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How to Move iPhoto files to an External Hard Drive?

Currently I have one an external hard drive that backs up with Time Machine. And, I just bought an OWC Mercury Elite-Al Pro 500 GB external hard drive, I am planning to use this one to store files on so that I can free up space on my hard drive. I have way too many pictures, so I want to move the majority of them to the external hard drive, while still keeping some on my computer. I have no idea how to do and would appreciate a step-by-step guide, so that I don't mess it up! Also, I have a bunch of older pictures on CDs that I would like to copy on to my computer and then move to the external hard drive. How should I go about this...Should I do this first? Thanks!

MacBook, Mac OS X (10.5.8)

Posted on Mar 31, 2010 3:43 PM

24 replies

jamaes22 Author

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Apr 4, 2010 2:45 PM in response to Yer_Man

I am not computer savvy at all, so this is all new to me...Do I need to buy a "back up utility that does not sync the deletions with the Back Up?"

Yer_Man

Level 10

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Apr 4, 2010 11:38 PM in response to jamaes22

There are many such applications available from MacUpdate

Regards

TD

jamaes22 Author

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Apr 5, 2010 7:16 AM in response to Yer_Man

Thanks, that website is quite helpful. Once I download a backup, I am confused about what to do. I have the two EHDs - one running time machine, the other with my entire iPhoto library on it (Note: I still have my entire iPhoto library on my internal HD, as I am nervous about deleting thousands of pix without having everything in place first). Which EHD would I be backing up to? And, if my iPhoto library is on the EHD how does that work? Thanks

jamaes22 Author

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Apr 5, 2010 7:18 AM in response to jamaes22

p.s. is there any specific backup you recommend?

Yer_Man

Level 10

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Apr 5, 2010 12:37 PM in response to jamaes22

In this scenario you will need three HDs.

One for Time Machine
One for the Library
One for the Library Back up.

FOr backing up the Library I would use an app like DejaVu

FWIW: My back up routine:

My Library lives on my iMac. It’s Backed up to two external hard disks every day.

These disks are permanently attached to the iMac. These back ups run automatically. One is done by Time Machine, one is a bootable back up done by SuperDuper

It’s also backed up to a portable hard disk when ever new photos are added. This hard disk lives in my car. For security, this disk is password protected. For this job I use DejaVu because it makes a simple back up that is clear and can be tested easily without doing an full restore.

I have a second off-site back up at a relative’s house across town. That’s updated every 3 or 4 months.

My Photos are backed up online. Personally I use SmugMug but there are many options including flickr. However, check the terms of your account carefully. While most sites have free uploading, you will often find that these uploads are limited in terms of the file size, or the bandwidth you can use per month. For access that allows you to upload full size pics with no restrictions you will need to pay.

Every couple of months I test the back ups to make sure they are working correctly. It’s very easy to mis-configure a back up application, and the only way to protect against that is to do a restore.

Regards

TD

jamaes22 Author

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Apr 5, 2010 2:03 PM in response to Yer_Man

This is becoming quite complicated! There's really no other way to do this without buying another EHD? I bought blank DVDs and was going to copy my pictures onto the DVDs as a back-up, but when I insert the DVD in to my macbook it pops it right back out (I assume this is because I have the macbook without DVD writing capabilities? [MacBook Mac OS X version 10.5.8]).

What's the difference between an external hard disk and and an external hard dive?

LarryHN

Level 10

106,110 points

Apr 5, 2010 2:20 PM in response to jamaes22

If you want TM then you must have a HD for it to use (are at least a partition of a HD that is 2.5 times larger than you main drive

If you want the iPhoto library on an EHD then you must have an external hard drive (or a partition of ad HD that is large enough to hold your iPhoto library as it grows - probably 100 GB minimum for safety for most people)

If those two requirements do not fit on one hard drive then you need two

And if you want a backup in addition to TM (which I do and recommend) then you need a hard drive for that - so you need at least two HDs, one large enough to hold the TM backup plus the iPhoto library in different partitions) and another one for your additional backup - so at least two and probably three external drives

LN

Ropples

Level 1

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Jun 21, 2010 8:25 AM in response to jamaes22

My question is, will I-Photo run an library, but WITHOUT moving it back to my lap top? Is this the question that was posed?

I have lightroom, and I can run it with most of my photos on a backup harddrive. I can't seem to locate an answer as to whether or not I photo 08 will do this!??

Anyone?

MadisonP

Level 5

4,832 points

Jun 21, 2010 12:56 PM in response to Ropples

If I understand you correctly your iPhoto Library is on an external drive and you want to know if you can use the iPhoto Library is on that drive.

Yes you can.
__I would highly recommend you make sure that drive is Mac OS Extended format before using your library on it. Click on the external drive icon and go to File > Get Info. Note the format. If the drive is not Mac formatted and you are going to use it exclusively with your Mac, move all the files off and reformat it to Mac OS Extended and then put your files back.

To use the iPhoto Library on the external drive, hold down the option key, keep holding it, and launch iPhoto. Choose the library on the external.

How to Move iPhoto files to an External Hard Drive?