How do i copy a folder in Pictures to an external drive

I am new to Macs. I have a folder in Pictures that I want to send or copy to an external hard drive. I copied the folder to the desktop and tried dragging it onto the external but it would not move. Help!

If I reformet it will I be in danger of losing the data stored on it?
Yes! Reformatting a drive will always delete everything, so you'll have to copy the contents of the drive someplace else before formatting.
If it is formatted as a FAT32 will it then be able to be used on both a mac and windows platform?
Yes, FAT32 is the format of choice when you need to use the drive with both Mac OS X and Windows. Be aware though, that FAT32 has some limitations, e.g. a maximum file size of 4 GB which could be a problem when you need to store huge video files.
And if this is all okay, then how do I reformat the drive to a FAT32?
After you made a backup of the contents of your drive, open "Disk Utility" from "/Applications/Utilities", select the drive in the source list, click on the tab called "Delete" and chose the format "MS-DOS File System" from the Format dropdown.

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How best to move user folder to a Mac Mini + external drive

I am streamlining my desktop computer setup. Whereas before I was using a PowerMac G5 as my primary desktop computer, I realize I am using my MacBook Pro more often, so in the interests of conserving space, I will be switching over to a Mac Mini connected to my AV system for hosting all my iTunes music, videos, media, photos, etc.
Here is where I need advice. My PowerMac has a lot more media on it than can fit on the internal hard drive of a Mac Mini. I have already secured a 1 TB external drive which will be permanently connected to the Mac Mini, but I am unsure as to how to best go about copying my data to it.
My initial thought was that I could move the iTunes music folder to the external drive using the library consolidation feature, and I could copy my iPhoto library to it, then point the respective applications to the new location. However, I want the external to act as my home folder where the OS looks for all my personal data, including movies, documents, etc.
I know there is a procedure for changing your home folder's location to an external drive, but because of the limited size of the Mac Mini's internal HD, I would like to use migration assistant when I first start using the Mac Mini. Should I hold off on moving the home folder until after I have migrated, or can it be done beforehand?
Anyone have any thoughts or ideas? Thanks!

Thanks for the procedure. It seems very easy, but I am wondering about the consequences depending on when I do it. For example, let's say I first copy my entire home folder to the 1 TB external drive, set up the PowerMac to use it as my home folder, then use migration assistant to import my user accounts, applications, and settings onto the Mac Mini. Will it try to extract the data from the external drive onto the Mac Mini's internal drive? There won't be enough room for everything.
As an alternative, I can move my iTunes library and iPhoto library onto the 1 TB external first, keeping the rest of my user data in its original location. Then it can fit on the Mac Mini, and I can do the migration, then move the home folder to the 1TB external once it's all up and running on the new computer.
Which will work best?
I had heard about people using a single drive as their home folder across multiple computers, but that is not the case for me. My MacBook Pro will become my primary computer, but I intend to keep it clear of media, whereas the MacMini will become my media server for my AV system in my living room. The 1 TB will be constantly connected to the Mac Mini, so there shouldnt be a problem with starting it up once the user folder location has been moved.

How do i move large file of pictures to an external drive

how do i move large file of pictures to an external drive

Just select the files and drag them to the external drive.
Clinton

How do I copy iTunes folder which is on my external hard drive to my iTunes folder on my mini mac?

I am new to Apple computers. I have just downloaded an iTunes file from my pc onto an external hard drive and I want to know how I copy this file into my iTunes folder on my imac.

Connect the external hard drive to your iMac.
Open iTunes, go to the File menu, then select the item "Import into Library" and select your song in the file chooser that will appear. Press the ok button.

I have all my pictures in an external drive, how do i create a library in iphoto without using my internal drive space?

i have all my pictures in an external drive (around 1tb), how do i create a library in iphoto without using my internal drive space? thanks!

In iPhoto use the command "File > Switch to Library" and then click "Create New" in the Library Chooser panel.
Select a folder on your external drive as the destination.
You can also get to this panel by holding down the alt/options key when you launch iPhoto.

How do you move pictures to an external drive to open space on the Mac hard drive? Or what is the best way to store photos safely?

How do you move pictures to an external drive to open harddrive space? Or what is the best way to store large photo files? Ive tried copy/cut and paste and it doesnt work. I have nothing on my Mac but photos and its telling me startup disk is too full to download updates.

Are the photos being stored in iPhoto now?
How is the external disk formatted?
Allan

I want to transfer my lightroom to a new computer...I have my pictures on a external drive. How do I do it without buying a new download?

I want to transfer my lightroom to a new computer. I have my pictures on an external drive. How do I do it without buying a new download?

Download, install, and activate with your serial number...
Lightroom - all versions
Windows
http://www.adobe.com/support/downloads/product.jsp?product=113&platform=Windows
Mac
http://www.adobe.com/support/downloads/product.jsp?product=113&platform=Macintosh

How do I copy my operating system to a solid state drive and make it the disk I boot from?

How do I copy my operating system to a solid state drive and make it the disc I boot from?

Where is your operating system now? Basically, you clone it from wherever it is now to the SSD:
Clone Lion/Mountain Lion using Restore Option of Disk Utility
Boot to the Recovery HD:
Restart the computer and after the chime press and hold down the COMMAND and R keys until the menu screen appears. Alternatively, restart the computer and after the chime press and hold down the OPTION key until the boot manager screen appears. Select the Recovery HD and click on the downward pointing arrow button.
Select Disk Utility from the main menu then press the Continue button.
Select the destination volume from the left side list.
Click on the Restore tab in the DU main window.
Select the destination volume from the left side list and drag it to the Destination entry field.
Select the source volume from the left side list and drag it to the Source entry field.
Double-check you got it right, then click on the Restore button.
Destination means the SSD. Source means the drive now holding OS X.

