Can not copy files to another hard drive for backup

30May07
Apple Support:
I need to copy files from my home to an external hard drive because I need to do a complete re-install, and erase the laptop's hard drive.
When I try to either move the home folder the icon is a house, I get an question stating that some of my files do not have permssions, do I want to continue anyway (Yes, I do!)
A bit into the move, I get this message (dealing with permissions):
Can not copy 1528.emix . Error code -36 .
I have no such file or any .emix files either. I was able to copy to whole hard disk, not just the home to the same external drive two weeks ago.
How can I copy my HOME to my external drive so I can reinstall the OS?
Thank you for your help

07Jun07
I believe the problem was my computer's internal drive. It corrupted several files. I had a very hard time copying the files. The -36 error stopped any transfer cold.
I did a complete install of the OS.
I need a way to determine what files are corrupt so I can delete them. It took 24 hours to constantly keep trying to copy the files to the external drive. I ended up deleting a lot of un-corrupt files. How can I determine which ones are bad so I don't delete good data?
Thank you for your help. I am also grateful to the Apple Store in Tucson, AZ.
You are having a hardware problem - there's a problem
on one of the drives in this story.
This can be caused by extra hardware connected to the
computer, so if you have anything extra connected to
the computer (external iSight, iPod, USB hub,
anything) disconnect it.
If that doesn't help, try reformatting the external
drive and try again.
If that doesn't help, just rescue what you can,
because the next step is that you're going to be
reformatting the internal drive.

Similar Messages

Transferring hard drive files to external hard drive for backup have old tiger osx 10.4

how do I copy and transfer hard drive to external hard drive for backup of everything?

You can clone the entire drive to the external, provided you have more space available on the external drive than the total of your used filespace on the main drive.
Carbon Copy Cloner will perform the clone for you.
Matt

HELP! I can't copy files to my hard drive

This is weird. I've had my MP since it came out and all was fine until the other day. All of a sudden I cannot copy anything to my Hard Drive! Not from a CD, not from an external HD. I can copy TO other places but not to my working folders. I also cannot copy from a DVD (where I have files archived) to an external drive I use or my HD.
Whatever happened though seems to have affected my other computer (G4 Quicksilver) which I have networked to my MP because I can't stuff copy there either. Nor can I copy items back and forth when connected.
I've repaired permissions many times.
Any ideas?

Verify the disk, then verify permnissions. And make sure that "Ignore Ownership on this volume" (Get Info) is not selected, or is not even present (shouldn't be for boot drive).
It sounds like an ownership issue, maybe a corrupt directory.

Can't copy files to external hard drive

I have had both my MacBook and external hard drive for over three years now, and have never had a problem. In the last week, my external hard drive stopped letting me copy files onto it. When you try to drag and drop it just comes up with the blocked symbol. I have tested this with other hard drives as well and keep getting the same error. I've read other forums where it seems the answer is just to reformat the hard drive to the correct format, but I've never had a problem before so it seems strange that the format would just suddenly change.
All suggestions welcome!

me to no problem until nowdays
and the file is movies 1080 so is one file 7-8-9-10 gb
the weird is i see the movie from memory stick
but i cant copy
i restared but i cant format the memory stick becouse i use it in windows
helppppppppppppp

I can't copy files to External Hard Drive : Please help..

Evening,
I've just bought a Macbook and am just getting to grips with it. This is my first question on this forum...the first of many no doubt.
Problem I've got is that I can copy file's from an external hard drive on to the MAC but I can't go back the other way and copy file's from the MAC on to the external hard drive - it says 'New Folder cannot be modified'.
When I go into 'Ownership and Permission' of the external hard drive it says I can read only.
The Hard Drive is a Octigen USB 2.0 drive if that helps..
Any ideas?
Thanks for your help
R
Macbook Mac OS X (10.4.8)
Macbook Mac OS X (10.4.8)

How confident are you that MacFuse/ntfs-3g is a reliable option for ordinary humans? It is at version 0.2.2, not long out of beta, the FAQ mentions slow write performance and other rough edges (possibly fixed in the current version), and this is a comment by the author as of 1/11/07:
"Small disclaimer: Please note that MacFUSE is a complex piece of software, and it is a work in progress. We believe in releasing early and often, so we're releasing it now so that the community can help us to make it more robust."
I have no need for it whatsoever, but if I did, I would have concerns about using it for a backup drive.

