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On Mac systems, the first reading of a USB device just after connection can be long. What is the reason for this phenomenon? To the indexing performed by Spotlight.

Spotlight is a file search system on Mac disks. Thanks to indexing, Spotlight allows you to quickly search for documents, files but also expressions contained in documents and files. This means that all content must be examined. Once the indexing is done, the search for an expression is very efficient.

Most USB GPS devices do not have the performance of “real USB sticks”. Indexing by SpotLight is therefore very penalizing, especially since in this case : it is useless -:). Indexing is performed at the first reading of each session, which is why the second reading is ultra fast. All Logfly users with a Skytraxx have noticed this.

The solution is therefore to prohibit the indexing of Skytraxx by Spotlight. This can be done through the System Preferences. Disadvantage: this operation is not persistent. It should be repeated at each connection. For it to be permanent, it must go through the terminal.

After connecting the Skytraxx and waiting for it to be visible in the Finder, launch the terminal:

  • Open the Finder (file explorer)
  • Click on the Applications button.
  • Click on the button entitled Utilities
  • Double click the Terminal button

Then type the following instruction:

 sudo mdutil -i off /Volumes/SKYTRAXX

The user password is required. There is no visible cursor. Enter your password and confirm with Enter.

If the operation is successfully completed, you will get this message:

If the Skytraax was not yet visible in the Finder you will get this error:

You can check the validity of the operation by checking the Spotlight settings.

  • go to System Preferences [ Apple Click at the top left ]
  • click on the Spotligtht icon
  • click on Privacy
  • Skytraxx now appears in the Privacy window. If it is connected of course…

The gain is more than significant. Over a busy year, at the first access just after connection, Logfly took 159 seconds to display the content. After prohibiting Spotlight from indexing Skytraxx, Logfly takes 19 seconds.


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