Full-text search - catalog refuses to populate

Hello

I'm trying to get full-text searching to work on SQL Server 2000 (with SP3 installed).

I have a table containing many text fields that I want to search and so far have successfully gone through the "Full-Text wizard" selecting the text fields from the table I want as searchable. I then try and start full population of the catalog but its always remains zero in size when I check its properties. Hence when I try a query like:

SELECT Name FROM tblTextDocs WHERE CONTAINS(mainbody, 'find this')

It results in the error message:

Server: Msg 7619, Level 16, State 1, Line 1
Execution of a full-text operation failed. The catalog does not exist or is currently unavailable. Please retry the action again later and if this symptom persists, contact the system administrator.

It would appear that the catalog simply refuses to populate. I've tried starting population via Enterprise Manager and also by doing sp_fulltext_catalog 'MyCatalog', 'start_full'. The Full-text support service says it is running correctly and no other problems with the server have been experienced.

Any suggestions would be much appreciated.

Regards

SamBy the "Full Text Support Service" do you mean the "Microsoft Search" service?|||Originally posted by MCrowley
By the "Full Text Support Service" do you mean the "Microsoft Search" service?

Yes - the Microsoft Search service. I have no problems in stopping/starting it too.|||This error might occur if changing SQL Server Account to Non-Admin for Full-Text Search Makes Existing Catalogs Unusable.

To access existing full-text search catalogs, rebuild and repopulate them. The existing catalogs can also be accessed by switching back to an administrator account.