Several users have reported an issue in which Spotlight refuses to work or causes a systemwide crash after the update to Mac OS X 10.6.4.
Fixes
Remove corrupt dictionaries. In some cases, this issue can be solved by moving (to a safe location) all items out of /Library/Dictionaries–or moving in fresh dictionary files from a backup or alternate system–then restarting.
If this solves the problem, download the Mac OS X 10.6.4 combo updater, which weighs in at a hefty 887MB. Quit all open applications and run the installer.
Spotlight re-index. It appears that at least some instances of this issue can be attributed to problematic Spotlight indexing. Re-index your startup drive and any external USB drives by following these instructions:
- Open System Preferences (in the Apple menu; upper-left portion of the screen)
- Open the Spotlight pane, then select the Privacy tab.
- Drag your hard drive(s) and any USB drives, USB memory sticks, etc. from the desktop to the Privacy list.
- Remove the items from your privacy list
If the above process doesn’t work to resolve your mouse/keyboard freezing issue, try downloading Hidden Files to view invisible files on your mounted drives. Delete the file .Spotlight-V100 from your startup drive and any connected USB drive then restart.