When connecting my external hardrive to my mac, I can't copy files onto it or off of it. It gives me the message 'the operation cant be complete because you dont have permission to access some of the items' It has also been formatted to a mac.

It gives me the message 'the operation cant be complete because you dont have permission to access some of the items'
I tried to even format it to a mac to use it with time machine but it is saying i dont have ownership. I am gettin really frustrated with this, please help

Then use a proper backup application. 
Periodically using drag & drop isn't very reliable or complete, and backing-up your entire system is much better than just some selected data.  When your internal HD fails (they all do, sooner or later) or something else awful happens, reinstalling everything can be a very large, tedious, and error-prone process.  Among other things, 3rd-party apps will have to be reinstalled from the original discs or re-downloaded, and purchase keys or serial numbers re-entered.
You already have Time Machine -- it's built-in to OSX, and very easy to use.  You might want to review the Time Machine Tutorial, and perhaps browse Time Machine - Frequently Asked Questions.
And/or, you can use a 3rd-party "cloning" application such as SuperDuper or CarbonCopyCloner.   See Time Machine vs. Clones and Archives for an overview of the differences.

Similar Messages

  • The operation cant be completed because you dont have permission to access some of the items

    First of all sorry if my gammar isnt the best, as I suffer for Dylexia and spell and gammar check isnt that good yet!
    Has anyone ran into the same issue when copying files to a network share or removable drive where you have full access over and you get a good old error message
    "operation cant be completed because you dont have permission to access some of the items" or and apple random number code that you need to good (so much for a good gui with having to google for the number codes!)
    It really annoyes me as no matter what operating system you use it never outputs a reports to inform what "items" it has issues with and there locations so you can copy them manually.
    its not too bad when its a few items but when it is 50 or so items in several folders you are copying and the os decedes it doesnt like you and makes up an poor error message such as the one above I really want to throw it out the window...
    I have check for premissions on the destination and all are ok .
    i have also check and none of the files are locked or read only.
    I am sure I am not the only one who want the OS to explain what file and its location caused the issue.
    Does anyone know the fix or uses tools that bypass the os annoying errors.
    As the folder I have been trying to copy has only copied 348 of the 1591 files across.
    Thanks for the help!

    that1coolkid,
    which Terminal “trick” have you already tried?

  • "File cant be opened because you dont have permission to use it"

    Im suddenly getting this message on all the photos stored in my computer:  "File cant be opened because you dont have permission to use it"   If I click on 'Get Info' for pics, the "Sharing and Permissions" doesnt open either.  Im OS X 10.7.3   Help!

    Repairing the permissions of a home folder in Lion is a complicated procedure. I don’t know of a simpler one that always works.
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    chmod -R -N ~
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    sudo !!
    You'll be prompted for your login password, which won't be displayed when you type it. You may get a one-time warning not to screw up.
    Next, boot from your recovery partition by holding down the key combination command-R at startup. Release the keys when you see a gray screen with a spinning dial.
    When the recovery desktop appears, select Utilities ▹ Terminal from the menu bar.
    In the Terminal window, enter “resetpassword” (without the quotes) and press return. A Reset Password window opens.
    Select your boot volume if not already selected.
    Select your username from the menu labeled Select the user account if not already selected.
    Under Reset Home Directory Permissions and ACLs, click the Reset button.
    Select  ▹ Restart from the menu bar.

  • Refusing to download because I dont have permission to access some of data

    when I am prompted to move icon to app folder the replace window pops up and when I hit the yes key another popup tells me I dont have permission to access some of the data

    If you get an error message that you do not have sufficient permissions or if you have problems with updating then easiest is to download the full version and trash the currently installed version to do a clean install of the new version.
    Download a new copy of the Firefox program and save the DMG file to the desktop
    * Firefox 4.0.x: http://www.mozilla.com/en-US/firefox/all.html
    * Trash the current Firefox application to do a clean (re-)install
    * Install the new version that you have downloaded
    Your profile data is stored elsewhere in the [http://kb.mozillazine.org/Profile_folder_-_Firefox Firefox Profile Folder], so you won't lose your bookmarks and other personal data.

