Why SO many random DCIM Folders? I want ONE!

Philly_Phan
wrote:

A solution was given. Please stop whining.

There has yet to be a solution to the issues brought up in this thread. There have only been suggestions of using alternate tools and work-arounds to help alleviate some of the frustration. So as long as newcomers find their way to this thread seeking help, and don't want to read through the entire thread, myself and others will continue to offer those alternate tools and work-arounds. If you only want to come here to harass people, stop whining about the tool we choose to use and avoid the thread.

Csound1
wrote:

Hey Tab, Instead of criticizing others why don't you offer some help

That's interesting coming from someone who admittedly doesn't use a PC so has no reason to be in this thread and only harasses people for using a tool you don't use.

If you haven't noticed, I've returned to this thread on several occasions to inform newcomers to this thread of the work-arounds that have been posted here. Many choose not to read through large threads, so I've been happy to repeat what we've learned for those who haven't. Maybe you can start acknowledging the ones who do help rather than argue with us. What have you done here, besides attack people for using Windows Explorer?

gail from maine wrote:

Ignore and violate the TOU often enough on this forum, and you won't be heard from again. If you want help, then explain what it is you want help with. If you want to complain, go elsewhere....

Cheers,

GB

Please point to where I encouraged anyone to ignore the TOU. I most certainly did not. I don't see you going after Lawrence or Csound, for example, for all of the many attacks and insults they've posted simply because people choose to use a certain Windows tool that they do not. It's obvious we're not all help to the same standards here. As I said before, this thread runs smoothly when a few troublemakers aren't around. If they have nothing helpful to offer, why aren't you telling them to go elsewhere?

Why should Gail copy you, telling people what and where they can post is your forte. But it's being ignored.

That I am smart enough to avoid WinJunk does not mean that I do not know how to use it, rather better than you do it seems.

tab1075 wrote:

Philly_Phan
wrote:

A solution was given. Please stop whining.

There has yet to be a solution to the issues brought up in this thread. There have only been suggestions of using alternate tools and work-arounds to help alleviate some of the frustration. So as long as newcomers find their way to this thread seeking help, and don't want to read through the entire thread, myself and others will continue to offer those alternate tools and work-arounds. If you only want to come here to harass people, stop whining about the tool we choose to use and avoid the thread.

Csound1
wrote:

Hey Tab, Instead of criticizing others why don't you offer some help

That's interesting coming from someone who admittedly doesn't use a PC so has no reason to be in this thread and only harasses people for using a tool you don't use.

If you haven't noticed, I've returned to this thread on several occasions to inform newcomers to this thread of the work-arounds that have been posted here. Many choose not to read through large threads, so I've been happy to repeat what we've learned for those who haven't. Maybe you can start acknowledging the ones who do help rather than argue with us. What have you done here, besides attack people for using Windows Explorer?

gail from maine wrote:

Ignore and violate the TOU often enough on this forum, and you won't be heard from again. If you want help, then explain what it is you want help with. If you want to complain, go elsewhere....

Cheers,

GB

Please point to where I encouraged anyone to ignore the TOU. I most certainly did not. I don't see you going after Lawrence or Csound, for example, for all of the many attacks and insults they've posted simply because people choose to use a certain Windows tool that they do not. It's obvious we're not all help to the same standards here. As I said before, this thread runs smoothly when a few troublemakers aren't around. If they have nothing helpful to offer, why aren't you telling them to go elsewhere?

Here, specifically:

If you take issue with users who complain about the problems they're having with their Apple devices, you're going to be awfully busy going around to all of the threads telling them to stop complaining. Support forums are where people come to complain. Always have been, always will be, regardless of the product or service. Quoting the TOU won't change that.

Relative to this:

Unless otherwise noted, your Submission should either be a technical support question or a technical support answer. Constructive feedback about product features is welcome as well. If your Submission contains the phrase "I'm sorry for the rant, but…" you are likely in violation of this policy.

Complaining is neither a question nor is it an answer. It also isn't constructive feedback. It is just complaining. The example of "I'm sorry for the rant, but..." is a guideline. A rant is just a complaint registered with more passion, shall we say. But the degree is not implied in the example, and any complaining simply for the sake of complaining is against the TOU....

