Error -36 copying iPhoto, iMovie, iTunes libraries from iMac SSD

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Level 1

4 points

Error -36 copying iPhoto, iMovie, iTunes libraries from iMac SSD

Pulled an old SSD from a 27" iMac A1312 250 GB capacity. I want to copy this data onto my current Macbookpro to retrieve it (This is for my parents from my parents' old iMac whose screen and other mechanical issues were broken beyond repair). However, all the libraries (iPhotoLibrary, iMovieLibrary, and iTunesLibrary) all give me the following error code when copying over: "The Finder can’t complete the operation because some data in “iPhoto Library” can’t be read or written.

(Error code -36)"

How can I back up, copy, save or retrieve this data? Version is listed as 10.9.5 on the drive. My macbookpro is version 26.5.2.

Just to note, there are also 2 libraries for each as there were 2 users and all the libraries for the above three are located within each user. (So, user A, for example, has an iMovieLibrary, an iPhotoLibrary, and an iTunesLibrary nested within their folders for Movies, Pictures, and Music respectively, and user B has the same thing but with different sizes, so I am assuming the libraries are unique to each user and non-redundant).

MacBook Pro 14″, macOS 26.5

Posted on Nov 7, 2026 1:01 PM

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Answer 1

Nov 7, 2026 2:21 PM in response to ATLN

Error code -36 indicates an I/O Error. This could indicate a hardware issue either with the SSD itself, or the USB connection to the Mac, or it could indicate some file system corruption.

Personally I would start with making sure the SSD is healthy. Run the third party app DriveDx (free trial period) and post the complete text report here so I can examine the report for clues (Ignore the summary results). You will need to install a special USB driver in order to get access to the external USB SSD's health information.

Do you have access to another Mac from 2007 to mid-2014?

Once we have this information, then we can determine the best course of action.

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Answer 2

Nov 8, 2026 7:29 AM in response to ATLN

I/O Error sounds Generic, but is actually VERY specific.

Even after re-reading data with error correction 1,000 times, some data blocks could not be read, and their contents are unknowable. In general, Bad Blocks can not be recovered by any other means.

To focus in on which files contain blocks that are unknowable, you need to operate on only one or a few files at a time.

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The general solution is to restore the troubled files from your most recent local disk-based backup. if you have e no such backup, you are about to learn a very tough lesson.

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Answer 3

MartinR

Level 7

27,777 points

Nov 8, 2026 7:02 AM in response to ATLN

This appears to be a cross-post about the same iMac drives you inquired about in https://discussions.apple.com/thread/256389956?sortBy=oldest_first

In the other post you said you had an HDD ("hds723020bla642 3.5" 2 TB Sata 3 hdd," which is a Hitachi Deskstar). Here you're asking about an SSD. Did the iMac have 2 drives? What is the exact make/model of the SSD, what enclosure do you have it in and how is it connected to your MBPro?

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