Spotlight and Misc

[Tom Lawrence]

Absolute beginner to SuperDuper and only just started cloning.

I notice that when I start up on the cloned drive and go to use Spotlight, it always has to go through an indexing procedure. The second time took less than 10 minutes but wondered why it has to do this since it never happens on internal drive.

To start up on the clone, I press restart in the Apple menu and hold down the Option(Alt in Switzerland) key after I hear the Apple gong. Then I choose the drive. Does the computer switch back automatically to the internal drive when quitting the clone to enter say sleep mode; or if you press restart without holding down the option key again? What is the quickest way to know whether you are booted on the clone or internal drive?

[dnanian]

Hi, Tom. It reindexes because the index is not preserved across copies. If you don't want it to index your backup, you can add the backup drive into the Spotlight Preference Pane's "Privacy" tab.

If you do a temporary start from a different drive with Option, it'll switch back to the default drive the next time you restart. You can check you current startup drive in the "About This Mac" panel.

[Tom Lawrence]

[QUOTE=dnanian;13927]Hi, Tom. It reindexes because the index is not preserved across copies. If you don't want it to index your backup, you can add the backup drive into the Spotlight Preference Pane's "Privacy" tab.

Hi David,

I seem to have a different behaviour pattern with Smart Updates. Spotlight is functional on the Clone/Back-Up(after the Smart Update) but goes through a full index procedure on the main internal drive after each Smart Update.

I am not aware of doing anything different ie I copy all files from the main/internal HD drive to the external drive using Smart Update and have never used the option of the Spotlight privacy tab.

[dnanian]

I have no idea why that would happen, Tom, unless you restart from the copy and then boot back (which invalidates the index due to the way Spotlight works).

[Tom Lawrence]

Originally Posted by dnanian

I have no idea why that would happen, Tom, unless you restart from the copy and then boot back (which invalidates the index due to the way Spotlight works).

Thanks David. I may have got confused and will check more carefully next time. After each clone update i do boot the external drive and check it before rebooting back to the internal drive.

Would the fact that I do a Safe Boot on the source drive, as SD recommends, before doing the Smart Update invalidate the Spotlight index?

[dnanian]

We don't actually recommending Safe Booting, Tom -- just, as a convenience, logging out and back in with Shift down (which simply stops Login items from running).

[Tom Lawrence]

Now see what you mean. Thanks David.

[Tom Lawrence]

I feel like I am in the Tour De France and cycling like mad to catch up with the Peleton, but each time I get them in my sights, I take a wrong turn.

I did another Smart update(this time avoiding a Safe Boot and using your tip for logging out and in using the shift key) and no problems with indexing of Spotlight on my main internal drive-it simply showed it was indexing my external drive as it should do. Booted up to my external drive when indexing was complete and it started indexing the external drive again but only for a few seconds so all was well. Went back to main drive and Spotlight indexed iDisk, again just a few seconds.

The cloning procedure and the clone itself work extremely well and it says a lot for SuperDuper that even a beginner like myself is using it successfully.Do appreciate your patience David.

[dnanian]

A pleasure, Tom!