HT4796 I am unable to copy a folder on mac to an external hdd or even to a usb

I am unable to copy a folder on mac to an external hdd or even to a usb

If the external drives are formatted for Windows (NTFS), you can't write to them natively on a Mac. Your options are (1) to back up and reformat the devices as FAT32 or ExFAT, or (2) to install third-party software that enables writing to an NTFS volume (not recommended.)

I have my photos on an eternal USB connected drive. I am trying to import them to PSE. The "Copy on Import" button is greyed out. How can I enable it so I can disconnect the external drive?.

The "Copy on Import" button is greyed out. How can I enable it so I can disconnect the external drive?.

"Copy" is normally used when connecting a camera or card reader.
Simply copy or move folders from your external drive to your computer hard drive, then from the Organizer menu click:
File >> Get Photos & Videos >> From Files & Folders
Then navigate to the new location on your internal hard drive.

How do i copy my itunes and iphoto to an external hard drive?

How do i copy my itunes and iphoto to my external hard drive?

Apple has instructions at:
http://support.apple.com/kb/ht1751
http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1229?viewlocale=en_US
and in case you are interested in iMovie....
http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1097

How can I copy files from my Mac to my external HD?

I just bought a MacBook Air. Now I want to copy some files from my Mac to my external HD. And I cannot do it. Maybe the problem is on the authorization. How can I fix it?

what format is your external drive in? if it's on a NTFS format - it become read only.
format/erase your external drive to exFAT if you share this drive with a Windows PC.
If you're not sharing this drive with a PC - then format it to Mac OS extended journaled.
use disk utility to do this.
before you format your drive - make sure whatever files you have in it are backed up.

How do I copy songs from my iTunes to a flash drive in mp3 format to use in my car?

How do I copy songs from my iTunes to a flash drive in mp3 format to use in my car?

Drag them from the iTuness window to the Flash drive on the desktop

How do I set up a shortcut to save several pictures to my external drive

My HP 6500A (E710n) usingWindows Vista - I have recently hooked it up to wireless & everything is working fine but I haven't figured out how to continuously send pictures to my external drive - I keep running into the problem of having to move them from my computer to the external - I need a shortcut that is reliable. Thanks - love the wireless!

There are also third-party archiving utilities. If you have a lot of mail you wish to save, you might take a look at MailSteward. It's fast and reliable and can hold tons of email. It works great for me. There are other mail archiving utilities as well, which you can probably find via MacUpdate or VersionTracker.
Regards.
Disclaimer: any product suggestion and link given is strictly for reference and represents my opinion only. No warranties express or implied. I get no personal benefit from the sale of any product I may recommend in any of my posts in the Discussions. Your mileage may vary. Void where prohibited. You must be this tall to ride. Objects in mirror may be closer than they appear. Preservatives added to improve freshness. No animals were harmed in the making of this post.

FCPX: How to import, transcode and keep an Event on an external drive

I was given 300 GB of media files, mostly Quicktime movies, on a read-only NTFS format Lacie drive. I tried importing into FCPX, checked the optimized and proxy transcoding options as well as import folders as Keyword Collections option, and it took hours for less than 1/3 of the media to render, then I got a warning that my startup disc was almost full.
I assume the best thing to do is start over, and move my files to another read-and-write drive so that I can keep the transcoded files off my Mac.
But my main question concerns the FCPX Events folder:
If all media and other project-related info is stored in the Events folder on my Mac, how can I keep the transcoded media on an external drive? Do I just uncheck “Copy files to Final Cut Events folder” in the Import dialog? (If I uncheck it, where are the transcoded files copied to, and how are they organized? What stays in the Events folder on the Mac, and what goes on the external drive?)
Also, should I not bother transcoding, or just select one of the options (which one, and why?) I’m editing a 12-15 minute narrative film – mostly cuts, probably no effects, but will color correct and add titles and sound fx/music.
Any insight for this process, as well as practical advice, would be greatly appreciated, as I’m trying to fully understand and start off the right way before I dive into this edit. Thanks in advance!

I would create a new Event in FCPX first so that I can choose which drive those files are going to end up on.
Then, Import your files. Choose the Event they should be Imported to. If you want it to copy the files to that Event onto the drive it was created on, then choose Copy Files to Events Folder. It will only copy, not just move the files. If you are copying them onto your MBP's hard drive...yeah, that's probably going to fill up unless you've upgraded that drive. And yes, 300GB of media can take a while to process and copy, especially if you are Optimizing and creating Proxies.
In my experience, Optimized files can get fairly large I'm not sure of the percentage) and Proxy files have ended up about 1/2 the size of the originals. If you are creating Optimized files, Proxy files, AND copying the original media...you have three versions of the files and that 300GB may end up being about 1TB that FCPX is creating.
If you want to work primarily with proxies, I would NOT copy the original file, but I would have FCPX create the proxies in the Event folder on your hard drive. If you just gotta have Optimized files for your final output...I would wait until you are ready for output to create those. If you only have the Proxy files on your laptop, with the original files on their original drive, then it should only take up 150-200GB on your laptop hard drive. At that point, you can leave FCPX in proxy mode (got to FCXP>Preferences>Playback>Use proxy files
If you detach the external hard drive, the original files will show up as missing, but proxy mode should recognize the Proxy files in the Event folder.
If you still want to create Optimized files, Proxy files and copy the Original Media, get a separate external drive that will have the room you need and one you can edit from.
For large projects where I have a lot of footage, I edit and add effects in Proxy mode and then switch to Original/Optimized>Highest Quality for final color grading, rendering and exporting.
Hope that helps! al the best!

How do i copy a folder in Pictures to an external drive

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