I also stopped windows search service as mentioned in the comments following the article. In addition to unchecking the “Allow Indexing Service to index this disk for fast file searching” check box on the properties dialog for the C:\ drive, I did the same for two usb connected hard drives (J:\ and I:\ ). I’m not sure why I did that, thought it might shrink the windows.edb file so I wouldn’t have to delete it (which sounded a bit risky in my ears). The file of course didn’t shrink so I ended up deleting it and freeing up over 3 GB of space, yeehaw.

However, as soon as I had done this I could not access the usb connected hard drives. The error I got was “I:\photos is not accessible” “The file or directory is corrupted and unreadable” when I tried to open the photos directory on I:\

Here is where I enter the twilight zone…
I try disconnecting I:\ usb hard drive. But XP shows me that J:\ has disconnected and I:\ is still there. I disconnect both drives and restart the computer. I then connect one drive, and it lists up the contents of the other drive. I tried vice versa and the same thing happens. I try taking one of the hard drives to another computer and when I connect it there it lists up the contents of the other hard drive and gives the same error when I try and access any of the folders, even folders on the root that have the same name as folders on the other drive???

Somehow the usb drives seem to have switched file tables or something, extremely weird!

Even weirder, if I try and create a text file or folder on this drive, it works fine, accessing them, saving, whatever, all good, but everything else gives me an error.

Anyone have a clue what is going on and more importantly, how I can restore the correct folder listings to access my family photos ???

cheers,
linni

You need to stop Windows Search and set to manual.

Not the Indexing Service – searchindexer continues to run as Indexing Service relates to CSIV

You will be deafened by the silence.

i turned off Windows Search cause it also uses the search indexer. Now i don’t have crashed in game!

Thanks.

Don’t forget to set this back to the original settings unless so you dont mess with your system files accidently.

Happy computing

HydroMan

A search also does not find the windows.edb file?

I use WIndows XP version 200 with SP 2

You can simply find this file and delete it: Windows.edb
located here normally : C:\Documents and Settings\All Users\Application Data\Microsoft\Search\Data\Applications\Windows

Also right click in this directory location once you deleted the file select New -> Text Document call it (Windows.edb) the same name including the .edb as the extension.

First you may also have to disable the option to hide extensions of know file types, you can do this from the same open explorer window. This can be found by selecting from the menu ‘Tools’ -> ‘Folder Options…’ select the ‘View’ tab. Find the option “hide extensions of know file types” and make sure the tick box is empty (untick).

This will recreate the index file as empty and should not cause any errors AND free up that loverly Hard Drive space you wanted to get back from windows. My search index file is almost 3 gigs with 500,000 files indexed and this worked perfectly for me.

Hydro Man

Thanks

Saved my laptop