Jeff,
Hi - I am new to the Plus version but long time Pm used. I have created and indexed my archive. It resides on an external drive and the catalog file is on my computer HD. My issue is that whenever PM Plus is running it is working the external drive continually. I am worried about it burning out the drive. Should it be doing this?
Are you looking at any of the images that are stored on that drive? If so, then Photo Mechanic Plus will be accessing those images to produce thumbnails and previews as you look at them. Image proxies are only used when a drive is offline.
Also, is there a complete list of search syntax somewhere? I often need to include things like file type in the initial search.
Catalog->Searchable Fields...
Catalog->Search Examples...
Though you may find it easier to use Filters (File Type as first stage, Custom Search for the second stage) instead of a more complex query.
-Kirk