locate command finds a file's path, but the file does not exist in that path [duplicate]

It is possible that you had the Origin90SR2DVD.iso file in the location /home/david when the database file of locate (/var/lib/mlocate/mlocate.db) was updated last time by cron (or by yourself). As locate just for the file names in the database file (thats why it is fast) while searching, you can consider it's technique not live.

Although locate is showing the location of the file, it is very possible that the file is not present there (might be removed or moved to somewhere else).

You have two ways to be sure of whats going on:

• You can update the locate database file by sudo updatedb and then run the same locate command.

• Alternately, you can use find to do a live search. To look for the file in your home directory recursively:

  find ~ -type f -iname 'Origin90SR2DVD.iso' -print -o -path ~/.gvfs -prune
  

  -path ~/.gvfs -prune (thanks to Eliah Kagan) is used so that we do not descend into ~/.gvfs directory while searching. Otherwise we will get a distracting permission denied message, since the directory is owned by root. You can omit this (and see the message) by removing -print -o -path ~/.gvfs -prune.

  You can also look for all possible places in the filesystem hierarchy. Here I have considered few places that can contain the file, it will be unusual if your file is found under any other directory.

  sudo find /home /root /opt /usr/local /mnt -type f -iname 'Origin90SR2DVD.iso'
  

EDIT :

locate's database is updated by cron on a daily basis. In my system it is run at 6:25 AM everyday (check your's on /etc/crontab).

Actually anacron will run the cron job to ensure that if the computer is Off at that time, the job will be run after the computer is turned On next time. If anacron is not available, run-parts will execute the files (including mlocate) in /etc/cron.daily directory only at the mentioned time.

Run sudo updatedb to make sure your mlocate database is up to date.