Solved Indexing option always index's my clone of my C drive which is F, can't index C: drive

I really don't want to open the case to unplug the drive.

How do I make it index my main c: drive?
When I select for C:, indexing options select clone of my OS drive to index.
No wonder can not find anything in file manager searches

When I unselect F: and select C:, it reselects F:

If you have a clone connected, Windows can get misled because the disk signatures are the same.
There are discussions about disk signatures in TenForums. It's not a subject I have got involved with myself.
Need to fix disk signature collision to format a drive for return - Bree #2 - TenForums
uniqueid - Microsoft Docs
Fixing Disk Signature Collisions - MSDocs


Denis

You have brought this up before

antspants said:

You have brought this up before

why after I added c: drive to indexing options, searches of c: only show f: drive results?

you can see it right here in the shot my f: drive is a clone of c: drive I made for backups in case I need to restore my c: drive, and I named it clone of c

www.elevenforum.com

Click to expand...

and not any solutions there either

Disconnect the clone and see if that solves the problem.


Denis

sdowney717 said:

and not any solutions there either

Click to expand...

Yes there was! You can't have two drives with the same ID connected at the same time.

Try3 said:

If you have a clone connected, Windows can get misled because the disk signatures are the same.
There are discussions about disk signatures in TenForums. It's not a subject I have got involved with myself.
Need to fix disk signature collision to format a drive for return - Bree #2 - TenForums
uniqueid - Microsoft Docs
Fixing Disk Signature Collisions - MSDocs


Denis

Click to expand...

just trying it now using Brink's win10 link

Winuser said:

Yes there was! You can't have two drives with the same ID connected at the same time.

Click to expand...

but that is not a solution. No one said what to do.

Not a solution if you don't teach someone how to fix something. You got a busted car, I will just tell you that you can't drive a busted car, how is that a solution?

well that fails to work.
It just gave the clone a new drive letter G
and I still cant unselect G, select C, it just indexes G now

[written before seeing your post #9]

Well, you're doing the right thing now by using @Bree's solution.
Then you can reboot and, I'd think, rebuild the search index to see if that solves the problem.
Enable or Disable Search Indexing - ElevenForum
Reset and Rebuild Search Index - ElevenForumTutorials

I have never experienced the problem you have.
My nearest experience was replacing an internal disk that was so large that I partitioned it off into OS, data, stuff partitions. It took a month before search indexing decided to index the stuff partition. I never understood why it had not done so straightaway, I never understood why it changed its mind a month later.


Best of luck,
Denis

sdowney717 said:

well that fails to work.

Click to expand...

And you rebooted & rebuilt the index?


Denis

changing it again

DISKPART> list disk

Disk ### Status Size Free Dyn Gpt
-------- ------------- ------- ------- --- ---
Disk 0 Online 465 GB 0 B
Disk 1 Online 931 GB 0 B
Disk 2 Online 698 GB 0 B
* Disk 3 Online 931 GB 465 GB
Disk 4 Online 233 GB 0 B

DISKPART> select disk

The arguments specified for this command are not valid.
For more information on the command type: HELP SELECT DISK

Disk 3 is now the selected disk.

DISKPART> uniqueid diskid=00F18FC

Microsoft DiskPart version 10.0.22621.1

DISK - Displays or sets the GUID partition table (GPT) identifier or
master boot record (MBR) signature of a disk.

DISKPART> uniqueid disk id=00F18FC

The specified identifier is not in the correct format.
Type the identifier in the correct format:
in hexadecimal form for an MBR disk or as a GUID for a GPT disk.

DISKPART> uniqueid disk id=000F18FC

DISKPART>

Try3 said:

And you rebooted & rebuilt the index?


Denis

Click to expand...

I rebooted but did rebuild. I figured when the gui for indexing just kept selecting the clone again it was hopeless.
I just changed id again and will try a rebuild
if that does not work, then will reboot and rebuild index

well so far that's not working . See even on a reboot rebuild it shows the wrong drive selected.
the system seems kind of dumb.

I rebooted and tried reindexing, changing to c, still selects the clone
here, you can see both my disks have uniqueid
disk 0 is boot win11 disk
disk 3 is the clone of c

here they are in disk management, disk 0 and disk 3

they each are different uniqueid now. So what am I missing?

I have no sensible suggestions.
Perhaps it will eventually sort itself out as mine did.


Fingers crossed,
Denis

yup, just tried it again,
click rebuild index.
unselect G
unselect C

select C

IT SELECTS G

In ITS MIND, it thinks G is C and it hates C and wont index C, IT ONLY indexes G

Bummer as I have a cloned drive ready to go in case C dies, I can select G at a reboot and its back up in seconds.
But I can't search for any files on C

This is very inconvenient

I am disabling windows search in services.msc
then selecting rebuild index
as soon as I turn indexing back on and select C, it selects G

yes, it still linked G in favor of C
When you unselect G, C is unselected
When you select C, G is selected

I am forced to pull desk away from wall, open case, find the SATA cable for G and yank it off, I suppose, if I ever want C to be indexed.

I don't suppose the name 'clone of the OS' is an issue?