Spotlight on Word problems

[e.j.whenham]

I have found that Spotlight -- one of the main features of OS X 10.4 --
indexes my Word 2004 files easily enough, but will not index my archive
of research files created ten years ago with Word 6. This has,
incidentally, thrown up other problems with Word 2004. Although Word
will open these older files, it will not allow them to be altered and
re-saved. So the only solution is to save the file under another name
and throw the original away. The new file is then indexed quite happily
by Spotlight, but the information about its original creation date has,
of course, gone. Then, when I try to empty the old file from the
wastebasket, this is disallowed on the grounds that it is still in use.
The only solution is to switch off and start again. Is this a common
experience?

 

[Elliott Roper]

This has, incidentally, thrown up other problems with Word 2004.
Although Word will open these older files, it will not allow them to
be altered and re-saved. So the only solution is to save the file
under another name and throw the original away. The new file is then
indexed quite happily by Spotlight, but the information about its
original creation date has, of course, gone. Then, when I try to
empty the old file from the wastebasket, this is disallowed on the
grounds that it is still in use. The only solution is to switch off
and start again. Is this a common experience?

What happens if you quit Word then empty trash?
What happens if you delete one of the Word 6 files with the finder then
empty the trash?
What does finder's get info tell you about the ownership and read/write
permissions of the Word 6 files and the folders in which they reside?

I suspect that what you are seeing is not so much a Word problem as the
result of some historical accident of moving from old MacOS to OS X
getting the users and permissions tangled.

Although it *is* fashionable to blame Word 6 for everything, including
the war in Iraq.

 

[Jim Gordon MVP]

Hi ej

Elliott is probably on the money. I bet your Word 6 files were put on a
CD or some other read-only media and at that point the permissions on
those files were changed to "read-only.

Use Finder's GetInfo command and see what the permissions are set to and
change them so that you can both read and write to those files.

-Jim

 

[e.j.whenham]

What happens if you quit Word then empty trash?

The trash cannot be emptied because the file is in use.

What happens if you delete one of the Word 6 files with the finder then
empty the trash? the same
What does finder's get info tell you about the ownership and read/write
permissions of the Word 6 files and the folders in which they reside?

I have read/write permission and the file is unlocked.

I suspect that what you are seeing is not so much a Word problem as the
result of some historical accident of moving from old MacOS to OS X
getting the users and permissions tangled.

Although it *is* fashionable to blame Word 6 for everything, including
the war in Iraq.

I wouldn't dream of it!

 

[Elliott Roper]

The trash cannot be emptied because the file is in use.
I have read/write permission and the file is unlocked.

Hmm. The OS is lying to you isn't it? Those are conflicting reports are
they not?

I think I would try to create deletable copies of the originals via the
finder.

Then it looks like you might have to use the dreaded sudo rm -f command
from the terminal to delete the originals. Be careful, and have a
tested backup.

 

[e.j.whenham]

Many thanks. I shall proceed with caution.