Passport for Mac Troubles: CR2 files won't import to my passport for Mac. It says it can't read the files. Does anyone have any experience with this type of back up drive? I've googled...

Nightski

CR2 files won't import to my passport for Mac. It says it can't read the files. Does anyone have any experience with this type of back up drive? I've googled it, but nothing seems to apply to my situation.

twr25 Loc: New Jersey

Are you using a program to transfer or doing it manual? If manual, folder or file to drive? Using a manual file transfer it shouldn't matter what kind of file extension it has. Some programs don't recognize the raw file extensions. Try opening the file location and the drive location, choose the files, slide them to the drive box.

Nightski

twr25 wrote:

Are you using a program to transfer or doing it manual? If manual, folder or file to drive? Using a manual file transfer it shouldn't matter what kind of file extension it has. Some programs don't recognize the raw file extensions. Try opening the file location and the drive location, choose the files, slide them to the drive box.

I'm using Lightroom to import my pictures from an sd card. I want to import to the passport and keep my pictures there. The mac passport doesn't want to let me rearrange the files on it either. It doesn't act like a regular hard drive. I'm really confused about how it does things.

blackest Loc: Ireland

Nightski wrote:

I'm using Lightroom to import my pictures from an sd card. I want to import to the passport and keep my pictures there. The mac passport doesn't want to let me rearrange the files on it either. It doesn't act like a regular hard drive. I'm really confused about how it does things.

can you create a folder on the drive ?

It may be a permissions problem and you can right click on the drive or folder inside and click info to find out.

ahhh is it ntfs formatted? by default macs can read ntfs but not write to ntfs drives it may be easiest just to format the drive or get a driver for ntfs read and writing. Paragon make 2 if you are on yosemite or lower it is free or i think $20.
for El kapitan

You can make an entry into fstab /etc/fstab and mount the drive read / write.

Nightski

blackest wrote:

can you create a folder on the drive ? br br It m... (show quote)

Hello blackest, I would like to ask you some questions about what you just said if you don't mind, but first let me give you a bit of information.

I just switched out a Macbook Pro with 256 mb graphics card to one with 512 mb, plus an upgrade of 1000 mb graphics card. I also have gone from 4 GB of memory to 16 GB. I went from an I5 to an I7 processor.I can run photoshop on it now.

I backed up everything on the passport before I wiped the drive of the old Macbook so it could be sold. I will be a little bummed if I have to wipe it and start fresh, but it won't be the end of the world.

I have a feeling I may have to do that. I can see my folders, but they all have this next to them. -- Folder

I selected all the folders and chose ...get info. It says that I have 117 items, 7 aliases, 10 documents, 100 folders and that I am using about 693.25 of the 2 TB drive, but I can't see any folders with nearly that amount of information in them.

Is that a permissions problem or is something wrong with the drive?

Nightski

Oh! I just right clicked on the passport to get info and it says that I can read only. Is that my problem?

Nightski

There is a little lock symbol bottom right. I can unlock it, but then it asks for my password so that finder can make changes. Should I do that or not?

Nightski

The format of the passport is Mac OS Extended(Journaled)

Nightski

I figured it out. I am importing (adding) my photos to lightroom without moving them from my passport. I had to click on the lock symbol bottom right and change permissions. I changed the admin and the wheel (group) to read and write and I left the "everyone" a just a read only file. That worked. Thank goodness it was formatted for Mac. But really, I am not surprised that it was because it let me back up my old Macbook Pro to the drive. Something got messed up and I'm sure I did it. I have no idea how I did it. LOL

blackest Loc: Ireland

Nightski wrote:

I figured it out. I am importing (adding) my photo... (show quote)

Well from what you have said the drive was on the mac pro and the files belong to that mac pro user.

Now you added that drive to your new mac which knows nothing about that mac pro's user but knows that the files do not belong to you! So you raised your status from user to administrator and was able to grant yourself access to these files.

The way a unix based operating system works is you have the essential processes run by root and then there are users which have more limited permissions. There are other users as well limited to working with certain files. This separation of roles and power is what helps keep the system from being compromised.

So normally you just need access to your stuff and any programs you run have your permissions this limits the damage that can be done.

Nightski

blackest wrote:

Well from what you have said the drive was on the ... (show quote)

Do you think I made the right choices? I wasn't sure what wheel meant but I read a little bit about it on the Internet and it sounded like there were some applications that needed wheel to be able to read and write in order to work. It sounded like the "everyone" could be closed off with a read-only permission. What you say makes sense. I did back up my old MacBook Pro with this external drive. I'm not sure I fully understand it but I hope I haven't opened myself up to any problems with security on the Internet. No one uses my MacBook Pro except for me. this is what my sharing in permissions box looks like.

system read & write
wheel read & write
everyone read only

blackest Loc: Ireland

Nightski wrote:

Do you think I made the right choices? I wasn't su... (show quote)

yes I think you did a great job, and i don't think you have opened yourself up to security problems on the internet.

This cnet article may be interesting, it is mostly what i suggested but easier to read and adds a useful titbit there is a checkbox for turn off ownership on external drives. Thats in the info window bottom left corner.
http://www.cnet.com/uk/news/solving-read-only-conditions-for-external-hard-drives/

You can also repair Disk permissions with the disk utility
http://osxdaily.com/2015/01/13/repair-disk-permissions-mac-os-x/ but i'm a little wary of doing so.

flyguy Loc: Las Cruces, New Mexico

Nightski wrote:

Oh! I just right clicked on the passport to get info and it says that I can read only. Is that my problem?

Yes!!! This is the problem and in the info panel at bottom in sharing and permissions change it read and write for the admin account that you set up and you should be back in business.

flyguy Loc: Las Cruces, New Mexico

Nightski wrote:

I figured it out. I am importing (adding) my photo... (show quote)

If you have up-dated your OS recently the permissions on the external drive could have been changed inadvertently. I had that problem with one of my drives because I hadn't set it up properly for the Mac file system when I first installed it.

A good reference book that explains file systems, groups, and permissions on the Mac is "A Practical Guide to Unix for Mac OS X Users." Another good book for maintaining your system is "The Mac OS X Command Line Unix Under the Hood."

burkphoto Loc: High Point, NC

Nightski wrote:

I'm using Lightroom to import my pictures from an sd card. I want to import to the passport and keep my pictures there. The mac passport doesn't want to let me rearrange the files on it either. It doesn't act like a regular hard drive. I'm really confused about how it does things.

Is it formatted as "Mac OS X Extended, Journaled"? (It should be.) Use Disk Utility to find out.

If it's in an MS-DOS format (FAT 16, FAT 32, or EXFAT), that could be the issue.

When is the last time you used Disk Utility to test your drives and repair permissions?