Step 6 - Run Cornell Spider

You are now able to run the Spider program.

By default, Spider scans all connected drives. You can either connect flash drives to your computer before beginning, or run Spider on them separately (instructions below).

The scan can take a substantial amount of time (two hours or more) depending on the size of your hard drive(s), the amount of data and the speed of your computer. In addition, running Spider concurrently with other computer activities can slow processing. Consider starting the scan before you leave the office for the day, and plug a laptop into an electrical outlet rather than use battery power.

Windows Instructions
Macintosh Instructions
UNIX Instructions

For Windows:

Scanning all connected drives:

Click Windows Start > Programs (All Programs for Vista)> Spider3 > spider_3.0.exe. The Spider window will open.
Click on the Run Spider button to start the search.
Spider will then build the file list and start scanning.
Spider Finished will appear in the lower left hand corner of the window when the scan is complete.

NOTE: When Spider attempts to scan the data in an Access database, it recognizes where there are linked tables in another database and attempts to scan the other database as well. Generally, a password will be requested when Spider begins scanning. Cancel the dialog box. DO NOT enter the password.

The need to cancel dialog boxes can require extra attention during the scanning process, particularly when scanning shared folders or computers with multiple Access databases.

If the computer has stored the password, Spider may scan the linked database.

Scanning flash drives or other portable media separately:

Spider will scan flash drives at the same time as the rest of your computer if you connect them before beginning the scan. The instructions below are for scanning flash drives separately. Spider will overwrite the log file from a previous run if it is saved in the same location. The default location is on your desktop; change it if you want to retain the original log file.

Click on the Windows Start > Programs (All Programs for Vista)> Spider3 > spider_3.0.exe. The Spider window will open.
Click Configure > Settings > Scan Options tab.
In the Drive Types box, uncheck Network and Local Disk and check Removable.
Click the Save button.
Click the Yes button.
Click on the Run Spider button to start the search.
Spider will then build the file list and start scanning.
Spider Finished will appear in the lower left hand corner of the window when the scan is complete.

Step 7 - Find the log file

For Macintosh:

Click on the Macintosh HD icon on the desktop.
Click on the Applications folder.
Locate and click on the Spider folder.
Double-click on Spider. The following window will appear:

If you are a Mac 10.3 user and the window does not appear, seek support from IT staff, or refer to the Technical Support Guideline.

Click the Run Spider button to begin the scan.
The progress bar in the lower left hand corner of the window will indicate when the scan is complete.
Close Spider when the scan is finished by clicking Spider > Quit Spider in the upper left hand corner of the window.

Scanning flash drives or other portable media separately:

Click on the Macintosh HD icon on the desktop.
Click on the Applications folder.
Locate and click on the Spider folder. The Spider window will open.
In the upper left corner, click Spider > Preferences.
Enter the USB port directory in the Start Directory field and close the Preferences window.
Click the Run Spider button to begin the scan.
The progress bar in the lower left hand corner of the window will indicate when the scan is complete.
Close Spider when the scan is finished by clicking Spider > Quit Spider in the upper left hand corner of the window.

Step 7 - Find the log file

For UNIX:

Invoke Spider by typing spider (or ./spider if you did not install Spider on your system).