Problems copying files to Flash Drive

I have been having problems copying files in the Finder to a flash drive when total storage exceeds 1gb or so. I recently obtained a 4gb flash drive and tried to copy about 1.5gb of files and the copy process just stops. I have had the same problem with an SD card in a card reader. If I put the SD card into a Sandisk mp3 player, which mounts as a drive, it will copy find. Also, if I take the card or flash drive to a PC, no problem.
The same issue happens when I try to copy a lot of files from iTunes to a solid state drive. iTunes will go through a "calculation" process and simply not do the copy. It is not because of capacity. I can repeat the process to a folder on my hard drive and it works find. I then copy the folder to my mp3 player.
I have been trying to do this for over a year now, hopeing that the next OS release would correct the problem, but it hasn't.
Any ideas?

In another thread, I found a suggestion to use Disk Utility to check and fix the thumb drive. I did this and there was a minor directory proablem withe the drive. Lo and behold, it now works!

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Copying files to flash drive problem... really weird

for some reason whenever i try to copy a folder that has a folder inside it to my flash drive or any flash drive, it says the folder already exists when infact it does not cause the drive was just formated many times.
Ex. drag folder named (photoshop) with folder (projects) inside, and some mp3s, it tells me that folder projects is already there... and copys the mp3s fine..
Whats causing this error ?

mh434 wrote:
I've looked at dozens of complaints about this, spanning several years, but I haven't found a solution.
I have a complilation of songs on my PC (Win7 64) on iTunes (version 11.1.5.5). I've been trying to find a way to copy my favorite playlist & contents to a memory card or flash drive.
Every piece of advice I've seen says to highlight, drag, and drop from iTunes into the other drive. Of course, there ARE no external drives visible in iTunes. It doesn't recognize any non-Apple devices or drives. So, drag n' drop is impossible.
So, I thought I'd try to do it outside of iTunes. Nope - all of my music files on my PC are linked to iTunes...when I try to locate any of my music, iTunes automatically launches, and no other drives are accessible.
So, I thought I'd try exporting my favorite playlist & contents. However, nowhere can I find out if this will delete the playlist in iTunes at the same time (which, obviously, I don't want to do, as I'd lose the music on my iPad and iPhone at the next synch).
Can anyone help with this?
Thanks,
Mike
Mike,
Arrange your screen so that iTunes is open in half the screen, and the folder representing the flash drive is open in the other half.
Highlight the tracks you want in iTunes. Drag them from there to the open folder.

Error copying files from flash drive

I'm not entirely sure this is a Windows compatibility problem, but it seems plausible. We have an external USB drive that is used to carry files back and forth between home, where we have a MacBook, and my husband's job, where he has a Windows machine. He has had a problem on several occasions copying files between the external drive and the hard drive. If he copies an entire folder, the copy will sometimes throw an error and then abort the copy process. This then results in anything that previously existed in the target folder and didn't get copied being completely wiped out (instead of them just being left there).
I was able to replicate this behavior for the local copy of the files that are now on our hard drive, just trying to copy to another folder on the hard drive. The error message I saw was a "File in Use" error on a file that was definitely not open in any application, and then the aborted copy process (and the complete erasure of any files that previously were there). It was intermittent: I had a successful copy-and-paste of the folder once, and another that displayed the error behavior.
Other info:
I can copy using "cp -r" on the command line, this only happens with the Finder.
The file that I saw the "File in Use" error on has an extended attribute set (I noticed this due to the "@" sign at the end of the permissions). When I look at it, it is a com.apple.FinderInfo attribute but I don't know what the values/fields mean.
The files all show the username & group name from the Windows system my husband uses at work (we haven't set any groups at home -- the files show "staff" as the group so I presume this is from the Windows system).
Some of the files were originally created on the Windows machine, others originally on the Mac machine.
The external hard drive is formatted as MS-DOS (FAT32).
I'm thinking there is some permissions issue between the Mac attributes and the Windows attributes that is causing the copy to fail (ungracefully) but that's a theory and I don't know how to fix it. Thanks for the help.

I never did figure out why the files wouldn't copy over. Eventually, I deleted them and reformatted the drive. I don't know if that "fixed" anything, and I have not tried to copy such large files from the Mac to drive or vice-versa, but the drive seems to be fine. So, the problem and the solution remain a mystery!

