Bridge CS4 Search Not Displaying NEF Files + Keyword Problems

Question

Hello, I am hoping someone can be of service to peculiar problem that apparently nobody else has had.
I am running Adobe Bridge CS4 (came bundled with Photoshop Elements 8) on a 2009 24 inch iMac with 4GB RAM and a 2.6mHz processor running Snow Leopard v10.6.2.
I use Adobe Bridge CS4 to add Keywords to all my photos and edit 14 bit Nikon NEF RAW files. I write the keywords to an .XMP sidecar
file.
Two days I ago I changed something in Preferences->Metadata and the next time I started Bridge CS4 and used the loupe tool on a NEF
file, it took longer than usual for the preview to come up and when it did, it was at 200% magnification instead of 100%. Once the loupe preview showed up, the NEF file had some sort of processing applied to it (it became more contrasted.) This was all within Bridge ant NOT Adobe Camera Raw. I quit the program and the next time I started Bridge, it crashed upon using the loupe tool. I looked up help on Adobe's website and it appeared I had corrupted preferences. Per Adobe's instructions I option clicked at Bridge startup to delete the preferences and purge the cache.
Everything appeared to be normal until today when I searched for a keyword and got 36 random results when I know I have hundreds of
photos tagged with that particular keyword. I started typing in other keywords and getting the same sort of results- very limited numbers of photos I have hundreds of. I always include all subfolders in all searches and used every search method available through Bridge to no avail. The searches always came up with a fraction of the photos I actually have tagged.
I then verified and repaired all disk permissions from the operating system installation CD and Bridge started returning results as
usual. However, when I clicked on an individual file in the Content pane, some of my Keywords started to appear in italics below the rest of my Keyword tree. There doesn't appear to be any rhyme or reason as to why some images will return the Keywords normally and others in italics. Also, sometime the italicized keyword tree will include keywords I edited due to typos and thus no longer existing my normal Keyword tree. I gave the "Make Persistent" command a try. It converts the italics to regular case, but it also doubles the tag so I now have two of that tag (one in the normal keyword tree, and the now converted italics keyword tree.)
Now I'm noticing that all my search results are not including NEF files; just JPEG and the occasional DNG file that I made through Adobe Camera RAW. I'm not sure if this has been the case throughout my problem or if I just noticed it late.
Regarding not displaying NEF files in searches, it appears that it will default to displaying JPEG if it has the option because as of lately I have only been shooting RAW and some of those files are showing up in the still-wonky searches (still displaying random or no photos of keywords.) However, if I manually navigate to a file, I can open and edit NEF files with no problem, they just don't display in any search modes.
Here's two short videos of what happens when I navigate a folder with NEF files by manually searching:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WDjUDZzULKQ
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-Y9HkDK7DCs
When I click on a NEF file, the one ahead of it in Content view processes into a more contrasty image and the loupe tool previews jump between 100% and 400% and then change to 100% when dragged or they just process themselves right then and there.

Answer 1

I am running Adobe Bridge CS4 (came bundled with Photoshop Elements 8) on a 2009 24 inch iMac with 4GB RAM and a 2.6mHz processor running Snow Leopard v10.6.2.
Snow Leopard and Bridge CS4 do have some issues. Some have no problems and others have much problems I'm afraid.
I use Adobe Bridge CS4 to add Keywords to all my photos and edit 14 bit Nikon NEF RAW files. I write the keywords to an .XMP sidecar file.
To my knowledge the keywords are written into the XMP Metadata that is saved in the IPTC section of file itself, the XMP data in the sidecar file contain the changes you made in ACR. In other words, the keywords you have added should still be there.
Also see this Knowledge Base article about Keywords:
http://kb2.adobe.com/cps/402/kb402660.html
Two days I ago I changed something in Preferences->Metadata and the next time I started Bridge CS4 and used the loupe tool on a NEF file, it took longer than usual for the preview to come up and when it did, it was at 200% magnification instead of 100%.
Changes metadata in prefs only affects the visability of the fields in the metadata panel. put or deselect a checkmark in front of an option will let you see or not see the field in this panel, the actual data and fields ar still in the file.
it was at 200% magnification instead of 100%. Once the loupe preview showed up, the NEF file had some sort of processing applied to it (it became more contrasted.) This was all within Bridge ant NOT Adobe Camera Raw.
You can change the magnification for the loupe to 100 / 200 / 400 and 800 % using the scrollwheel or with loupe active the + and - keys. Bridge shows the settings that you made in ACR. If you have changed the default Camera Raw setting it will also change the thumbs for this file. A thumbs needs some time to be cached. First it shows with a black border around, when first cached it shows the embedded preview and in the second round it renders the ACR settings and High Quality preview (if you have not disabled this setting). Caching needs some time.
Everything appeared to be normal until today when I searched for a keyword and got 36 random results when I know I have hundreds of photos tagged with that particular keyword. I started typing in other keywords and getting the same sort of results- very limited numbers of photos I have hundreds of. I always include all subfolders in all searches and used every search method available through Bridge to no avail. The searches always came up with a fraction of the photos I actually have tagged.
Maybe you need to let the indexing in find do its work again but it might also be a snow leopard issue. Try an other app (Digital Asset Management like Expresion Media or  Portfolio) to check about the keywording and find. You can use a trial version for several days. You have several options to use find keywords. In the panel itself, in the filterpanel uner the keyword tab, when clicking on a visible keyword it only shows the files with that keyword or in the menu Edit / find (shortcut cmd + F) explore the options in this menu and also choose include non indexed and let Bridge start to index your files again.
However, when I clicked on an individual file in the Content pane, some of my Keywords started to appear in italics below the rest of my Keyword tree. There doesn't appear to be any rhyme or reason as to why some images will return the Keywords normally and others in italics. Also, sometime the italicized keyword tree will include keywords I edited due to typos and thus no longer existing my normal Keyword tree. I gave the "Make Persistent" command a try. It converts the italics to regular case, but it also doubles the tag so I now have two of that tag (one in the normal keyword tree, and the now converted italics keyword tree.)
Don't know about that.
Here's two short videos of what happens when I navigate a folder with NEF files by manually searching:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WDjUDZzULKQ
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-Y9HkDK7DCs
When I click on a NEF file, the one ahead of it in Content view processes into a more contrasty image and the loupe tool previews jump between 100% and 400% and then change to 100% when dragged or they just process themselves right then and there.
As you can see the black border around some file that disappear after a while or when you select them they have not been cached. You used purge cache so most of your earlier cached results are gone and need to rebuild.