Spotlight still can't find files that are right in front of me

Sigh. I'm noticing that Spotlight still cant find files correctly. Maybe I'm the stupid one here, but when I do a search on "This Mac" for a "File Name", and the "Kind" is set to "Folders", and I set the word "Wonder" as the search parameter, how come it results in no items, yet I'm LOOKING at a folder called "The Wonder Stuff" in my music library? All the Spotlight file types are checked "on" and nothing is being excluded or is set to private.
God, I long for the System 9 find. I really do. Almost every day.

Hi,
When you say "Spotlight," are you using the text-input box that displays when you click the magnifying glass at the upper right-corner of the menubar? Or are you pressing command-F in the Finder and using a Finder window?
When I type "Aimee" in the Spotlight text input box mentioned above, it returns/finds the "Aimee Mann" folder that is in my Music folder.
Have you checked out EasyFind? It might meet your needs.
Hope this helps!

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Can't open songs because it can't find files that are where they should be

For about 90% of my Itunes library, when I try to play a song it says it can't be opened because the file can't be found. I can find the file and it's exactly where it should be and once I find it, it plays fine. These are not new songs, but one's I've had in the library a long time. It's pointing correctly to the Itunes music folder, but only seems to be able to find stuff that I fairly recently added. Can anyone help?

It is likely that something has been moved. iTunes does not do folder watching so if anything moves or is renamed iTunes will not find it.
If you open iTunes Music Library.xml with WordPad, you can see where iTunes thinks your music files are located.
Look for Lines starting <Location>, note the the space character is represented by %20 in the path.
You can look for specific files with Find.
This may help you to workout what has gone wrong. Whether or not this leads to an easy solution is less certain. If the files are not where iTunes thinks they should be, and moving them so that the path is correct is one possibility if it can easily be done. The other is to use Find and replace to correct the paths if there is an easy edit that can be done. Then recreate the library from the xml file as in this article.
http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1451
The third possibility that is easy and certain to work is to start with a new library. But this loses all counts ratings and playlists.
Close iTunes, drag iTunes Library.itl and iTunes Music library.xml out of the iTunes folder to the desktop.
Open iTunes and an empty library is created. Use File>>Add folder to library... to add you iTunes Music folder.

How can I find photos that are not assigned to any collection?

Hi !
I'm using LR 5.7.1 on a Mac.
When I've retouched raw pictures with PS CC (and do not need the PSD file any longer) I export the PSD (that is in my catalog) as JPG and let it add to my catalog automatically. After that I delete the PSD file. That works fine.
But .... the new JPG file is not assigned to any collection. That's no problem unless I forget to do it manually after that export (and import).
That brings me to my question.
How can I find photos that are not assigned to any collection?
I tried it with a smart collection after I found nothing suitable in library filter. The search criteria I tried are Source -> Collection with any of the conditions. One with an empty value field, then with just a space and so on.
Has anybody a good hint for me?
Thomas

You can also add numbers if you have collections that don't use alphabet characters.

Can't see files that are backedup

I have a G4 iMac that has both an internal (small) and external (large) drive that I use for data. I am using a time capsule to backup the whole system.
When I run Time Machine it appears to backup both disks, the log file shows both drives having many GBs of data being transferred without any errors.
However, when I go into the TM application, I can only see files that are on the internal drive. I can only see my external 'LaCie HFS' in the Now view, going back in time that drive is greyed out.
If I use the finder when the TC is mounted, I can traverse into 'Backup.backupdb/iMac/2009-08-074700' and I can see the 'LaCie HFS' folder and in it are all my backed up files.
I have looked through the FAQ and various postings but cannot find an answer.
The closest thing that I can see as being a potential problem is that my old internal drive uses an Apple Partition Map while my new external drive uses a GUID Partition Table.
Why would backupd created backups that Time Machine cannot see?

