External Hard Drive vs. Backup Drive (Page 5): Please read the W A R N I N G. It explains it all very clearly. If you read the OP's original post they are having issue copying files to...

Capture48 Loc: Arizona

steve_stoneblossom wrote:

So we have a drive, intended to be a backup. But we need to reformat the drive so it works properly. Reformatting will delete all data on the drive, so we need to backup the backup data first?

Please read the W A R N I N G. It explains it all very clearly.

If you read the OP's original post they are having issue copying files to this drive. The reason for that is the file system is unknown.

steve_stoneblossom Loc: Rhode Island, USA

Capture48 wrote:

Please read the W A R N I N G. It explains it all very clearly.

If you read the OP's original post they are having issue copying files to this drive. The reason for that is the file system is unknown.

I understand that. Did I misunderstand your instructions to backup the xdrive before reformatting?

Capture48 Loc: Arizona

steve_stoneblossom wrote:

I understand that. Did I misunderstand your instructions to backup the xdrive before reformatting?

I did not say to back up the drive unless a very specific condition exists. It is as clearly written as I can.

steve_stoneblossom Loc: Rhode Island, USA

I re-read your post a 4th time, and I did indeed misinterpret. My bad. You were referring to data other than backup on the drive in question.

burkphoto Loc: High Point, NC

steve_stoneblossom wrote:

I re-read your post a 4th time, and I did indeed misinterpret. My bad. You were referring to data other than backup on the drive in question.

If you format a drive, it will make it either very difficult or impossible to retrieve ANYTHING from it, depending on how the formatting is done.

Low level or "secure" formatting erases everything. Quick, or high-level formatting, just erases the directory of files on the drive, allowing the space to be overwritten with new data. Good recovery software can get most of it back.

If there is data on your drive that you wish to preserve, back it up to ANOTHER drive, before formatting the first drive...

Reinaldokool Loc: San Rafael, CA

Wingpilot wrote:

Is there any difference between an external hard drive that I can plug into my MacBook Pro and what is labeled a back up drive? The reason I ask is that when I try to copy my photo files over to the backup unit, either it doesn't want to transfer them, or it completely scrambles the order of the photos so I almost can't find anything, and the thumbnails are so small they're very hard to see. Any suggestions?

I don't know much about toy computers (Macs) :roll: :mrgreen: but with both Linux and Windows, the physical order of files does not correspond to the order written. Since, like almost everything on the Mac is stolen from somewhere else and the OS is originally from a Unix base, the same thing probably applies. In fact, pieces of the files are scattered on the drive to improve performance. The only order is the index. You can display files in Name, Size, Type, Date, etc. order but that is a software function.

I just ran into this. My friend is going to Japan and taking a DVD with about 100 old photographs of her birth family from as early as the 1930s. She wanted them to be physically written in a particular order. No way to do that, but by naming them in the order she wanted, eg, "001xxx.jpg, 002xxx.jpg, etc." ) we got the effect she wanted as name order is the default. (Actually, I finally put them into a Powerpoint show for her.)

Capture48 Loc: Arizona

burkphoto wrote:

If there is data on your drive that you wish to preserve, back it up to ANOTHER drive, before formatting the first drive...

:thumbup: :thumbup: :thumbup:

burkphoto Loc: High Point, NC

Capture48 wrote:

:thumbup: :thumbup: :thumbup:

Computer manufacturers should make it clear when they sell you a Mac or PC that you WILL be buying or using external storage of some sort. Whether that's an external drive or the cloud services of your choice, backup MUST occur, or you will lose data.

If I had five bucks for everyone I know who has lost all their data at least once (some of them FIVE TIMES), We'd all be able to go out to dinner!

Capture48 Loc: Arizona

burkphoto wrote:

Computer manufacturers should make it clear when they sell you a Mac or PC that you WILL be buying or using external storage of some sort. Whether that's an external drive or the cloud services of your choice, backup MUST occur, or you will lose data.

If I had five bucks for everyone I know who has lost all their data at least once (some of them FIVE TIMES), We'd all be able to go out to dinner!

I'd have a new car by now. Unfortunately I know far too many who either don't have a backup or have a backup in the same location as their main data.

Wingpilot Loc: Wasilla. Ak

Capture48 wrote:

I'd have a new car by now. Unfortunately I know far too many who either don't have a backup or have a backup in the same location as their main data.

Correct. What I need to do is a back up of all data not related to photography and a separate backup for photos. No doubt I will start this with a backup to ICloud. For a "hard copy," I think I will purchase a dedicated external hard drive with enough capacity to hold everything I have. I have over 16000 images stored and I don't want to lose anything, save for those I wish to delete.

2daysoldrndirt Loc: Palestine, Texas

Capture48 wrote:

But can you not read the instructions how to get one and look at the example I provided.

I have followed this from opening post and I think you have totally confused this poor man because he is IT deficient, as am I when we are talking Mac's.The only clear instructions were basically how to open a screen where he could scale an area where the screen shot should go. You have not provided him or any of us other IT deficient emmbers the steps to go to My PC, Highlight the drive in question, Right click that drive, select properties, hit tthe print screen button, open a program whereby he can paste and save the copied image, then come back to this post and insert the saved image into the comment block. So I do feel you are being a little to curt to a novice. Just my take on your tone in your responses.

Capture48 Loc: Arizona

2daysoldrndirt wrote:

I have followed this from opening post and I think... (show quote)

Apparently you did not read the entire thread. Using my unclear instructions the OP managed to get what I asked him for. On a MAC you DO NOT hit print screen, there is no such thing as MyPC. So climb down of your high horse, and pay attention.

2daysoldrndirt Loc: Palestine, Texas

Capture48 wrote:

Apparently you did not read the entire thread. Using my unclear instructions the OP managed to get what I asked him for. On a MAC you DO NOT hit print screen, there is no such thing as MyPC. So climb down of your high horse, and pay attention.

I was referring to about three or four reply's you made where you stated you had provided step by step instructions, which you did not. I also made it clear in my post that I have zero knowledge about Mac's but I gave a general idea of how it would be done on a PC. You just have a desire to be rude to people who have not requested that from you. I am not the only person to point out this character flaw to you sir.

jerryc41 Loc: Catskill Mts of NY

OnDSnap wrote:

Hi Doug, I'll PM you as I don't want to hijack this thread....

This would make a good separate thread for the many who would be interested.

Wingpilot Loc: Wasilla. Ak

2daysoldrndirt wrote:

I was referring to about three or four reply's you made where you stated you had provided step by step instructions, which you did not. I also made it clear in my post that I have zero knowledge about Mac's but I gave a general idea of how it would be done on a PC. You just have a desire to be rude to people who have not requested that from you. I am not the only person to point out this character flaw to you sir.

Well, to be fair, while I wasn't entirely clear on the instructions, I did get if figured out, which I wouldn't have been able to without them. True, they were contained in a couple different posts, but they were there. And I do appreciate the help. While I am not particularly IT proficient, I'm not entirely without knowledge. Most of what I know is limited to simply using the computer for what I need to do, and when it gets beyond me, I look for assistance from those in the know. And in the process, I increase my knowledge. Yes, you can teach an old dog new tricks--it just takes that old dog a little longer for it to sink in.