Finder search not finding any file

hey people,
i mentioned 5 minutes ago that when i open a new finder window and type something in the search field i doesnt find anything. isnt searching at all.
spotlight is working normaly.
what happend?
when i click plus is normal: type & any
best

Try reindexing Spotlight.
Spotlight – Re-index
Spotlight won’t work
Spotlight Alternatives
Alfred reported to rely on Spotlight
EasyFind – Spotlight Replacement
Find Any File
Quicksilver

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Spotlight/Finder Search not finding files in search

Hello everyone,
When I do a search for a file, any file or folder in fact, that exists in any of the system folders or the /library and user/library folders, they NEVER appear in the search results.
Could someone please explain to me, for example, why a simple seacrh, say for example, for a folder called "Desktop Pictures" which can be found in MacOS X/Library, never shows up in the search result. Is it just my mac that has this problem?
I look forward to any responses volunteered!
thanks!
SB

As baltwo eventually explained, you have to add the search criteria "System files" to your search, with the option "Include" selected, to find many items Spotlight otherwise excludes from search results. Alternately (& quite ridiculously), if your search is restricted to the parent folder containing the item, you don't need to add this.
For example, if you open /Library in the Finder, enter "Desktop Pictures" in the search box, you won't get it in the results with the default "This Mac" location, but if you click "Library" for the location, you will. (Yes, many users think this is bizarre, "what were they thinking?" behavior.)
What Spotlight considers "system files" is only slightly less bizarre, as you will probably discover once you start using it to broaden searches. For instance, Safari history items & Mail.app messages are not found unless you include system files, but many files like C Header Source files (in System/Library/Frameworks) are found without including system files in the search.
When it was introduced in Tiger, Spotlight was supposed to be a next-generation search engine, capable of accurately guessing what you were looking for (& filtering out what you weren't) with near-sentient intelligence. I think almost anyone who used that version will agree it did not achieve that lofty goal. Apple apparently agreed, or at least listened to the complaints enough to realize it needed rethinking. Unfortunately, what its designers came up with for the Leopard rethink feels like an early beta version, full of hastily implemented, quirky features that never got sorted out before it was released.
We can only hope that we won't have to wait for OS 10.6 for a more mature, less quirky version.

Finder search not showing all files

I'm using Finder to search for files on a server connected to my computer at work. The search results I am getting do not include all the files that meet my search criteria. For example, I am looking through photo files for any files with "34" in the name. Some files show up, but not all of them. See screenshot. I am searching in the "Branded Photoshoot" folder, and I am getting some results (Branded Photoshoot/Hilton Universal/IMG_1434), but another file that is in folder, though a different subfolder, (Branded Photoshoot/Architectural Center/IMG_1534) is NOT showing up. What is causing that subfolder and its files to not be included in the search results?

You're searching for "1434" (not just 34) and getting only files with 1434 in it:

Finder can not find and display certain files. Why? Any fix,please?

I've discovered to my surprise that Finder can not find and display certain files. Computer is Mac book OS X (10.6.8)
No matter what Finder settings I use, there are files which it can not detect and display.
Here are just some examples of files sitting in the HD but Finder can not display them:
Located in preference panes :
fibre channel 1.7
Located in :    /Library/StartupItems/BRESINKx86Monitoring
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FxLicenseManager
Located in    /Library/StartupItems/FxLicenseManager
EAP8021X
Located in    /System/Library/PrivateFrameworks/EAP8021X.framework
The questions:
What to make of this inability of Finder to ,well, find? (again - I tried all possible settings of Finder!)
Is there any way to fix it?
Thanks for any competent suggestion!

Well, guys,
Interesting suggestions but the problem remains -Finder (aka Spotlight) is not capable to find certain files.Period.
I consider it as a fault of the system because in comparison, a search facility of a plain Windows based machine is capable to dig out and display any file, no matter now deeply hidden...
As far as the suggestion above by softwater goes , well, I've used the additional foptions extensively and nothing produced the result needed -that's why I created this discussion.
If someone still believes that using Finder with all its options is good enough, here is a test for you to perform on your own Mac:
-Open /Library/StartupItems/ and have a look inside - most likely you have a bunch of items. Write down the names of one or two of them. For this test I've chosen
FxLicenseManager located in    /Library/StartupItems/. You can use any file you want grom this location...
- Then go to Finder and set it to display everything in Library of the HD. Remember - for this test you pretend you don't know any file name in this folders.
If the Finder works properly it shall display folders of Library >Startup items with all stuff inside, including the FxLicenseManager file I used for this test.
Finder displayed nothing. It is obvious that for Finder, certain locations are off limits. That's why I consider Finder as a faulty.
Of course if someone can set the Finder's options to do the above search and succeed, I'll be glad to try ...:-)
At this point, what I gather from this discussion is that :
1. Finder (Spotlight) feature is not to be trusted,despite number of fancy but rather useless options.
2. If you need to really find everything usually not displayed by Finder you better get real searching software.

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I do not see any file in my external hard drive. It a 2TB hard drive and in info it shows 727 GB remaining. I am sure files are there but for some reason they are not showing in finder. I am using iMac 10.6.8

How does this relate to iPhoto? You'd best ask your question in the Show Leopard forum as it's more a system/hardware issue.
OT

TS1402 I can not copy any files from the server & from the Finder. System MAC OS 10.7.5

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<Email Edited by Host>

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Finder is not showing correct file in cover flow mode. The files shown in the top panel are one file off.

