Any way to search the old-fashioned way?

Mikuro

Mikuro

Crotchety UI Nitpicker
I have yet another Spotlight problem. I can't find files by name on non-indexed systems. Is this functionality really gone from Tiger, or is Spotlight just not acting like it should on my machine? I just want to do an old-fashioned filename search on non-indexed volumes (like, say, read-only discs).

For now I'm using EasyFind, but there must be a built-in way to do this I'm just not seeing...right? If not, I'd like to know the names of everyone at Apple responsible for this, so that...I can hunt...them down...and...kill...them.
 
Mikuro said:
I have yet another Spotlight problem. I can't find files by name on non-indexed systems. Is this functionality really gone from Tiger, or is Spotlight just not acting like it should on my machine? I just want to do an old-fashioned filename search on non-indexed volumes (like, say, read-only discs).

For now I'm using EasyFind, but there must be a built-in way to do this I'm just not seeing...right? If not, I'd like to know the names of everyone at Apple responsible for this, so that...I can hunt...them down...and...kill...them.
Click to expand...
I guess it's gone if you don't bother to look.

Click File > Find ....
You see the first pop-up menu? The upper-most one on the left? It may read Kind. Click this pop-up.
The seventh (7th) item in the pop-up menu is Name.

Satisfied?
 
send a feedback to Apple!

that is one way they will know people still want to search by 'find file' method as well as Spotlight...

also, i thought Spotlight automatically indexed all drives connected to your computer?

where is this 'other system'?
 
MisterMe: sorry if I wasn't clear enough, but my point is that this does NOT work on non-indexed volumes.

Yanges: The particular volume I'm trying to search is a locked backup image I made of my primary HD. No matter what criteria I enter into Spotlight, it always returns 0 results. It doesn't even have the decency to tell me it can't search. :(
 
Mikuro said:
MisterMe: sorry if I wasn't clear enough, but my point is that this does NOT work on non-indexed volumes.

Yanges: The particular volume I'm trying to search is a locked backup image I made of my primary HD. No matter what criteria I enter into Spotlight, it always returns 0 results. It doesn't even have the decency to tell me it can't search. :(
Click to expand...
Huh? When I used it on an unindexed volume, it worked just fine.
 
aicul: If you read the first post in the thread, you see easyfind mentioned there. *cough*. ;)
 
I've just put easyFind into my Utilities folder. Couple times hit my LaunchBar hotkey, typed "f", chose easyFind, hit return and quit easyFind again. Now whenever I need to find things, instead of using Spotlight I just hit Cmd-Esc (LaunchBar), type "f", hit return and ooooooff we go. That's short enough for me. Still ceterum censeo Apple should fix Spotlight.
 
fryke said:
aicul: If you read the first post in the thread, you see easyfind mentioned there. *cough*. ;)
Click to expand...

Guess its too early in the morning for me. But the advise was well intended. ::angel::
 
And good, too. At least for me. Pushing me to easyFind was good for me today. Although I get the strong feeling that I'd like to hop over to Cupertino, enter Steves office and tell him what I think of removing find-by-name from the Finder.
 
Yup, but an insider told me that the location of Steve's office can only be found on spotlight... ::evil::
 
fryke said:
I've just put easyFind into my Utilities folder. Couple times hit my LaunchBar hotkey, typed "f", chose easyFind, hit return and quit easyFind again. Now whenever I need to find things, instead of using Spotlight I just hit Cmd-Esc (LaunchBar), type "f", hit return and ooooooff we go. That's short enough for me. Still ceterum censeo Apple should fix Spotlight.
Click to expand...

so Launchbar works well in Tiger?

that has always been my favorite way to launch apps! :cool:
 
Looks like I spoke too soon. Further testing proves that Spotlight does indeed do a filename search on non-indexed volumes — just not this one. As a test, I used mdutil (in Terminal) to disable indexing on my second parition, erase its existing index, and then I did a successful Spotlight search on it.

However, it's still not working on my disk image backup, which is a real pain when you're trying to find and synchronize files. :(

The problem doesn't seem to occur on other disk images, either. I just tried with some I had lying about in my Downloads folder, and they all worked. I also tried unlocking my problem DMG, but it didn't change anything. I even tried with a DMG contained within my backup DMG, and that one worked! I'm so very confused.

So, looks like I should rephrase my question from "why can't Spotlight search non-indexed volumes?" to "what the hell is wrong with my DMG?"

To be thorough, this DMG was created using Disk Utility while booted from my install DVD. It's compressed, and houses my entire HD contents, Tiger and all. It's about 23GB.

Any ideas?
 
If I understand the situation correctly your DMG is treated like a removable device and not indexed by default. For instance spotlight won't index CDs or USB key drives. You can index it manually or you could just use Find from the Finder which will still do an old style search if that is sufficient.
 
lurk said:
If I understand the situation correctly your DMG is treated like a removable device and not indexed by default. For instance spotlight won't index CDs or USB key drives. You can index it manually or you could just use Find from the Finder which will still do an old style search if that is sufficient.
Click to expand...

it has been mentioned in other threads that the old way of Find from the Finder is not available in Tiger??

it works for you? :eek:
 
Well I just used the little search box to find the files on an unindexed volume. You can see in the terminal in the background that /Volumes/unix is not indexed by spotlight. The Finder window shows the results of doing a find. I guess I could be missing something but it appears to work fine for me.
 

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I CAN find by name on non-indexed volumes (my original post was wrong on that point). Just not this particular disk image.

I guess yanges and I are having different problems. Yanges, what kind of volume are you trying to search? Have you tried different kinds?

So far, this one disk image is the ONLY volume I've tried that won't work. My un-indexed internal drive worked, my CDs work, all my other disk images work. Just not my giant backup image. Any ideas why this should be?
 
lurk said:
Well I just used the little search box to find the files on an unindexed volume. You can see in the terminal in the background that /Volumes/unix is not indexed by spotlight. The Finder window shows the results of doing a find. I guess I could be missing something but it appears to work fine for me.
Click to expand...

i believe what you are showing in that pic is Spotlight...


Mikuro said:
I CAN find by name on non-indexed volumes (my original post was wrong on that point). Just not this particular disk image.

I guess yanges and I are having different problems. Yanges, what kind of volume are you trying to search? Have you tried different kinds?
Click to expand...

Mikuro

i was just commenting on lurks mention of using 'Find in Finder' the old way - i am not actually using 10.4 yet, but others have commented that the old way of finding files is not available, only Spotlight is available for searches...

someone correct me if i am wrong....
 
i added EasyFind too. Spotlight is just not finding things for me. anyone know of a way to get spotlight to index again or does it do this on it's own?
 
macosxhints mentioned something about getting finder to search by name, but quite a few pages in. i guess just search the site for spotlight related articles.

macosxhints is ok to mention, right? I mean, i saw Fryke do it...
 
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