Problem Copying to USB Flash Drive

I have a 2GB USB Flash Drive and successfully copied about 100 JPEGS (61 MB) by dragging them from iPhoto onto the flash drive.
I cannot drag any more photos. I get a message "not enough free space." However, if I go to "Get Info," it shows that the flash drive has a capacity of 1.86 GB; available space of 1.8 GB; and used space of 61 MB. Thus, there is plenty of space left on the drive.
Still, it will not accept any additional files – "not enough space available." What gives?
Thank you

It's likely that the Flash Drive is FAT32 formatted and you are exceeding the number of files allowed at the root level of the drive. Try creating a folder(s) on the drive and putting the photos in it (them).
HTH,
Frank

How and where can i get an os installer file to copy to a flash drive

I replaced a bad hard drive for a friend and need an os to copy to a flash drive cause her cd/dvd is not working

You purchase the OS, then clone it to the flash drive like here. If we knew what OS you were planning to use, then we could be more specific about what to do.
Make Your Own Mavericks, Mountain/Lion Installer
After downloading the installer you must first save the Install Mac OS X application. After the installer downloads DO NOT click on the Install button. Go to your Applications folder and make a copy of the installer. Move the copy into your Downloads folder. Now you can click on the Install button. You must do this because the installer deletes itself automatically when it finishes installing.
2. Get a USB flash drive that is at least 8 GBs. Prep this flash drive as follows:
Open Disk Utility in your Utilities folder.
After DU loads select your flash drive (this is the entry with the mfgr.'s ID and size) from the leftside list. Under the Volume Scheme heading set the number of partitions from the drop down menu to one. Set the format type to Mac OS Extended (Journaled.) Click on the Options button, set the partition scheme to GUID then click on the OK button. Click on the Partition button and wait until the process has completed.
Select the volume you just created (this is the sub-entry under the drive entry) from the left side list.
Click on the Erase tab in the DU main window.
Set the format type to Mac OS Extended (Journaled.) Click on the Options button, check the button for Zero Data and click on OK to return to the Erase window.
Click on the Erase button. The format process can take up to an hour depending upon the flash drive size.
3. Use DiskMaker X to put your installer clone onto the USB flash drive.
Make your own Mavericks flash drive installer using the Mavericks tool:
You can also create a Mavericks flash drive installer via the Terminal. Mavericks has its own built-in installer maker you use via the Terminal:
You will need a freshly partitioned and formatted USB flash drive with at least 8GBs. Leave the name of the flash drive at the system default, "Untitled." Do not change this name. Open the Terminal in the Utilities folder. Copy this command line after the prompt in the Terminal's window:
sudo /Applications/Install\ OS\ X\ Mavericks.app/Contents/Resources/createinstallmedia --volume /Volumes/Untitled --applicationpath /Applications/Install\ OS\ X\ Mavericks.app --nointeraction
Press RETURN. Enter your admin password when prompted. It will not be echoed to the screen so be careful to enter it correctly. Press RETURN, again.
Wait for the process to complete which will take quite some time.

Copied images from flash drive and they are invisible. how do I make them visible

I have copied some image files (jpeg format) from a flash drive onto my imac. When I go to view the images they do not appear. When I try to copy them again, there is a message that I cannot modify invisible images. These images were originally downloaded to a windows-based computer and copied to the flash drive. Is there a way to make these image files visible? I am trying to use them for a website. Thanks!

Open Terminal in the Utilities folder. Enter at the prompt:
chflags nohidden
After the word "hidden" put a space and type in the path to and name of the file. For example, if they are on the Desktop: chflags nohidden ~/Desktop/name_of_file. Include the file's extension. Press RETURN. If all the files have the same extensions, then use chflags nohidden ~/Desktop/*.jpg or *.jpeg.

How can I view email that was copied to a flash drive?

I Copied the v2 file to a flash drive a while back. There are a few emails that I would like to search for. How may I do this?

From the Mail menu bar, select
File ▹ Import Mailboxes...
Choose Apple Mail as the format and import from the mailboxes in the folder you copied to the flash drive. The imported messages will appear in a new mailbox. Move the ones you want to keep wherever you like and delete the rest.

Down load files to flash drive/ mac book

down loading music files onto flash drive so they are aranged the same as music library

OK. I did.
But here is the problem, it still doesn't save certain file on the flash drive. Most of the files are either jpg.,cwk.,pdf., or mov.
The mov. won't even play. It works fine when i save files from a windows computer, but not when i save from my mac.
I really have no idea why its doing this. I am aware that certain file can't be opened from a mac to a window, but i just don't know why, when i place a file into the flash drive icon and try to re-open it, it says the error message again (On my mac).
Thanks.

2006 iMac running 10.4 OS. I copied files to ext. drive. Put in 10.6 disc and did a clean install (format) of 10.6. Copied data from ext. drive back to Mac. I didn't get all the files. CAN I REVERT BACK TO THE 10.4 OS SO I CAN COPY MY DATA PROPERLY?