Hi, and welcome to the forums.
Try this: Open a Finder window and press ShiftCmdC (or select your computer name in the Finder Sidebar).
Then +Enter Time Machine.+
On the first Finder window in the "cascade," labelled Now, you'll see all the volumes currently attached to your Mac.
Select the Finder window for any backup, and you'll see a folder for each drive/volume that was backed-up, including any that are no longer connected. Navigate from there to whatever you're looking for.

Where do I find files that are saved "to this device"

Where do I find files that are saved "to this device"?
Thanks

You can not download files to the device through safari.
Photos and PDFs can be saved in photo and PDFs in iBook.
Files can be saved through iTunes on a computer, they have to be placed in the app used to view them.
What is it you are trying to do?

How can I access files that are saved in the iCloud?

Hello fellow apple fans,
I downloaded Mountain Lion yesterday and was very pleased to find out that it is possible to upload several file types from several programms into the iCloud. But now I am concerned that this feature could turn out to be useless for me: e.g. the PDF-upload from Preview" - once I uploaded it I can't find it annywhere, neither on my iPhone nor on icloud.com. I can only access it when I open Preview and look for "documents saved in the cloud". Same problem with several types of files - I can't find anything that can't be opend by the iWork-suit if I don't use the same programm that I used to save it in the cloud.
Is this feature only meant to help people that own more than one Mac?
Thanks for your help
Thadeus1991

Unfortunately, you're right. You can open iCloud documents on multiple devices, but only if they have the exact same software. If you save documents on Preview or TextEdit on your Mac, you can't open them on your iPad or iPhone because there is no equivalent software.
I use Goodreader to read documents on my iPad and iPhone, and there is a workaround that I learned about on a popular Apple fan site that allows me to access my Goodreader iCloud files on my Mac (they are stored there even though there's no direct way to access them). Hopefully, Apple will address this issue and make such workarounds unnecessary.

Can't open files that are downloaded

Hi,
I can't open up the files that are downloaded. When I try to open them up, they all say "the file may be corrupted". What's going on and how can I fix this?
Thank you

I am having trouble opening .dmg, .xls, and .ppt files. Most recently I tried to download a printer driver from the HP website that is a .dmg and it opened a window to save a binary file and saved as a Quicktime file. The .ppt file was a forward in an email and the .xls file was a file from another Mac. I have no idea why this is happening.

Search can't find files that i know are there

I have files that I can see in the finder, yet when I search for them using the search input in a finder window, I don't see any results. It doesn't matter if I restrict the search to a directory above the files, or to just files, they just don't show up.
Is there any way I can get OS X to redo it's index of files?

Try reindexing Spotlight > http://www.ehow.com/how_5341910_reindex-spotlight-find-files.html

ITunes can't locate some files that are right where they should be

I'm using iTunes 12 for Windows. I keep a huge iTunes library at home on a mapped NAS share and the same library at work on a local drive. Every week on Monday I sync my entire iTunes folder from home to an external drive and then bring that external drive to work and sync it to my local drive there. (Note: This is a one way sync; I never sync in the other direction.) This system has worked flawlessly for six years.
Within the last six weeks, I've started to get error messages on my work system saying that many (>1600) media files of various types cannot be located. I assumed corruption was the issue so I deleted my entire 500GB iTunes folder and re-copied everything back over. Not just the media files. Everything. The problem persists and I cannot figure out why.
I have confirmed that iTunes on the work computer is referencing the correct iTunes library file. I have confirmed that iTunes is pointing to the correct iTunes folder. I have confirmed that the "missing" iTunes files are right where they should be. (I have always had iTunes set to move imported media into the iTunes folder so there is no stray media floating around on either system. And I have iTunes set to organize the media.)
It is worth noting that I started seeing this around the time when I upgraded to iTunes 12. When I upgraded to iTunes 12 I had to change the path to my home library from "\\<NAS>\iTunes\iTunes Music" to "M:\iTunes\iTunes Music" due to a bug in iTunes that created iPhone syncing issues if the iTunes library is on a network drive. But I can't figure out why this would matter. The path on the work computer is correct and all media files are there.
Ideas? I just don't understand how deleting everything and starting over doesn't solve the issue since there is NO issue at home.

