Problem with GNOME Search for Files
 

Hello, all. A couple of days ago, I started having problems with GNOME's "Search for Files" utility. Any time I try to search for files anywhere other than in my home directory, I get the following message--

warning: slocate: warning: database /var/lib/slocate/slocate.db is more than 8 days old

--and no search results at all. I read the man page for slocate, and thought (based on what I had read) that the command slocate -U /var/lib/slocate might do something useful (this was probably a complete, newbie mistake...). Now when I search, even for a known file in a known location, I get "No Files Found." That is, the error message is gone, but Search won't even find files that I know are there.

I'm still very much learning my way around the filesystem, and GNOME's Search for Files is an essential utility for me. Any help would be greatly appreciated.

You haven't left it on to run that job, apparently. That database needs to be rebuilt.

Open an x term and command this:That will rebuild the locate database.

Thanks, fancypiper-- it worked like a charm.

I take it from your response that there's something that I ought to be doing to insure that the database is regularly and automatically updated. Is there a process I ought to have running, or is it something that Linux does on its own periodically? I'm still very, very new to this-- does it show? :)

If, when you say "you haven't left it on to run that job", you mean that I haven't left Linux on, that's because I'm still (unfortunately) dual-booting WinME. This duplicitous state of affairs will come to a screeching halt once I've finally figured out how to synchronize my PDA with Mandrake 9.1. Installing Linux was the best thing I've done for this aging machine; I like having an OS that does nothing more or less than what I ask it to do, and handles errors with a bit of grace.

Thanks again for your help.

There are lots of jobs scheduled to run at various times.

Most distros schedule that particular job to run at around 3 am.

Browse through the directories that have cron in the name in your /etc directory

See the manual pages

man cron
man crontab

Most all of the cron jobs are scheduled in the early AM so as to disrupt uses as little as possible as updatedb can chug down the system and make it slow until it finishes.

Look in the /var/log directory for old logs you may need to remove as part of your system maintainence.

# Mandrake links
Mandrake home page
Mandrake Users website
Easy urpmi config for Mandrake
urpmi mini-HOWTO
Easy software management: Red Carpet
Maximum RPM
rpmfind
You didn't install the developmental packages? As root, command:
urpmi gcc
An Introduction to the Midnight Commander. You can install it by commanding:
urpmi mc
Midnight Commander home page

You might want to edit your profile to reflect your different OS. Look on the left of my post.

Thanks again for your help-- and your patience. :)