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File sizes change when copied in Mountian Lion

I transfer video media from SD and Express Cards directly onto raid drives for a safe backup. I click "Get Info" to verify the exact size of folders in bytes. If the number of bytes (often in the trillions) is identical, I can be confident that the files are identical. HOWEVER, NOT IN MOUNTAIN LION. For some reason this new operating system now includes its own added-on files in its calculations of file size. Can someone tell me how to turn this off?


I am also concerned about the integrity of the original files. These are my "camera originals". I do not want them altered in any way!


I contacted Applecare. The supervisor I spoke with there was unable to assist me with this.


Thanks for any insight.

MacBook Pro, OS X Mountain Lion, bytes added to copied folders

Posted on Jul 29, 2012 4:49 PM

Reply
6 replies

Jul 29, 2012 5:26 PM in response to sbfilm

If I understand what you are observing, then I don't see the problem you are seeing.

I copied a folder and the 78 RAW Image files it contains from an SDXC card to my hard drive.

In the screen shot the left is the folder on the SDXC card, the right is on the hard Drive.

There is no disagrement.


User uploaded file

Perhaps I'm missing some detail about what you did/observed??

Jul 29, 2012 5:52 PM in response to Steve Holton

Thanks for your response Steve,


I haven't tested this with photographs, but I'm surprised that you don't have the same issue with them. Are you in Mountain Lion? What you show is exactly what I've been counting on for years now to verify my transfers of media.


I drag and drop the entire contents of the camera card (as apparently you did) onto the target folder. When the transfer is complete I right click and Get Info to check the byte size. When transfering BPAV folders from an XDCAM camera, at first one size appears, then it is immediately changed to another, kilobytes larger size.


I'll try with another camera to make sure. It's mysterious to me that a Nikon would be different...

Jul 29, 2012 7:03 PM in response to Steve Holton

Interesting. I tried transfering material from two other cameras a Panasonic GH2 and a Canon XA10. This issue did not occur. Only XDCAM media seems to exhibit the problem. What is strange is that it occurs only after I click "Get Info". The correct, identical file size first appears, then seconds later is replaced by the larger number.


I thought this might be Mountain Lion adding location information, thumbnails or such to the files (and that this add-on might also occur with the master clips on the card—I normally lock the cards after filming until I have verified the files on the raid array), but no, even on an unlocked card the original files appear to be unaltered, size-wise. My next potentail culprit, an incompatibility with Sony's Cinemon plug-in, which allows viewing of XDCAM files from Finder, would seem to be ruled out by this.


I'm baffled.

Jul 30, 2012 9:45 AM in response to sbfilm

Well I guess I'm baffled too, but it would seem that someting is different with the file structure with the XDCAM. I'm a strictly still photographer.


The fact that it appears to change once you do a get info, suggests that either:

Get Info is now looking at the file structure differently than before in calculating the size

or

There is a bug in ML Get Info for these files.


You might want to submit a bug report which you can do hear: http://bugreport.apple.com/

You have to register, but it is free.


In Terminal the command ls -l Some_Folder_Name

will give you the actual bytes in each file in the folder, but if it contains folders it gives only the size of the actual folder itself - not the sum of it's contents.


Not a great help, but maybe it'll help you try and narrow the problem down.


Sorry I can;t be of more help.

Jul 30, 2012 12:20 PM in response to Steve Holton

Thanks, Steve.


I posted queries on a couple sites that have more people who deal with XDCAM files. Perhaps they are seeing a similar issue and mine is not an isolated case. In the meantime I'll post a report on the bug site and hope for the best. This issue stops us from ugrading any other computers in our shop until it's worked out.


If anyone else has an idea of what this might be and how I can stop it from occuring I will be grateful.


Scott

File sizes change when copied in Mountian Lion

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