Problem copying some files. Error messages -36 and -50

Question

I'm trying to backup my user folder onto an external LA Cie drive, and some of the files refuse to copy. The files, it seems, are mostly image or mov. files, and there appear to be dozens of "bad" ones, maybe hundreds. Several tens of thousand have no problem copying, but the bad files foul up the entire process.
The error messages I tend to get are as follows:
--"The finder cannot complete the operation because some data in [file name] could not be read or written (error code -36)"
--"The operation cannot be completed because the item [file name] is locked."
--I also get error code -50 sometimes.
Can anyone diagnose this problem and tell me how to fix it?
Powerbook G4   Mac OS X (10.4.9)  

Answer 1

Todd--
First thing I think I'd try would be to see if a different cable helps. Sometimes a bad cable can cause problems with an external disk. Also, make sure nothing but the drive is connected to the PowerBook.
Second, look at the LaCie web site and see if there's a firmware update for your drive. I found a post on another board where the person had the -50 problem with a LaCie DVD drive that was cured by a firmware update.
The -36 error means there's a disk I/O error:
<pre class="command">ioErr = -36, /*I/O error (bummers)*/</pre>Look in your console log at the time you try to copy one of these files. It might have a line something like this:
<pre class="command">Apr 07 09:00:00 username kernel[0]: disk0s3: I/O error.</pre>The username and disk0s3 parts will change a bit. You can figure out which disk is which using the Terminal application. Just copy and run this command:
<pre class="command">diskutil list</pre>That'll give you the names and BSD identifiers (which is the diskNsN name) for your drive's partition. That should tell you where the actual error is occuring.
As for the -50 error, that's an error in the parameter list. That can be caused by copying Mac files to FAT32 formatted partitions. If your LaCie drive is not formatted as Mac OS Extended, you might come up against this problem, too.
charlie