  • HT4528 On connecting my iphone5 to my windows7 pc I am not able to open the iphone folder from my computers. It says "you dont have permission to access this phone"

    On connecting my iphone5 to my windows7 pc I am not able to open the iphone folder from my computers. It says "you dont have permission to access this phone"

    I'm not sure what you're asking.  Are you writing a program that results in the error when you test it?  (This is the developer forum).

  • Operation could not be completed because you dont have access to some files

    Hi guys,
    Recently since an update not long ago ever since i have been trying to copy stuff into my NAS (Thecus N5200) it comes up with a problem saying
    "Operation could not be completed because you do not have access to some files"
    I have read some places who say that this is due to some permission errors or some of the files get locked somehow and means you cant copy it properly however i have checked these files and it is not the case. I have looked online and even called up Apple to see what they could tell me but even they said that they havent had any calls regarding this problem before. The person from Apple suggested i try doing a Disk Permissions repair and for a while it works...but 5 minutes later it happens again.
    What can i do to fix it? I will be extremely unhappy if i have to keep doing this every time i copy something. Sometimes Repair Disk Permissions wont change a **** thing. This is ******** because its never happened before and only started recently

    sorry for the long correspondance. I sort of "forgot" about this thread and was using usb to transfer files (which is quite annoying).
    AFP is enabled which means i believe it is connecting to the server through AFP. The funny thing is that it copies pretty much all the way to the end and then says "operation could not be completed because you dont have access to some files" . Im not sure what it has to do with disk permissions but sometimes it helps and sometimes it doesnt.
    Thanks for the link Barney, looks like im not the only one suffering from these issues. I was connecting via smb://server before, i just tried mounting it via afp://xxx.xxx.x.xx . i will see how it goes but some people say its slower? for documents i dont mind but i hope apple comes up with a solution. i dont want to be copying large tv show files to the server at anything less than what i was getting before
    edit: i just looked at the logs of previous connections with servers on the mac and i found there was a difference between how i mounted this server recently and it a while back. recently i had been trying to connect using smb://n5200 and in the past before snowleopard it had been smb://N5200. I tried once again to connect using smb://N5200 and it works flawlessly (for the moment). im going to keep trying to copy different files to see if its "fixed". perhaps the introduction of snowleopard made the OS more picky about capitals.
    i shall keep you informed
    Message was edited by: nairdajun

  • I have version 3.5.11 and want to update to the most current firefox. I download but when I try to put it in my Mac applications, it says I dont have permission to access some of the items.

    I have a Mac with snow leopard. I am using firefox 3.5.11 and want to install the most current version. I downloaded it and when I try to drop it on my applications it says I don't have permission to access some of the items.
    == This happened ==
    Every time Firefox opened
    == I treid to update

    Hello Curly59,
    ''"do you want to replace the newer version that is already installed with this older one?" ''
    it is correct
    1. Download a copy of the latest firefox from http://www.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/all.html
    2. '''Trash''' the current Firefox application to do a clean install.
    3. Install the version that you have downloaded.
    Do not select to remove your personal data, your profile data is stored elsewhere in the [http://kb.mozillazine.org/Profile_folder_-_Firefox Firefox Profile Folder], so you won't lose your bookmarks or other personal data.
    see also: [https://support.mozilla.org/en-US/kb/install-firefox-mac?redirectlocale=en-US&redirectslug=Installing+Firefox+on+Mac#os=mac&browser=fx19 Installing Firefox on Mac]
    thank you

  • Why cant i empty my trash it says i don't have permission to access some of these items

    why cant i empty my trash it says i don't have permission to access some of these items

    Right click on the hard drive icon and select Get Info. (If there is no right click on your mouse, click once then type command + i - two keys together).
    This is the bottom part of the pane that comes up:
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    2. Look at your name and make sure it says "Read & Write. If it does not, change it by clicking on whatever is there.
    3. Click on the gear, and select "apply to enclosed items".
    This will take some time. When it is done close this pane.

  • You dont have permission to access the requested resource

    i cant download a video from a webpage because it tells me that i dont have permisson to access the requested resource???? I dont understand that because i can download it just fine on a pc. any help will be appreciated thanks

    In case anyone tells you to repair permissions, that's a server error.
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    From the Safari menu bar, select
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  • I have 3.0.6 and want to upgrade. Cannot do it. Message says: "operation cannot be completed because you do not have sufficient privileges for some of the items", What does that mean and how can I get upgrade to my 3.0.6 version?