Mac OS X can not copy files...?

I am very new to Mac OS X and I found it strange that I can not copy files from my hard drive (docs, spreadsheets) to a blank CD-ROM disk. I called the local Apple store and they said I have to buy a third party application to copy(burn) files to CD-ROM disks. I am not talking about copying copyrighted files, just plain old Word and Excel docs. Does anyone know if this is true? I have to get a separate application to do this? Thanks, Tony.

You can certainly copy files to to a blank CD without extra programs. But once there is data on the disc, it becomes much more complicated to add data at a later date.
Windows, however, had a proprietary CD filesystem that let you use the CD like a floppy disc, where you could add and "erase" files randomly.
You can buy an inexpensive program called BurnAgain that does something similar on the Mac.
http://freeridecoding.com/burnagaindvd/
Frankly, though, I think CDs make bad floppy discs. There is much more chance for data corruption when they are re-written.
I'd recommend an inexpensive USB Thumbdrive (Flashdrive). They come in all sizes and really do work like a giant floppy disk -- only much faster. They are dirt cheap. You can find one the capacity of a CD for about $10 or less. DVD-size flashdrives are now under $40 some places.
The easy way to burn data (once) to a CD or DVD is to create a Burn Folder. Hold down the CTL key and click once on your desktop. You'll get a pop-up menu with a choice to create a New Burn Folder. Name the Folder what you want the Disc to be named. Then open the folder and drag the files or folders you want to Burn onto the burn folder. It will actually create links (aliases or shortcuts in Windows terms) to those items. Click on the burn button at the top of the folder and it will ask for you to insert a blank CD or DVD.
You can discard the burn folder if you are through with it, because it just contains alias (shortcuts). But I must warn you that if you navigate into the subfolders of those shortcuts, you will be dealing with your actual files. So please, don't delete anything inside a folder inside a burn folder -- those are your real files!

(Error code -36) Can't delete files from external hard drive

So as I was copying files to my hard drive (Seagate Backup Plus Drive) my Macbook Pro went flat, and so the files obviously didn't get to finish copying. Now they're greyed out in my folder and when I try to move the files to the trash it comes up with this message:
"The Finder can’t complete the operation because some data in “-----” can’t be read or written.
(Error code -36)"
Does anyone know how I can fix this? I've tried a couple of different things and nothing has worked, and I don't wanna stuff around too much in case I lose everything.

Presumably you are using the Seagate as an external HD.
"my Macbook Pro went flat" means the MBP shut down or powered off suddenly for some reason?
If your Seagate was not properly ejected that would cause problems. You should run Disk Utility and Verify and Repair the Seagate, if needed. Then you should be able to deal with the uncompleted files.

I can not transfer date from one hard drive to another, I keep getting an error because I have two of the same file names and one file name is in caps and I cant change the file name

can not transfer date from one hard drive to another, I keep getting an error because I have two of the same file names and one file name is in caps and I cant change the file name. My original external has an error and needs to be reformatted but I dont want to lose this informations its my entire Itunes library.

Sounds like the source drive is formatted as case sensitive and the destination drive is not. The preferred format for OS X is case insensitive unless there is a compelling reason to go case sensitive.
Why can't you change the filename? Is it because the source drive is having problems? If so is this happening with only one or two or a few files? If so the best thing would be to copy those over individually and then rename them on the destination drive.
If it is more then you can do manually and you can't change the name on the source you will have to reformat the destination as case sensitive.
Btw this group is for discussion of the Support Communities itself, you;d do better posting to Lion group. I'll see if a host will move it.

I have deleted my private folder and do not have enough space to reinstall my operating system. How can i transfer files from my hard drive to an USB drive to free up space when the operating system isn't working. or do i need to erase disk?

i have deleted my private folder and do not have enough space to reinstall my operating system. How can i transfer files from my hard drive to an USB drive to free up space when the operating system isn't working. or do i need to erase disk through disk utilities without erasing data (but will it delete my programs such as photoshop, office, creative suite?

