nikonlad Loc: Venice, FL

I have two 500g external drives that are full. I would like to transfer these to a new 1.5 tetrabyte drive and then back that one up.
I would like to use my computer to make the transfer, but I don't have enough hard drive space on it to store the 500g before transfer.
Am I missing something or could someone tell me how to solve this problem?
Thanks

Wahawk Loc: NE IA

Just connect one of the 500gb drives along with the 1.5 to your computer, then copy from the 500 to the 1.5. When it is done copying, eject the 500, remove and connect the 2nd drive and copy that one!

nikonlad Loc: Venice, FL

Thanks for the fast reply.
UHH the best. :thumbup:

phil7782 Loc: Rancho Cucamonga, CA

Just use your computer as the DATA HANDLER, not the TEMPORARY STORAGE.

CONNECT both the SOURCE DRIVE (500 GB) and the TARGET DRIVE (1.5 TB) to the computer and copy from the SOURCE directly TO the TARGET.

COPY !! DO NOT MOVE the files...

THEN, after copy is complete, CHECK that ALL the files made it to the TARGET DRIVE BEFORE Removing and/or Erasing the SOURCE DRIVE.

Repeat with the Second SOURCE DRIVE.

AFTER you copy all files from the SOURCE DRIVES, you can manipulate the TARGET DRIVE'S Directory Structure the way that you want.

Make sure you have EVERYTHING where you want it before DELETING any of the ORIGINAL Source Files.

Phil

File Copy Procedure

nikonlad Loc: Venice, FL

Thanks Phil

phil7782 Loc: Rancho Cucamonga, CA

I don't know how important these photos are to you, but for the irreplaceable ones, you might want to consider off-line storage such as a Cloud Server. Their servers are VERY secure.

For some weird quantum physics technical reason, hard drives actually lose more date by just sitting and NOT being used.

Hard drives NEED to be "exercised" to keep the data "resilient".

Do a Google search of Data Archiving and you may see that Digital Archiving is a very involved process and there are a lot of gotcha's.

BTW, your little "dog" in your avatar looks pretty vicious. Have you thought of obedience training? ;-)

Phil

nikonlad Loc: Venice, FL

I've been using hard drive storage for about ten years. The back-up the back-up system has always worked for me; even with
some failures.
I have never found where these little darlings enter my house.
Three in one week recently. As with all the others, this one
became very docile after I kissed him with my hammer.

Joecosentino Loc: Whitesboro, New York

Problem, my mothers back up was everything I need is in a bag by the bed, while the house burned down she got out but she never took the bag, there isn't much time in a fire. So if your data isn't stored somewhere other then hard drives in your house you really don't have data at all. That's the wy it is now days.

But 30 years ago there was just the wedding album, if it was last damaged or destroyed well there were tears shed and we all moved on. So we all grew up with no backup plan and somehow we all survived

As far as moving your files do what others have suggested, I am currently coping to a 4 TB WD external drive. I use crash plan for my online back up and have almost 2 TB 's of data stored with them

ZappaMan Loc: Williamsport, MD

I believe copying files to archival DVD is a good approach for storing files with less activity. I store images chronologically then use LightRoom or Aperture to categorize based on keywords. When I have a DVD worth I copy it off to DVD and keep it in a safe place. I currently still have room for everything on drives I have running but if space gets low I will look at how often I access the oldest material and free space by moving the active copy to a DVD or removable/external hard drive which I can store.

phil7782 Loc: Rancho Cucamonga, CA

Here is some technical info on writable CD's and DVD's.

Program DVD's/CD's that you buy already coded are written differently than the DVD-R's and C-R's you "write yourself.

Pre-written CD's / DVD's are actually "pressed" by pushing hot plastic onto a "negative" mold stamp. This data is truly permanent as it is a physical imprint of microscopic holes (dents) along a very narrow track in the plastic substrate. The smooth/dent transition reflects/deflects the laser beam when reading, being interpreted as 1's and 0's...

DVD's / CD's you write yourself use a completely different technology.

A LASER is used to "phase change" the layer of dye that is on the substrate from reflective to non-reflective. The LASER actually heats the dye to make the change.

Therefore excess heat will degrade and even destroy the data by changing adjacent areas to non-reflective. Granted, it takes quite a bit of heat, but as with anything exposed to even low heat over a long time, degradation CAN take place.

ONE WAY to improve the resiliency of the data on your CD-R/DVD-R is you record at a LOWER SPEED. The LASER then is allowed to rest "longer" on a Data Bit and make the Phase Change of the Dye Layer "stronger".

When you double the speed of recording, the data bit is receiving only ONE-FOURTH of the energy. This is the Law of Squares.

I have seen this effect sometimes when I buy the "discount" CD-R's/DVD-R's at Big Lots and such.

I sometimes get a "write failed" at the default speed, but at the slowest speed the write is successful.

So, it may take longer, but you can be assured that the data is written "harder" onto the disc.

However, you can shop around for "archive quality" CD-R's/DVD-R's.

These are more expensive, but they have a bit different chemistry that is less susceptible to data loss.

Hope this helps.

Phil

jeep_daddy Loc: Prescott AZ

1 Connect both hard drives at the same time
2 Do a select ALL on the 500g hard drive
3 Drag everything over to the 1.5T drive
4 Wait 30 minutes and done

nikonlad Loc: Venice, FL

Thanks, JeepDaddy

Brian in Whitby Loc: Whitby, Ontario, Canada

The solutions offered seem viable but why would you get a 1.5 Tb drive? It will already be 2/3 full when you copy the existing files to it. Western digital and probably several other manufacturers make a 3 Tb drive which is only a little more expensive.

nikonlad Loc: Venice, FL

That is a good idea. Think I will.