Outlook 2007, searching not adequate, indexing all the time

Create a brand new index because your index might be corrupt.

How do I do this safely?

You can recreate an Index whenever you want. There's no risk.
Simply, during the Index "recreation" your searches will not be complete... they already aren't. This process might take hours.
Open the "Control Panel" and type Index in the text box. You should find the "recreate the Index" easily.

I opened the control panel and typed index.  There was no "recreate the index".  Look at my screen shot.  This is what I got and I clicked on advanced which brought up another window.  Apparently it may have been indexing for days or longer.  I'm not sure.

don't know if the file attached.  I'm trying again.

OK. The Rebuild button is the one!

Ok. I'll try it.

Once done, check Indexing status on Outlook 2007. When the number grows it means the indexer is enumerating items (mails). It grows until it reaches the total amount of items. Then it starts do decrease until it reaches 0. When you get 0 items remaining, your searches should return searched mails.

Ok, It's been about 12 hours and it is is only at 3,000 items.  In fact it has been at 3000 for a good while now.  I will have to begin my day and open my email with Outlook.  I will let the indexing keep running in the back ground.  At this rate, it will be days until it is done.  Is their no other way? Or do I have to blow $200 on dt search?

> Or do I have to blow $200 on dt search?

"blow" is not the word I would use. It is among the best 200 dollars I have ever spent. And one comment about the high initial cost of dtSearch is that it is offset by their approach to technical support and product updates. Their store page says, "Technical support and product updates are free for a minimum of one year with all purchases." The "minimum of one year" statement is vague and there is no fee mentioned. Also, the dtSearch Desktop/Network Upgrades page says it is a "free upgrade", but it's not clear if these upgrades are forever free. So I wrote to dtSearch asking for a clarification of the policy and here's what they wrote back (with permission to share the answer publicly):

----- Begin dtSearch response -----

I appreciate your email, and sorry for the confusion!

Our setup licenses provide for a minimum of one year of support and upgrades on all licenses. That said, we have provided support and upgrades at no charge since Year 2000 for all end-user Desktop / Network licenses (!). Because of the higher average cost of developer support, we have been charging annually for developer (Web / Engine / Publish) upgrades and support, but again not Desktop / Network upgrades and support.

I can't always guarantee that this will be the case until the end of time, but that's why you don't find any "upgrade charge" indicators for Desktop / Network on our site currently.

----- End dtSearch response -----

Amortized over a large number of years for technical support and software upgrades/updates, the $200 license fee becomes much more reasonable. dtSearch was careful to say in the response that they "can't always guarantee" no upgrade charge, but I have been using dtSearch for around 20 years, have received technical support and product upgrades on a continuous basis (am currently running the latest release), and have never paid anything beyond the initial license fee. So it's a pretty good bet, if not a guarantee.

I want to repeat the disclaimer that I have no affiliation with dtSearch and no financial interest in it whatsoever. I am simply a happy user/customer. Regards, Joe

Joe, thanks for the info.  I called dtSearch and they were VERY helpful.  I was impressed with the customer support.  I asked a very important question and they actually knew what I was talking about and answered it.  I asked if dtSearch constantly and continuously access my SSD (main drive) because windows does this and I had to deactivate some of these features.  My other computer (which I have the Outlook problem with is a SATA HDD).  They told me that dtSearch only accesses the drive when needed.  Good answer because I may use it on the SSD computer as well.  They have an evaluation 30 day trial so I will try this.  Any comments before I award points?

Art,
I've had the same results with their support over the years — very helpful! I usually email them at tech@dtsearch.com and I always get a prompt reply from someone who is extremely knowledgeable about the product.

I'm in no rush for the points. I suggest you install the trial to see if it works well for you before closing the question and awarding points.

Btw, one thing you may want to consider is separate indexes for your Outlook folders. Instead of doing a single index on 15GB worth of email, you could have multiples indexes. I don't know how your email is organized, but, for example, if you have separate folders for Family, Friends, Customers, Prospects, Suppliers, etc. (and, of course, Inbox), you could index them separately. I have over 50 indexes (not just for Outlook) and I typically know what index to search, but it's also possible to search multiple indexes in the same query. Just a thought on dealing with a 15GB PST! Regards, Joe

Trouble in paradise!!  I installed dtSearch and called their tech support because I encountered two errors for the two different ways to index Outlook (see image files).  They told me that it is an Outlook issue and they can't help me.  So now unless someone has a new idea, I'm SOL.

Click the Switch To button — that should fix it.

Here is an email from dtSearch, but it isn't helping me that much as my tech level on this subject is medium at best.

Art,
Per our conversation, you have two potential Outlook/Windows issues, which we're limited in our ability to diagnose/correct. Basically, dtSearch is unable to access your Outlook data, which may be due to a network connectivity issue or insufficient user permissions (see this Microsoft article and the section The Server is Unavailable for additional information).
Also, if you're running the 64-bit version of Office 2010 or later (64-bit version ONLY!!), see the section Outlook Indexing.
NOTE: In general, errors that begin with $E are environmental. That is, they're generated by the operating system (Microsoft Windows). From the information you provided, it appears that dtSearch was unable to access the Outlook mailbox data. Be aware that dtSearch can only access mail data that you have Windows permissions to access. Additionally, if the data resides on a network share or external drive which is disconnected at the time dtSearch attempts to access it, Windows will return the error.
David

One other idea: I see that your Inbox has subfolders (the plus sign). Expand it and select just one (small) subfolder to index, so that it's not immediately going after 15GB of mail. Of course, that's not the solution — I'm simply suggesting it as a troubleshooting step. Btw, is your Outlook 32-bit or 64-bit?

Trying switch to. will report on success later.

OK, I'm leaving my office now for an hour or so. Will check back in to see how you're doing as soon as I get back.

We you'll get that problem fixed, built-in searches will do their job. I don't know the software you are testing. I can tell you my experience: I manage a few hundreds of users. None of them use third party software for indexing contents. When searches don't return valid values, a rebuild is needed. That happens time to time.
I just gave some support to one of them running a mailbox and an 2 attached PST archive files (19,5GB + 9,70GB). Searches are fast and reliable.

Sorry... When you'll get... NOT We you'll get.

Shows how experiences vary. For users I know who think that search is very important, few of them use what's built into Windows. They use third-party products like Copernic, dtSearch, X1, etc. Regards, Joe