Connect the computer to another Mac and put it in FireWire Target Disk mode, or use the Disk Utility to clone the drive or image specific folders with the USB drive as the target. After you've copied off everything you want, you'll likely need to erase the drive and reinstall the applications.
(69695)

How do I copy files onto a hard drive (device) from Mac 2 7 pc. I'm able to transfer files from device but cannot transfer files to device. Anyone had same problem or can help solve this problem? Help pls

how do I copy files onto a hard drive (device) from Mac 2 7 pc. I'm able to transfer files from device but cannot transfer files to device. Anyone had same problem or can help solve this problem? Help pls

Welcome to Apple Support Communities
When you try to copy data to the external drive, what happens? If you don't see any error, the external drive is formatted in NTFS, and OS X can't write in it.
To be able to write on this external drive, you have to use an app like Paragon NTFS. Another solution would be to format the external drive in FAT32 or exFAT with Disk Utility > http://pondini.org/OSX/DU1.html Make sure you copied all the files of the external disk to the internal disk before doing it

Trying to copy iPhoto Library to external hard drive for backup. Error message: The Finder can't complete the operation because some data in "iPhoto Library" can't be read or written (Error code -36).

Trying to copy iPhoto Library to external hard drive for backup. Error message: The Finder can't complete the operation because some data in "iPhoto Library" can't be read or written (Error code -36).

That code is
-36
ioErr
I/O error (bummers)
Make sure the EHD is formatted OS X Extended (journaled) and run Disk Utilty on the EHD and repair the disk. If that fails to help I'd try the following:
Using iPhoto Library Manager to Rebuild Your iPhoto Library
Download iPhoto Library Manager and launch.
Click on the Add Library button,
navigate to your Home/Pictures folder and select your iPhoto Library folder.
Now that the library is listed in the left hand pane of iPLM, click on your library and go to the Library ➙ Rebuild Library menu option
In the next window name the new library and select the external HD as the location of the newly rebild library.
Click on the Create button.
Note 1: This creates a new library based on the LIbraryData.xml file in the library and will recover Events, Albums, keywords, titles and comments. However, books, calendars, cards and slideshows will be lost.
Note 2: Your current library will be left untouched for further attempts at a fix if so desired.
OT

Your firmware can not be updated because the hard drive...SMC 1.3

Hi all !
I have a problem. I'm have a macbook pro Santa Rosa =
Model Name: MacBook Pro
Model Identifier: MacBookPro4,1
Processor Name: Intel Core 2 Duo
Processor Speed: 2.4 GHz
Number Of Processors: 1
Total Number Of Cores: 2
L2 Cache: 3 MB
Memory: 4 GB
Bus Speed: 800 MHz
Boot ROM Version: MBP41.00C1.B03
SMC Version (system): 1.27f1
This morning I saw the update for the SMC firmware (1.3).
Before restarting, I have this error :
http://img411.imageshack.us/img411/6606/26048579.jpg
Your firmware can not be updated because the hard drive partition scheme may not be supported. You must be booted from a GUID partiton or RAID scheme.
When I went into Disk Utility in order to check, here is what I have =
Name : FUJITSU MHY2200BH Media
Type : Disk
Partition Map Scheme : GUID Partition Table
Disk Identifier : disk0
Media Name : FUJITSU MHY2200BH Media
Media Type : Generic
Connection Bus : Serial ATA 2
Device Tree : /PCI0/SATA@1F,2/PRT0@0/PMP@0/@0:0
Writable : Yes
Ejectable : No
Mac OS 9 Drivers Installed : No
Location : Internal
Total Capacity : 186.3 GB (200,049,647,616 Bytes)
S.M.A.R.T. Status : Verified
Disk Number : 0
Partition Number : 0
I thought Boot Camp could be involved becauseI know it's the only thing related to the EFI.
I searched on internet, and Ifound nothing. There was a solution in order to reset the partition table, but the tool is no longer available. The link on on the application explains that I have to reformat my macbook pro. I find a bit weird to make this , I can't spend hours for backup / restore just because the SMC update does not work. have you any lead for me ?
Thanks ,
Razique