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You may want to run these "standard" fixes if the problem persists.
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Hello
i seem to have problems with attachments. I have 5 e-mail accounts with mail. on 4 of them i can not put attachments. I have to first use the one account which i can add attachment and then change over to the other account
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Ernie
thanks for the reply Here are the answers to your questions.
yes each account has it's own drafts folder. and I can save the file into the drafts folder after follow the steps you outlined in your answer. I did repair permission but nothing has changed .
one thing i discovered is that I can attach files to the mail if i reply to it. only when i create a new mail in one of those accounts can i not attach any files.
Seeing on the side bar that you are a top user I have another question you might be able to answer
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Please read this whole message before doing anything.
This procedure is a test, not a solution. Don’t be disappointed when you find that nothing has changed after you complete it.
Step 1
The purpose of this step is to determine whether the problem is localized to your user account.
Enable guest logins* and log in as Guest. For instructions, launch the System Preferences application, select Help from the menu bar, and enter “Set up a guest account” (without the quotes) in the search box.
While logged in as Guest, you won’t have access to any of your personal files or settings. Applications will behave as if you were running them for the first time. Don’t be alarmed by this; it’s normal. If you need any passwords or other personal data in order to complete the test, memorize, print, or write them down before you begin.
Test while logged in as Guest. Same problem(s)?
After testing, log out of the guest account and, in your own account, disable it if you wish. Any files you created in the guest account will be deleted automatically when you log out of it.
*Note: If you’ve activated “Find My Mac” or FileVault in Mac OS X 10.7 or later, then you can’t enable the Guest account. The Guest login created by “Find My Mac” is not the same. Create a new account in which to test, and delete it, including its home folder, after testing.
Step 2
The purpose of this step is to determine whether the problem is caused by third-party system modifications that load automatically at startup or login.
Disconnect all wired peripherals except those needed for the test, and remove all aftermarket expansion cards. Boot in safe mode* and log in to the account with the problem. The instructions provided by Apple are as follows:
Be sure your Mac is shut down.
Press the power button.
Immediately after you hear the startup tone, hold the Shift key. The Shift key should be held as soon as possible after the startup tone, but not before the tone.
Release the Shift key when you see the gray Apple icon and the progress indicator (looks like a spinning gear).
Safe mode is much slower to boot and run than normal, and some things won’t work at all, including wireless networking on certain Macs.
The login screen appears even if you usually log in automatically. You must know your login password in order to log in. If you’ve forgotten the password, you will need to reset it before you begin.
*Note: If FileVault is enabled under Mac OS X 10.7 or later, you can’t boot in safe mode.
Test while in safe mode. Same problem(s)?
After testing, reboot as usual (i.e., not in safe mode) and verify that you still have the problem. Post the results of steps 1 and 2.

I can not attach any files to email or Facebook. When I go to "browse" the window comes up and disappears immediately. I updated browser and Adobe Flash. Restarted computer and zapped pram. any ideas? Please help!

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Please read this whole message before doing anything.
This procedure is a test, not a solution. Don’t be disappointed when you find that nothing has changed after you complete it.
Step 1
The purpose of this step is to determine whether the problem is localized to your user account.
Enable guest logins* and log in as Guest. For instructions, launch the System Preferences application, select Help from the menu bar, and enter “Set up a guest account” (without the quotes) in the search box. Don't use the Safari-only Guest login created by Find My Mac.
While logged in as Guest, you won’t have access to any of your personal files or settings. Applications will behave as if you were running them for the first time. Don’t be alarmed by this; it’s normal. If you need any passwords or other personal data in order to complete the test, memorize, print, or write them down before you begin.
Test while logged in as Guest. Same problem(s)?
After testing, log out of the guest account and, in your own account, disable it if you wish. Any files you created in the guest account will be deleted automatically when you log out of it.
*Note: If you’ve activated “Find My Mac” or FileVault in Mac OS X 10.7 or later, then you can’t enable the Guest account. The Guest login created by “Find My Mac” is not the same. Create a new account in which to test, and delete it, including its home folder, after testing.
Step 2
The purpose of this step is to determine whether the problem is caused by third-party system modifications that load automatically at startup or login.
Disconnect all wired peripherals except those needed for the test, and remove all aftermarket expansion cards. Boot in safe mode* and log in to the account with the problem. The instructions provided by Apple are as follows:
Be sure your Mac is shut down.
Press the power button.
Immediately after you hear the startup tone, hold the Shift key. The Shift key should be held as soon as possible after the startup tone, but not before the tone.
Release the Shift key when you see the gray Apple icon and the progress indicator (looks like a spinning gear).
Safe mode is much slower to boot and run than normal, and some things won’t work at all, including wireless networking on certain Macs.
The login screen appears even if you usually log in automatically. You must know your login password in order to log in. If you’ve forgotten the password, you will need to reset it before you begin.
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Test while in safe mode. Same problem(s)?
After testing, reboot as usual (i.e., not in safe mode) and verify that you still have the problem. Post the results of steps 1 and 2.

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<o:p></o:p>
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Finder search not finding any file

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