2006 iMac running 10.4 OS. I copied files to ext. drive. Put in 10.6 disc and did a clean install (format) of 10.6. Copied data from ext. drive back to Mac. I didn't get all the files. CAN I REVERT BACK TO THE 10.4 OS SO I CAN COPY MY DATA PROPERLY?

How did you copy files to the external drive, and what files did you copy? Did you drag and drop in the Finder? Use a clone utility? What files did not successfully copy?
If you reformatted the drive as part of your install, then you won't be able to recover any files from the drive. Reverting back to (reinstalling) 10.4 will not help you.
Do you have a complete-drive backup of your old system?
Matt

I bought win 8.1 to unstall, but my dvd player/disk wasn't recognized. I then copied it to flash drive in the ISO mode and it still wouldn't work ...any help?

I bought win 8.1 to unstall, but my dvd player/disk wasn't recognized. I then copied it to flash drive in the ISO mode and it still wouldn't work ...any help?

If you are trying to install Windows on your Mac, that way won't work.
Read the entire manual before proceeding > manuals.info.apple.com/MANUALS/1000/MA1636/en_US/boot_camp_install-setup_10.8.pd f\
The Boot Camp setup assistant is located in your Applications > Utilites folder.

Problem Stopping Finder Copy to USB Flash Drive

I was attempting to copy my Pictures folder (about 4.5 GB) to a USB flash drive. It seemed to copy OK until it got about a third of the way through and then stalled. I selected the stop copy on the dialog box but nothing happened and the copy dialog box just became grayed out. I could not eject the flash drive either. When I used the Command-Option-Escape key combination, I was given the option to relaunch the Finder, which I selected but then was just left without the ability to use the Finder at all. I resorted to pressing the power button to shutdown and then restarted and was able to eject the flash drive.
Is the Finder capable of copying a file of this size? What causes Finder to freeze up on a copy operation? How else could I have stopped the Finder copying process once it hung? Thanks.
Regards,
Steve M.

Before trying the Safe Boot, I tried a different experiment. I just tried using the Finder to Duplicate the Pictures folder. It duplicated fine without problems. Then I repaired permissions on my internal disk and did a repair disk on my flash drive (no repairs needed). Then I tried to copy my Pictures folder to my flash drive again and the process hung right about at 600 MB of data transferred.
I know I'm using USB 1 and that's a slow connection. My previous flash drive was only a 1 GB so I typically never transferred very large files before. I think Finder is working as it should and that I am bumping up against some problem with USB 1 transfers or with the flash drive itself (it is formatted Mac OS extended). I'm using a powered USB hub to plug the drive into and I know the hub is working fine. I guess I could try connecting directly to a USB port on the iMac to see if that helps.
Regards,
Steve M.

Copy/Save file to flash drive

I am trying to create a script where the user can initiate a
download/Save/copy of a stored file from my HDD to a flash drive.
It would seem that baCopyProgressFile would be ideal for this
situation, but I am authoring on a Intel MBP and it does not appear
that Buddy API is compatible with Intel Macs at this time. I only
need this projector to display on this MBP (this is really just a
quick proof of concept project that will be run locally), so any
suggestions or alternatives would be very helpful. Thanks.

> By main directory, I mean the directory where the
director project resides. I
> would like to copy a movie from this directory to the
root of the flash drive
> directory.
I'm still not understanding you. You want to copy a file from
the
directory where the projector is, or a sub-directory?
If you want to copy from a sub-directory, try something like:
on mouseUp me
tSource = "@/movies/480p.mov"
tDest = "/Volumes/bb/480p.mov"
OK = baCopyFileProgress(tSource, tDest, "IfNewer", "Copying
Movie to
disk...", "Cancel", 0)
if OK <> 0 then alert string(OK)
end
> I updated the code with yours, and now when I run the
movie, it gives me an
> error stating:
> Script error: String expected
> Alert OK
> 5
My mistake. I assumed that when you use 'alert' whatever you
are
alerting is auto-cast to a string. Try the above instead.
> If I adjust the code so that it copies the file from the
projects directory
> and pastes it into the same, then the file will copy
with the progress bar and
> after the copy is complete it gives me the same error
message as above, only
> with a '0' instead of a 5.
If you look in the docs for Buddy API, 0 means the operation
succeeded
and 5 means "Couldn't create directory for Dest file"
(suggesting your
destination path is incorrect)
Since you already use Buddy API I suggest you use a
combination of
baDiskList() and baDiskInfo(disk, "type") to determine which
is your
Flash drive and then use that disk as your root for copying.
For example:
on mouseUp me
lDisks = baDiskList()
lTargets = []
repeat with aDisk in lDisks
if baDiskInfo(aDisk, "type") = "Removable" then
-- found (potential) target
lTargets.append(aDisk)
end if
end repeat
case count(lTargets) of
0: -- no removable drives available to copy to
alert "Drive not found"
1:
tSource = "@/movies/480p.mov"
tDest = lTargets[1] & "480p.mov"
me.mCopyFile(tSource, tDest)
otherwise:
-- more than one removable drive available
-- you'll need to create a routine to determine
-- which one you want to copy to, or present the user with
-- a selection they can choose from
end case
end
on mCopyFile me, aSource, aDestination
OK = baCopyFileProgress(aSource, aDestination, "IfNewer",
"Copying
Movie to disk...", "Cancel", 0)
if OK <> 0 then alert string(OK)
end