Thanks again for your help with this, tt2. (I keep wanting to call you "Alan".)
I totally botched the repair process, including my library and media collection, four different times. If not for the fact that I had a complete, up-to-date copy of my library and all media files I would be completely scr3wed right now. I'm going to outline the mistakes I made for the benefit of those who might reference this thread in the future.
A big part of my struggle was the underlying assumptions I was making about how the iTunes database is maintained and tracked. It is not the same as the digital asset managers I use for work—Lightroom, for example. I really had to quit thinking for myself and pay attention to what tt2 wrote about the way the iTunes db works in the link he provides earlier in this thread about making split libraries portable.
The biggest mistake I made is failing to understand that after you move the iTunes library files (but not the media files) to a new iTunes drive or directory outside of the existing iTunes folder and then shift-click to open that relocated library in iTunes you have to set the iTunes Media folder location (in preferences>advanced) to the empty iTunes Media folder in the NEW iTunes folder. You do NOT set it (or leave it) pointed to the old iTunes Music/Media folder where your files [may] actually reside before consolidation. This mistake can make a bad situation much worse.
Finally, I did not have a split library in the sense that my media files were outside of my iTunes Media folder. Because of this, when I incorrectly pointed the new iTunes library to the old iTunes Media folder and then consolidated I created 9,936 duplicate files. I had a complete back up which made eliminating the duplicate files a simple process. Without the backup I would have been in trouble.
So...to fix my problem I followed tt2's instructions and did this:
Backed up my entire M:\iTunes folder including libraries and media files. If everything goes well, this backup will not be touched.
Created a new A:\iTunes folder plus an empty A:\iTunes\iTunes Media folder.
Moved everything from M:\iTunes to A:\iTunes EXCEPT for the iTunes Music* folder. (*It was the new iTunes 9 and later hierarchy but with the old name.)
Shift-Clicked to open iTunes and selected the iTunes library inside A:\iTunes.
Once iTunes was open I went to Edit>Preferences>Advanced and made the empty A:\iTunes\iTunes Media the location of my media.
Went to File>Library>Organize Library and choose "consolidate". After hours of file copying, my issue was resolved. A:\iTunes is portable.
Confirmed that the new A:\iTunes library correctly links to all media in the A:\iTunes\iTunes Media folder and then deleted the M:\iTunes directory with the old M:\iTunes\iTunes Music folder inside.
NOTE: It bears repeating that the problem solved was that I could not move my old M:\iTunes folder to a different workstation w/o breaking some of the links. However all the links worked fine in the M:\iTunes location. If this were not the case then this solution will not resolve anything.

How can I find photos that are not in any event?

Help! I have finally, after a decade or so, organized my events and emptied out the trash and gotten rid of duplicates. Round of applause, please. How can I find out if there are sneaky pictures that are NOT in any particular event (please dont say by showing all photos and just going through each one!)

You can't because every photo is in an Event already. That's how iPhoto works. Every photo is in the LIbrary. The Library is built upon events. SO if it's in iPhoto, it's in the Library and in an Event.
Albums are different, as they refernce photos in the LIbrary. It;s perfectly possilbe to have a photo in the Library but not in an album.

How can I play files that are possibly corrupt (play fine in other apps)?

I have these three mp3 files that I am trying to add to itunes so that I can add them to my ipod. They play fine on winamp and I've listened to the entire song on each track without any problems. Itunes will not let me add them to the library though. It doesn't give me an error message, it simply doesn't add them. I've cleared my entire library and tried adding only these 3, by drag and drop as well as the file browser, and I'm certain that they simply do not appear in the library. Is there any way to fix the corrupt part of these files, or have itunes just ignore it and try playing them anyway?

iTunes is very fussy about tags and sometimes will not play files other players accept.
There are vearious things you could try, but backup any files before experimenting on them.
You could try an MP3 repair tool:
http://www.drtag.de/en/description_mp3rt.htm
MP3 Tag Studio also claims repair capabilities.
http://www.magnusbrading.com/mp3ts/
Remove iD3 tags
http://www.marre.org/id3remover/
Foobar2000 has tag removal and add capabilities
http://www.foobar2000.org/
http://discussions.apple.com/thread.jspa?threadID=1099727&tstart=0

How can I find apps that are not in my local iTunes Store ?