    I have been trying to upgrade from my old Firefox 3.0.6 version, but I always get the same message.
    I'm on Mac OS X version 10.5.8.
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    * Download a new copy of the Firefox program: http://www.mozilla.com/firefox/all.html
    * Trash the current Firefox application to do a clean (re-)install.
    * Install the new version that you have downloaded.
    Your profile data is stored elsewhere in the [http://kb.mozillazine.org/Profile_folder_-_Firefox Firefox Profile Folder], so you won't lose your bookmarks and other personal data.

  • The folder cant be opened because you dont have permissions

    This is referring to my attempt to access my external 1TB LAcie Drive
    The only thing i can think of is that i have recently renamed the Drive on my dektop
    It holds only data and no apps
    Welcome advice or pointers to the resolution of problem

    Update
    Please ignore - me thinking i know more than i do
    i simply shut down checked cables and it worked upon restart
    a tip that i recently discovered and as a very familiar mac os user was surprised i didnt know and thus maybe others also forgot or didnt notice
    - Restart is different to ShutDown
    When you want a full system reboot you must shutdown not just restart
    Cheers

  • Error: items cant be copied to desktop, bc you dont have permission to read

    I am trying to install an adobe program via cd installation. I have a macbook air. I am using pc's cd drive through the network.
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    The Setup folder from the installation disk will not copy from the network drive to my Mac desktop.
    I get this error: "Items can't be copied to desktop because you dont have permission to read them."
    Any help is appreciated.

    Thanks for the help, Jeff.
    Everything seemed to transfer properly. A few files were read-only and would not transfer.
    But, my mac is stuck at the intial installer load-up. The small window says "Adobe Creative Suite 4 Master Collection Installer: Initializing" -- "Checking System Profile"
    The loading bar on the screen has not moved in 30 minutes. I canceled the install and started over, but the same thing happens again.
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  • Trying to reload firefox and getting this message, when moving to the applications folder: "The operation can't be completed because you don't have permission to access some of the items."

    Been having problems with Firefox/internet for several days, and all my updates seemed current. I decided to try to reload and have removed the other icons/download attempts from the app file. When I try to drag the icon into apps, I now get this message:
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    * Download a new copy of the Firefox program: http://www.mozilla.com/firefox/all.html
    * Trash the current Firefox application to do a clean (re)install.
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  • Can't move any files... "The operation can't be completed because you don't have permission to access some of the items."

    This is a strange one... I just recently did a complete format/reinstall of Lion because of very poor performance after upgrading.
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    jsd2 wrote:
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    A little dissapointed with Lion to be honest... the new features are cool but there are so many little bugs it really feels half-baked.

  • Can't save multiple folders to external drive. Get: "The operation can't be completed because you don't have permission to access some of the items." when dragging large folders to mac os extended journalled external drive from OS 10.6.8

    Hi
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    After losing an external drive [dont ask....]  -   I got  another one :  2TB WD formatted properly [ OS extended journalled for mac ] ready for action to move  my thousands of files and images and ppts in hundreds of folders across from the laptop to this drive because I travel a bit with the laptop and this is too risky not to back up at home.
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    Can anyone help ?
    Many thanks
    Julie
    15 August 2011

    hi Samberl
    thanks a lot for the fast reply.
    I was dragging folders from main folders on the laptop-desktop  onto the external drive icon - to copy them across....
    Your suggestion sounds very promising -  I didn't know about 'cloning'.
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    Would this be the sizeof the internal hard drive = c.500 gb  ?   =   under the HD icon on desktop is written  : 
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    I can erase and start agin on the new external drive - so this plan is to make two partititions, rather than the one at present, and make one of them 500 gb ?
    I have found CCC [carbon copy cloner] googling - looks good.
    When CCC site says it backs up  the hard drive - would this  mean all my files  [over 100 gb] that are mostly  in folders on the desktop, plus the others in itunes, iphotos etc found in the HD icon,  would all copy across successfully [wherever they are in the computer ]  ?
    thanks again, hope you can clarify these things and then I will go for it. 
    It would be great and amazing if this 'lack of permission' message doesn't show up in the process of doing this ccc transfer - hopeful!
    Julie

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