How to sync files between flash drive .

I have a 4 gig flash drive and create files at school and on my iMac. I start the year off will all of my classes having separate folders with additonal folders to orginize such as a project name or homework and copy that folder "school work" to my flash drive so i have the same thing. But as the year goes on and I have more homework it is confusing to know which device the file is on (computer or flash) I do not want to use drop box or google docs or any other online service. The school does not allow that and I don' want it. Just the flash drive. On the pc I coded in visuel basic (08) a program that on the desktop when clicked on when launched there was 2 buttons. Copy flash drive contents to computer ( folder school work) and it added new content ( merge) rather than replacing whole folder with the whole flash drive. And vice versa with computer to flash drive. It worked but not efficiently. I know the Mac can do better. Can someone please tell me what to do? I would like it when the flash drive. (NOT JUST ANY FLASHDRIVE BUT THAT FLASDRIVE) is plugged in to sync and merge the data so they are iddentical. Using Automator or AppleScript. Please help any advice would be very much appreciated. Also. I have Last years data for school and some other files on there and want to start it fresh with nothing on it so i can create the folder school work.should i just delete all the files manually ( I have no problem doing that) or use disk utility? What is the advantage of disk utility and will It harm the flash drive in any way ( such as making it Mac os extend instead of fat32? I need it fat 32 for all the PCs at school. Thank you in advance

Here's a pretty thorough rundown on the options available: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Revision_control
A very simple solution is to get a Dropbox account. Then you can keep the file(s) in your dropbox and have them available in class or at home. Remember to make a backup on a regular basis.

Odd -- Can't Move Around Files on Flash Drive

I've encountered a strange issue in the last couple days. I've searched the forum and couldn't find anything; pardon me if this has come up before.
I keep lots of files on a 2GB Geek Squad USB drive and I use it all the time. Recently, I've sometimes been unable to move files around within the drive itself. If I try to drag a file to a new folder, for example, the pointer gets that white "do not enter" sign underneath it. This doesn't happen all the time -- I was just able to move a file into a new folder that earlier today I could not move.
Even when this happens I can still seemingly copy files to and from the drive, just not move them around inside the drive itself.
I have read and write permissions on this drive. When the problem occurs I check and I still have the permissions (that is, it doesn't mysteriously switch itself on and off). It's formatted FAT16.
Can anyone take a guess as to why it lets me move files sometimes and other times it doesn't?
Thanks!

Well, FAT16 does work up to 2GB, so it might be fine.
As to your question about the 256/512 entries, sorry, that's over my head!
When you open the Flash Drive on the Mac, how many items, (files & folders), are there visible at the top level? Some FAT16 implementations have a limit of 256 entries at the top level, (folders can have more in them), other FAT16 implementations have a 512 item limit.
I'd try Disk Utility on the Mac to Format/Erase one to FAT32 and see if that helps, or if it's not needed for use with PCs, Format it MacOS Extended.

Files on flash drive turn to gibberish

I'm trying to copy some files onto a 32gb flash drive that I erased and formatted to MS-DOS but some of them get corrupted. They're mostly empty aliases but there are a few that show up as these large files. Here's an example of a folder that should've been 11 MP3s that turned into 20+ files.
The files can't be deleted. When I empty the trash I get the little progress bar that says it's deleting them but they're still there. And the affected files seem to be random. It's not like everything after a certain point gets messed up; it's hit or miss. I haven't had a problem with the drive until now. Any ideas?

As the files are the drive are questionable at best, formatting is an option.
I am assuming you want to use it to share with a Windows system as you chose MS-DOS.
Use a Windows system to format the drive as ExFAT (Mac will format as ExFAT but Windws dislikes Mac's view of an ExFAT format).
Or possibly (probably?) bad drive. But you can try the format first.

Problems copying files to Flash Drive

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