I am trying to find apps that we've seen on a friend's iPad however I cannot find them back in our local (South Africa) iStore. Is it so that the European iStore has more items to download than the South African ? Is there any way that I can get apps from another store ? E.g. I was looking for Supermania 2, Luxor HD, RealTennis, WorldCupFever but they give no results when doing a search in iTunes...

You can only buy content from the country in which you are located and you must have a valid credit card registered to an address in that same country.
Only apps and books are available in South Africa and if the apps are not in your store, according to Apples terms and conditions, you cannot purchase them.

What has happened with Spotlight? Can't find files anymore. Why?

Apparently I have two iPhoto libraries. When I use Spotlight to find them, I get an iPad user guide as the first return. One library is in Pictures. If I search that Finder folder for iTunes Library, search finds nothing. If I search that folder for iPhoto it returns iPhoto Slideshows, a file that follows after the iPhoto library file. If I use Spotlight, it returns hundreds of unrelated files. Not useful.
If I double-click the library in Pictures, I get this message in iPhoto: Do you want to switch the current iPhoto Library from “iPhoto Library” to “iPhoto Library” and relaunch iPhoto?
I suspect if I do, I'll never find the library that is now open. How'd I get two libraries? I didn't do that.
My main question: Why doesn't Spotlight return the location of the file I'm looking for?
Seems to me I've been finding files very efficiently with Spotlight for years, but this new version is almost useless.

Yes, I've done that. I just did it again in response your suggestion. Had a fusion disk problem s few days ago; had to wipe it and restore so I'm working with a clean system. Should have been indexed... I dropped my whole hard disk in the privacy space; nothing happened. Then I dropped iMac Home; I could see it was indexing. But nothing changed...
Today the problem was searching for a library and I wondered if Spotlight is coded to not find such Apple created fundamentals.... But daily, no matter what I'm searching for, even if I find it, it is not as efficient as it used to be.
Maybe I'm just a grouchy old man, but it seems to me Spotlight was better before it was improved.

Firefox can't find images that are there. ALL other browsers can!! Durrr - it just started happening on live an test websites to which there have been no changes

Try www.avivastringquartet.co.uk
You will not see pictures on the index.html page.
Try it in Chrome,Opera, IE and all is fine
Look at source and look for image by clicking on <img src="..."- says it can't find image.
Also Firefox does not follow the CSS standard as the others do.
Current OS is windows XP

The pictures appear OK for me.
With the site on display, click on the site identity button (for details on what that is see the [[site identity button]] article) and then on More Information. This will open up the page info dialog.
First select the Permissions panel, make sure that "Load Images" is set to allow (selecting Use Default should also work)
Next select the Media panel, then click on the first item in the list. Use the down arrow key to scroll through the list. If any item has the option "Block images from (domain name)" selected, de-select the option.
This should hopefully resolve your issue, but also see [[Images or animations do not show]].
Some add-ons can also block images, for example if you have AdBlock Plus installed, make sure that you have not accidentally created a filter to block the images.
The encoding for the site is set to "UTF- 8" rather than "UTF-8"

Where can I find files that I have dowloaded from the internet

I have tried many times to open pdf or other type of files in attachments to email and from the internet. However I am never able to actually find (much less open) these files. Can anyone tell me where they are stored and how to access them? I will not be able to connect to my computer so I am wonderig if this can be done via Pre? Thanks for any help you can provide. Also wherever these are stored cwill they effect my available memory?
Post relates to: Pre p100eww (Sprint)

Launch iTunes. From the iTunes menu bar click Store > View My Account then click Purchase History.

Spotlight still can't find files that are right in front of me

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