. Less than 30 minutes for both combined.
|
This is a computer-generated message and needs no signature.
|
| |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Addicted to MacNN
Join Date: Aug 2004
Location: Outfield - #24
Status:
Offline
|
|
Sounds like a mixed-bag here.
|
|
|
| |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Mac Elite
Join Date: Jun 2003
Location: Alabama
Status:
Offline
|
|
seems speedy to me. but sometimes when i search for something really common, i get the beach ball for a second or two and then i'm back.
|
|
http://www.mafia-designs.com
|
| |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Professional Poster
Join Date: Oct 1999
Location: :ИOITAↃO⅃
Status:
Offline
|
|
There's definitely two separate processes:
1. the initial indexing, which is very intensive and takes a few hours or so.
2. Occasionally, "mds storms" and "mdimport storms", in which one or both of these processes go nuts, chewing the disk, sucking up CPU, etc. I know Spotlight should just be doing incremental updates when moving or saving files, but I definitely get periods of heavier activity.
However, after about 4-5 days of use, I've found things have settled down and I don't get "mds storms" nearly as often, or really at all anymore.
|
|
|
| |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
 
|
|
|
Forum Rules
|
|
|
|
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts
|
HTML code is Off
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Top