During a routine check on a clients MOSS server I received the following error every 5 minutes.
Event Type: Error
Event Source: Windows SharePoint Services 3 Search
Event Category: Gatherer
Event ID: 2424
Date:
Time:
User: N/A
Computer:
Description:
The update cannot be started because the content sources cannot be accessed. Fix the errors and try the update again.
Context: Application 'Search', Catalog 'index file on the search server Search'
For more information, see Help and Support Center at
http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/events.asp.
Although there is a lot of information to be found on the internet about adding security rights to your SQL server to clear this error, there is a simple solution.
This error is produced by the WSS3.0 Search Service and the related service accounts. Before changing security rights in SQL or changing the content access account to the search service account, try the following.
Go to Central Administration, Operations, Services on Server and stop the "Windows SharePoint Services Help Search" (as this is MOSS), which basically clears out the indexes, etc, and the simply restart the service. This process will recreate the search database (give it a new name) and straighten out the security issues. Guess what, problem solved.