Windows 10 Search Indexer Hogging Resources

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Windows 10 Search Indexer Hogging Resources

engine

10:32 am on Aug 28, 2019 (gmt 0)

The Windows 10 search indexer has a problem: The search indexer is a terrible hog of resources, and I can't find a way to throttle it back, only to turn it off. It's happily taking as much of 100% disk resource, and some processor resource, slowing everything else, destroying productivity.

The solution to the search indexer hogging resources is to turn it off. Of course, as soon as you reboot it'll load itself again.
This is the culprit: SearchIndexer.exe
It can be disabled entirely, or stop it indexing a particular disk. but that stops files being indexed. You have to weigh up whether you really need it, or not.

I just disable it each time it gets annoying.

PCInk

11:39 am on Aug 28, 2019 (gmt 0)

You can right click on the drive and in properties there is a checkbox at the bottom about indexing the contents of files. Uncheck that for all your drives and it should now only index the file names. Does that make a difference?

engine

11:47 am on Aug 28, 2019 (gmt 0)

Thanks, just tried it.
"An error occurred while applying attributes to the file:
c:\swapfile.sys
The process cannot access the file because the it is being used by another process.!
Options ar "Ignore" "Ignore All" "Try Again" "Cancel"

tangor

12:00 pm on Aug 28, 2019 (gmt 0)

Are files being added, changed, or removed at a fairly high volume each day? If so indexing will be ongoing all the time.

One client having the same problem "solved it" by removing the folders with the most activity from the search index. Gradually removing all of those (except the system folders!) then setting filename search AND NOT contents. Took about two days to get it done.

Do NOT turn off the machine until all settings have been changed AND accepted, else Win10 will default to indexing contents once again.

henry0

6:44 am on Sep 3, 2019 (gmt 0)

Here is a way out, but it results in local searches going to bing by default
scroll down to find which key is to be deleted in the regestry
[generation-nt.com...]

engine

5:44 pm on Sep 3, 2019 (gmt 0)

OK, a little more feedback on this, and thanks for the input.

It seems as if Microsoft has pushed out an update to this machine: KB4512508

It's now much more stable and spends less time destroying the hard drive and taking up CPU.

I see there's the KB4512941 sitting there ready to install, and that, as I understand it, is also causing similar problems.

As i've made very few changes to the files on the computer I can't see how the indexer can hog the resources so much.

BTW, the exact same thing happened on another Win 10 machine here.

Very odd.

I'm going to hold off installing KB4512941 for the time being until the dust settles.

tangor

5:20 am on Sep 4, 2019 (gmt 0)

Appears the dearie involved is our beloved Cortana :)

See:

[theregister.co.uk...]

Note: you cannot remove or disable Cortana, it is that deeply embedded in the system, though you can make it "disappear" from view.

engine

8:54 am on Sep 4, 2019 (gmt 0)

Yes, thanks, I spotted that earlier while researching the problem.
By turning off indexing it has cured a lot of the problems which developed by themselves. All very odd, and not a good reflection on Win 10.

tangor

10:01 am on Sep 4, 2019 (gmt 0)

Win search is a good thing ... and a bad thing. Been there, done that, as early as Win98 (yikes!) ... Under indexing options I have always avoided "contents", or refined it to only specific folders where knowing what is INSIDE the file was as important as the (usually) intelligent filename. :)

Win10 defaults to indexing every byte when most of us only need to know where the freakin' file is located! :)

YMMV

.

engine

1:51 pm on Sep 6, 2019 (gmt 0)

It seems Microsoft is working on a solution for the high cpu usage and the disk hogging.

[docs.microsoft.com...]