Have you tried this:
Repairing the Hard Drive and Permissions
Boot from your OS X Installer disc. After the installer loads select your language and click on the Continue button. When the menu bar appears select Disk Utility from the Installer menu (Utilities menu for Tiger and Leopard.) After DU loads select your hard drive entry (mfgr.'s ID and drive size) from the the left side list. In the DU status area you will see an entry for the S.M.A.R.T. status of the hard drive. If it does not say "Verified" then the hard drive is failing or failed. (SMART status is not reported on external Firewire or USB drives.) If the drive is "Verified" then select your OS X volume from the list on the left (sub-entry below the drive entry,) click on the First Aid tab, then click on the Repair Disk button. If DU reports any errors that have been fixed, then re-run Repair Disk until no errors are reported. If no errors are reported click on the Repair Permissions button. Wait until the operation completes, then quit DU and return to the installer. Now restart normally.
If DU reports errors it cannot fix, then you will need Disk Warrior (4.0 for Tiger, and 4.1 for Leopard) and/or TechTool Pro (4.6.1 for Leopard) to repair the drive. If you don't have either of them or if neither of them can fix the drive, then you will need to reformat the drive and reinstall OS X.

I am getting the PowerPC applications are no longer supported error, so I downloaded Libreoffice and can not find it on my hard drive anywhere. It did say install to Applications but it's not there. How do I find it and can I put it in my dock?

I am getting the PowerPC applications are no longer supported error, so I downloaded Libreoffice and can not find it on my hard drive anywhere. It did say it would install to Applications, but it's not there. How do I find it and can I put it in my dock?

In Safari's preferences:
Look in the folder displayed where you see the arrow. The actual Downloads folder is found in your Home (user) folder.

Hi, I'm an eBay seller and save old eBay auction files to my hard drive for future refence. Firefox no longer opens these files correctly (see below).

Hi, I'm an eBay seller and save old eBay auction files to my hard drive for future refence. These files which all use the same name but are saved in a different folder for each eBay auction no longer open correctly -- much of the eBay auction text information shows up for a split second and then disappears -- the area at the top of the saved eBay auction file then collapses -- the original eBay auction photo of the product shows up as well during that split second but disappears when the other auction text disappears. These eBay auction files open correctly when opened using Internet Explorer. In Firefox, Firefox adds some strange information at the end of the file name when it is opened which is not a part of the actual file name itself (i.e. here is the original file name which is the same for whatever ended eBay auction I open: eBayISAPI.dll.htm -- here is the altered file name after Firefox opens it: eBayISAPI.dll_files/eBayISAPI_data/eBayISAPI_002.htm#ht_658wt_1349 -- yes, it is that long -- the last part is slightly different for each separate auction file that I open). None of this happened until recently. The files open this way whether using Firefox 4.0, Firefox 3.6.16, Firefox Safe Mode 3.6.16, and Firefox Safe Mode 4.0.

