I just installed Entourage 2008, and search is not working

[Alex Schoenfeldt]

The quick filter box works fine, but no mater what I search for, I get zero
results.

I've tried searching just one mailbox, all mail boxes, everything. I've
tried a simple search, I've tried an advanced search. I get nothing.

I'll be most grateful for any help you could give.

Thanks,
Alex

 

[Diane Ross]

The quick filter box works fine, but no mater what I search for, I get zero
results.

I've tried searching just one mailbox, all mail boxes, everything. I've
tried a simple search, I've tried an advanced search. I get nothing.

See this page for troubleshooting Spotlight:

<http://www.entourage.mvps.org/troubleshoot/syncservices.html#ss1>

If you continue to have problems, please provide this info:

What type of account? (POP, IMAP, Exchange)

What version Mac OS X are you running?

What version Microsoft Entourage are you using? Including update if any. How
to find version info:

<http://www.entourage.mvps.org/version/index.html#find_version>

 

[Alex Schoenfeldt]

Well,

I checked the page as you recommended, and I found that I have something
missing:

Do you have a file on your computer called Microsoft Entourage.mdimporter in
either System/Library/Spotlight or ~/Library/Spotlight? Mdimport should be
able to live in either location--try moving it and seeing if mdimport
succeeds.

I do not have that file in either of those places.

What should I do now?

By the way, Mac 10.4.11
Entourage 12.0.0

Thanks,
Alex

 

[Diane Ross]

I checked the page as you recommended, and I found that I have something
missing:

Do you have a file on your computer called Microsoft Entourage.mdimporter in
either System/Library/Spotlight or ~/Library/Spotlight? Mdimport should be
able to live in either location--try moving it and seeing if mdimport
succeeds.

I do not have that file in either of those places.

What should I do now?

By the way, Mac 10.4.11
Entourage 12.0.0

Since you have not updated to 12.0.1 and the missing file indicates you have
a bad install, follow the directions exactly (restarting etc.) as listed
here:

New installer for 12.0.1

<http://blog.entourage.mvps.org/2008/03/new_installer_for_1201.html>

This should get you all the bits needed. Let me know if the mdimporter is
missing after the re-install.

It is especially important after a new release to apply all updaters. They
are usually bug fixes.

 

[Alex Schoenfeldt]

Diane,

I followed all of the instructions exactly, uninstalled, reinstalled,
restarted, then upgraded. I even restated again after I upgraded. Still no
Entourage mdimporter

What can I do now?

Thanks,
Alex

 

[Alex Schoenfeldt]

Diane,

I went here: http://www.entourage.mvps.org/downloads.html
And downloaded the mdimporter files, I put them in the spotlight folder, I
restarted the computer, I rebuilt the file in preferences, still no search.

Any ideas?

Alex

 

[Diane Ross]

See if it is here:

YOUR HD/Library/Spotlight/Microsoft Office.mdimporter

If not, download
<http://www.entourage.mvps.org/downloads/OFFICE08_mdimporter.zip>

 

[Diane Ross]

I went here: http://www.entourage.mvps.org/downloads.html
And downloaded the mdimporter files, I put them in the spotlight folder, I
restarted the computer, I rebuilt the file in preferences, still no search.

Go back over the list and be sure you have everything checked.

1) Is the Entourage Database Daemon (Office Notifications turned on?
2) Is the Sync Services preference disabled in Entourage?
3) Do you have Mail Messages. Contacts, Events & To Do Items selected in
Spotlight System Preferences?
4) "Include Entourage item in search results" checked in the Entourage
Preferences: General Preferences> Spotlight.

Lastly, Check Spotlight --> Privacy tab in System Preferences and see if you
have your drive excluded.

 

[Alex Schoenfeldt]

1. In Activity Monitor, I see Microsoft Database Daemon running. I don't see
anything called Entourage Database Daemon. I do get those little reminders
that pop up when a calendar event is due.
2. None of the sync services are checked. Should they be?
3. Everything is spotlight preferences is checked.
4. Include Entourage item is search results is checked.
5. In spotlight Privacy, nothing is included.

I appreciate any help you can give me.

Alex

 

[Diane Ross]

2. None of the sync services are checked. Should they be?

No

See if Rebuild (directions below) helps.

If not, let's test in a new User. Create a folder on your desktop and drag
about 25 messages to it for testing. Drag this folder to the Shared folder.
Go to System Preferences --> Create a New User in Accounts. Switch to the
New User by logging out/in or use Fast User Switching. Open Entourage and
let it create a new Microsoft User Data folder. Open the new Identity. Drag
in the messages and set Spotlight preferences. Remember to set Spotlight for
Spotlight too. Now see if Entourage indexes those messages. Shouldn't take
very long for 25 messages. You can click on Rebuild to start it.

