Windows file search issue

[zz]

Hi, I'm having a really strange issue with a user that uses Windows Search on their file server. The server is a 2012 R2 VM, and the client OS is Win7 Pro. We'll get a call that the search isn't working, and we'll find that if we connect to his PC, it will show search results, but with no metadata. It just shows the icon of the type of file it is. 

If we then go in and remove and reindex the search database, it will start working again for a day or two, then break in the exact same way. We've tried a ton of different things to try to fix this, including deleting the index DB by hand, reindexing the server, etc.

We're running out of ideas, and I was wondering if anyone had seen this and could lend some advice.

[rachelgomez_123]

To use the troubleshooter, follow these steps:
Select Start, then select Settings.
In Windows Settings, select Update & Security > Troubleshoot. Under Find and fix other problems, select Search and Indexing.
Run the troubleshooter, and select any problems that apply. Windows will try to detect and solve them.

Regards,

Rachel Gomez

[terrylee]

Hello, @zz, you probably faced a serious problem with the corrupted system files, or maybe you miss some important updates.

Firstly try updating your system to the latest version and then restart the machine a few times and check if everything is ok now.

Now run the Search and Indexing troubleshooter. Follow this step-by-step guide for more details.

Don't forget to backup your important MO365 data, as ransomware and system issues can lead to loss, but you can always recover from a backup.