Users are having issues with Time Machine and Spotlight in Apple’s OS X 10.7.5

Numerous users are reporting issues with Apple’s OS X 10.7.5 that have rendered Time Machine backups and Spotlight indexing almost unusable.

Though Apple’s most recent desktop operating system is OS X Mountain Lion 10.8, the company has continued to update its previous-generation OS X Lion 10.7. However, the latest update, version 10.7.5, which arrived in September, appears to have a flaw that is significantly affecting users in some cases.

A thread in Apple’s Support Communities outlining the problem has attracted more than 400 replies and over 30,000 views, and there also appear to be similar threads . Users are reporting that Time Machine backups in OS X 10.7.5 are having trouble completing and in some case are listing that it will take weeks to finish the transfer. Apple’s Spotlight desktop search function also seems to be affected, as some users claim that indexing of their hard drives is also estimated to take weeks.

One forum member, Mac From Start, claimed to have talked to an “Apple senior tech support person”, who said that the issue had been escalated to the engineering division.

The Time Machine and Spotlight problems are related for some, as disabling Spotlight restored Time Machine performance for a few of the posters. For now, Apple support is reportedly recommending that customers revert to OS X 10.7.4 while waiting for a fix.

The Next Web has contacted Apple regarding the issue.

Image credits: David De Lossy / ThinkStock, Robert Lee