Here is what I did:
1) In Firefox 4.0, I opened the Bookmarks on the Menu Bar at the top of the screen. I clicked on the Import and Backup menu. I then exported all my bookmarks to the PC's desktop using the default file name BOOKMARKS.HTML.
2) In Firefox, I opened the Add-ons menu under Tools on the Menu Bar. I clicked on the Prnt Scrn key on the top right of the PC's keyboard in order to obtain a screen shot of all the Firefox add-ons. I then opened Microsoft Word and pasted the screen shot using the Control V command (Ctrl V). I then saved the Microsoft Word file on the PC's desktop for future reference.
3) I then opened the Control Panel in the Start menu (accessed from the little Windows world globe on the bottom left of the screen -- the operating system is Windows 7).
4) In the Control Panel, I opened Uninstall A Program in the Programs section.
5) I uninstalled Firefox 4.0 clicking on the box "Remove my Firefox personal data and customizations" in order to remove whatever bug in my Firefox customizations was causing the two errors above (this is the MOST IMPORTANT PART of this whole process which is why I saved all my bookmarks as an HTML file and saved a screen shot of all the Firefox add-ons).
6) I then reinstalled my old Firefox 3.6.16 version obtained from the following link: http://www.mozilla.com/en-US/firefox/all-older.html (I am not yet in favor of using Firefox 4.0 -- you suppose you can reinstall Firefox 4.0 on your system if you want).
7) After Firefox 3.6.16 was reinstalled, I had to import all my old bookmarks. Under Bookmarks on the Firefox Menu Bar at the top of the screen, I clicked on Organize Bookmarks. I then clicked on the Import and Backup menu and then the Import HTML command in order the BOOKMARKS.HTML file saved on the PC's desktop.
8) I then re-added all my favorite Firefox add-ons by clicking on Add-ons under the Firefox Tools menu and then clicking on the Get Add-ons command. I then searched for all the old add-ons I wanted to re-add to Firefox using the Microsoft Word document on the PC's desktop saved with the screen shot of all the old Firefox add-ons on my system by I uninstalled Firefox 4.0.
9) I then opened one of the old eBay auction page files saved on my hard drive under the eBay default file name "eBayISAPI.dll.htm". The file opened perfectly with NO missing sections and no missing original eBay auction listing photo! the file looked exactly like it did as if I was logged into eBay and looking at the original ended auction.
10) I then opened Hotmail in Firefox and received NO "update your browser" message! I was able to open all my old emails and write and send new emails (with all my Contacts being automatically detected when I went to type in the email address of the person I was sending the new email to)!
In summary, you need to uninstall Firefox 4.0 being sure to click on the "Remove my Firefox personal data and customizations" box during the uninstall process. Be sure to save/export all your old bookmarks before the uninstall process and make a note of all your old add-ons. Then reinstall whatever version of Firefox you are comfortable with. Apparently, my Firefox customizations had become corrupted at some point; removing the Firefox customizations during the uninstall process allowed any future Firefox version installed on my PC to start over with a clean slate (these corrupted settings would show up in whatever version of Firefox I had installed on my PC so removing them during the uninstall process was the key to solving all my Firefox bugs). I hope my suggestions help to solve your problem and good luck!

I bought a new external hard drive for backups, but time machine won't do a full back up. I think it is remembering backing up onto previous external hard drives, which I don't own anymore. How do I do a new full backup?

I bought a new external hard drive for backups, but time machine won't do a full back up.
I think it is remembering backing up onto previous external hard drives, which I don't own anymore. How do I do a new full backup?
When I bought the new (used) iMac, I also bought an external hard drive for backups. It worked fine, but my husband stole it.
Then I bought a new external hard drive (Seagate) and it worked fine for three weeks, then died.
So I just got a new external hard drive, which was put together from an internal hard drive and a hard drive enclosure.
Time machine did the first backup today, and it should have taken 9 hours like it did on the previous first time full back up. Instead, it took 30 minutes. That can't be right. I want to start over and do a full backup to make sure everything gets onto my new external hard drive, but I can't figure out how to do that. Please help.

Triple-click anywhere in the line below to select it:
tmutil compare -E
Copy the selected text to the Clipboard (command-C).
Launch the Terminal application in any of the following ways:
☞ Enter the first few letters of its name into a Spotlight search. Select it in the results (it should be at the top.)
☞ In the Finder, select Go ▹ Utilities from the menu bar, or press the key combination shift-command-U. The application is in the folder that opens.
☞ Open LaunchPad. Click Utilities, then Terminal in the icon grid.
Paste into the Terminal window (command-V).
The command will take at least a few minutes to run. Eventually some lines of output will appear below what you entered.
Each line that begins with a plus sign (“+”) represents a file that has been added to the source volume since the last snapshot was taken. These files have not been backed up yet.
Each line that begins with an exclamation point (“!”) represents a file that has changed on the source volume. These files have been backed up, but not in their present state.
Each line that begins with a minus sign (“-“) represents a file that has been removed from the source volume.
At the end of the output, you’ll get some lines like the following:
Added:
Removed:
Changed:
These lines show the total amount of data added, removed, or changed on the source(s) since the last snapshot.

Can not copy files to another hard drive for backup

Similar Messages

Maybe you are looking for