Verbum is "Preparing" Forever

Problem:

After an update, Verbum says it is "Preparing your Library" but never finishes. The Verbum Indexer shows "Stage 1 of 3".

Stage 1 of the Preparing phase, is the stage in which Verbum tries to locate any new files which have been added to your Library. Depending on the size of your Library, and how many files it needs to discover, this can take a few hours. If you have already waited several hours and it hasn't moved from Stage 1, this could indicate a problem in your Windows File Structure that is preventing Verbum from finding the new files, specifically because those files have been "hidden".

Tip: Reboot
Sometimes this behavior can appear if the Microsoft "Background Intelligent Transfer Service" (BITS) has been temporarily disabled by a Microsoft Update or is otherwise unresponsive. To resolve this possibility, you may wish to reboot your computer before proceeding.

 

Solution 1: 

It is possible malware has hidden many user directory files including Verbum's.

 

Step 1:

End All Verbum processes and open the Verbum directory

  1. Quit Verbum.
  2. Right-click Start menu
  3. Click Task Manager.
  4. Click the Details tab.1
  5. Click the End Process button in the bottom-right corner and close Task Manager (You may receive a warning, Click OK).
  6. Right-click your Verbum Icon and choose "Open file location".

The Verbum directory will open but may appear empty indicating the files have been hidden. If you see "faded" folders, skip to Step 3.

 

1You may need to click More details if the Details tab is not visible.

 

Step 2:

Show Hidden Files

Windows 10

  1. At the top of the window, click the View tab and select "Options" to open the Folder Options window.
  2. Click the View tab and select "Show hidden files, folders, and drives".
  3. Click OK.

 

Step 3:

Un-hide the Verbum Directory

  1. At the top of the window, there will be an address, showing the location of the folder you're viewing.
  2. Click the Local folder.
  3. Right-Click the Verbum1 folder and select Properties.
  4. Un-Check the box next to "Hidden" and click OK.
  5. If you are prompted to apply changes to all sub-folders and files, do so.
  6. Open Verbum. It should now be able to find its files and finish Preparing your Library.

1 The precise folder name here may differ (there may or may not be a number), but anything with Verbum should be correct.

 

Solution 2:

BITS Troubleshooting

Verbum uses BITS to download the necessary installation files. It may be possible the BITS service has been damaged, full or disabled while Verbum is attempting to download installation files.
You can check this with the BITSAdmin Utility:

Using BITS Admin

  • Right-click Start menu
  • Click Command Prompt (Admin)
  • Type: "BITSADMIN /LIST" and press the Enter key.

This will display two possible results:

Result 1: List of Jobs

If you receive a list of "jobs", we know BITS is enabled. If that list contains more than 50 items, it's possible that it is too full to take on moer jobs. We can clear the list to resolve this.
In most cases, "clogged" downloads are stuck in a "suspended" or "error" state and will not download on their own anyway. Use the command "BITSADMIN /RESET" to clear the list. Whatever downloads were previously listed should be cancelled and may need to be re-downloaded via their associated program at a later time.

It is recommended to run Windows Update after doing this.

 

Result 2: Unable to access BITS

If BITS is inaccessible, it may have been damaged by a virus or malware attack or disabled by your administrator so that Windows Updates can be managed at the admin level. You will need to contact your network administrator, computer manufacturer, or Microsoft for assistance in repairing or enabling BITS before you will be able to use the Verbum software.

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