Windows Search using lots of processor

[knelmes]

We've installed Windows Search 4.0 (because without it there is no search in Outlook). I've used the included adm file to stop it from indexing anything. However, the process searchindexer.exe uses 50% of the processor (on a dual core system) or 100% (on a single core system) straight after log on for 5 minutes on a recent dual core machine to much longer, eg 30 minutes on an older system.

 

It appears to be trying to access folder that it has no access rights to. In the event log you sometimes (but not always) receive an error similar to:

 

Event Type:	Warning
Event Source:	Windows Search Service
Event Category:	Gatherer 
Event ID:	3036
Date:		23/10/2011
Time:		16:30:13
User:		N/A
Computer:	B1-01-N
Description:
The content source  cannot be accessed.

Context:  Application, SystemIndex Catalog

Details:
Unspecified error
(0x80004005)


For more information, see Help and Support Center at http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/events.asp.

 

Note that smithp05 is not the user that was logging on when the event was logged.

 

The next event is

 

Event Type:	Error
Event Source:	Windows Search Service
Event Category:	Gatherer 
Event ID:	3024
Date:		23/10/2011
Time:		16:30:13
User:		N/A
Computer:	B1-01-N
Description:
The update cannot be started because the content sources cannot be accessed. Fix the errors and try the update again.

Context:  Application, SystemIndex Catalog


For more information, see Help and Support Center at http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/events.asp.

 

When you right click on the system tray icon and go to Windows Search Options, this kicks off searchindexer.exe to maximum again and eventually brings up the window. There are no locations listed here so it shouldn't be indexing anything. If I click on Modify, it again puts searchindexer.exe in to top gear and when it comes up it lists the drives, outlook boxes and (weirdly since we don't use it) the outlook express boxes of everyone who has logged on to the computer previously. These are all unticked.

 

We are running xp on CC4, I'm installing it as WindowsSearch-KB940157-XP-x86-enu.exe /q /norestart from a batch file in a package.