============================================================

Entourage : Preferences : General Preferences : Spotlight
You will see the following 2 options:

1. A check box saying 'Include Entourage items in Spotlight search results'

Checking this box makes the current Entourage database available to
Spotlight for indexing.

2. A button labeled as 'Rebuild'

Pressing this button will remove and recreate the Entourage index that
Spotlight uses. Depending on the size of the Entourage database, rebuilding
can take some time. Rebuilding process starts as soon as you press this
button (pressing ŒOK¹ button at the bottom of that window is not required).
It's recommended to rebuild your cache if you continue to see inconsistency
between what you have in Entourage and what Spotlight finds for you.

Note: Pressing the 'Rebuild' button repeatedly is not recommended as each
time you press this button, the Spotlight has to remove the previous
Entourage items from its index and add the new items back into the index. If
a user presses it too often, he¹ll swamp both Entourage and Spotlight with
indexing requests, causing both - an inconsistency in his Spotlight search
results and a general performance hit to his computer.

 

[Alex Schoenfeldt]

It is with great sadness that I report that rebuilding had no effect, and
creating a new user resulted in another entourage with no ability to search.

Alex

 

[Diane Ross]

It is with great sadness that I report that rebuilding had no effect, and
creating a new user resulted in another entourage with no ability to search.

Let me know when you test in a new User.

 

[Diane Ross]

One more thing to check...

In your User's folder/Library/Spotlight do you have a Microsoft
Entourage.mdimporter? The older Microsoft 2004 Entourage.mdimporter file
must be removed before the .mdimporter for Entourage 2008 will work.

There is a new Microsoft Entourage.mdimporter hidden in the package file for
Entourage:

Office 2008 folder in root Application folder: Control click on Entourage
and select "show package contents"

/Applications/Microsoft Office 2008/Microsoft
Entourage.app/Contents/Library/Spotlight/Microsoft Entourage.mdimporter

 

[William Smith]

One more thing to check...

In your User's folder/Library/Spotlight do you have a Microsoft
Entourage.mdimporter? The older Microsoft 2004 Entourage.mdimporter file
must be removed before the .mdimporter for Entourage 2008 will work.

There is a new Microsoft Entourage.mdimporter hidden in the package file for
Entourage:

Office 2008 folder in root Application folder: Control click on Entourage
and select "show package contents"

/Applications/Microsoft Office 2008/Microsoft
Entourage.app/Contents/Library/Spotlight/Microsoft Entourage.mdimporter

Just an added note. You do not need to do anything (copy nor move) the
..mdimporter from the Entourage.app package. You only need to remove the
..mdimporter for Entourage 2004 from the /Library/Spotlight folder.

Good luck!

--

bill

William M. Smith, Microsoft Interop MVP - Mac/Windows
Entourage Help Page <http://entourage.mvps.org/>
Entourage Help Blog <http://blog.entourage.mvps.org/>

 

[Alex Schoenfeldt]

I have tried the second user thing, with no luck.

I have removed all Microsoft mdimpoter from all spotlight files, and put in
Microsoft Office.mdimporter which I got from the OFFICE08_mdimporter.zip
which you had me download.

Still no search.

Each attempt I have turned off search in Entourage preferences, quit
Entourage, rebooted Entourage, turned search back on, quit again, rebooted,
opened preferences and hit rebuild. I did that as a different user as well.

Your extra instructions below, I am not clear on. I could not follow your
path. How could there be files in an app? However, doing a search of the
Microsoft Office 2008 folder does not find any files or folders called
"contents" There is a folder called Library, but it is in "office First run"

If I had been able to follow your instructions, I am not sure what you meant
me to do with the Entourage.mdimporter, however Entourage.mdimporter in not
on my computer anywhere as per the instructions to not have multiple
mdimpoter

I look forward to your further instructions.

Alex

 

[Alex Schoenfeldt]

Is there no help for me? I have 11,000 emails in my inbox, 35,300 in my
outbox, let alone all of the other folders of mail. Not having search is a
real bummer.

Anyone? Please?

 

[Alex Schoenfeldt]

Is there anywhere else to turn for help with this problem?

 

[MidwestGeek]

I don't know what's wrong with your installation, but you could use Google Desktop instead. It is faster than Spotlight, in my experience.

 

[Alex Schoenfeldt]

I'll give it a try. Do you know if it will it index my emails?

I love the irony of installing a Google product because a Microsoft one is
not working. Thanks also for not ignoring me like the others on this forum.
I've never been abandoned on a help forum like that before.

Regards,
Alex