GB

Complaining is a natural, unavoidable part of the support process. If someone comes to these forums to say, "After updating to iOS 8.x.x, my battery dies quicker than it did before," that is a complaint. It's simply a well-mannered complaint. Just as the title of this thread, "Why SO many DCIM Folders? I want ONE!" is not only a question, but also a big complaint. That doesn't mean it isn't justified here. It's a legitimate complaint by the OP and many users who saw a certain method of doing something work for years, only to have it stop working at some point. In all reality, the portion of the TOU that you keep quoting does not say, "Do Not Complain." I just think you've interpreted it as such. The key thing is how the complaint is worded. This thread is chock full of technical answers and constructive feedback. It only ever strays from that when a few users come here to attack and insult everyone who doesn't do things the way they do. If they come here only to put someone down for using a tool they don't like, that is not helpful. So again I ask, since they are not here to help, why don't you address them instead of those of us who are here to help?

There's a few people in here who keeps telling everyone, Do not use Windows Explorer. That is not constructive feedback. Offering alternatives is. I've said it before, one of those people has offered alternatives in the past, but at the same time, keeps coming back to this thread and puts everyone down for continuing to use Windows Explorer. By offering help out of one hand and an attack out of the other, how is that constructive? As I've said, this thread runs smoothly and is a big help to users. The only time we see the drama (similar to what we've seen on the last couple pages) is when those select few troublemakers come here to antagonize others. It's unfortunate that their points status allows them a free pass for their behavior.

tab1075 wrote:

There's a few people in here who keeps telling everyone, Do not use Windows Explorer. That is not constructive feedback. Offering alternatives is.

OK

Don't use iPhones and Windows Explorer. Androids are dumb enough to suit Windows better.

tab1075 wrote:

There's a few people in here who keeps telling everyone, Do not use Windows Explorer.

MICROSOFT says don't use Windows Explorer to import images. I guess Microsoft doesn't give constructive feedback, either.

Decided to take the time to research this issue on the "Apple" site. Thought I would just find a simple explanation and an easy fix. Didn't know I was going to need popcorn. 88,336 views, 285 replies, 20 pages of text, and all I hear is a bunch of Apple Bigots that display their complete dislike of anything not Apple. This an obvious issue to many people for which an I find no official Apple response. The responses posted here by many of the Apple loyalists it that we are just doing it wrong. Why not listen to some of these users. Why not just date the folder? Why is it difficult to delete the folders when empty? Why can't you select several or all folders and drag and drop? Why don't we get an official response? I guess we just don't live up to the superiority of the Apple way. Even a smidgen of conciliation may comfort some, but NO, we are just not doing it right. The righteousness of the Apple loyalists is really disruptive, not helpful, and rude. JMHO and you know who you are.

Looks like Apple made a change in iOS 9. Now folders under the DCIM folder are numbered 100APPLE, 101APPLE, 102APPLE, etc. Each picture is dated correctly so the earliest pictures are in the 100APPLE folder and the newest are in the last folder. Prior to this update, I had 39 folders. Now I have 22. Much easier to deal with pictures now, especially to find the newest pics to save to PC.

I'm seeing this as well. This is great news. There were some in this thread who said it could not be done on a technical level and I'm glad Apple proved them wrong. I went from 40+ folders within the DCIM down to only 4 now. I'm eager to see how it handles it as I take more photos. Hopefully it continues to run smoothly and I don't see an explosion of more folders. But even if that happens, as long as they're organized in chronological order, it shouldn't much of a problem.

Interestingly, all four of my Apple folders inside the DCIM are dated Dec. 31st, 1969. Has Apple unlocked the secrets of time travel? Or possibly, judging by this mentalflossarticle about that particular date, it could be a glitch. Or knowing Apple's eye for detail, it may very well be intentional.

So for anyone searching for a solution, I strongly suggest updating to iOS 9.

If you’ve ever had the date on a cell phone or computer mysteriously switch to December 31, 1969, you may have thought it was simply random. But the reason behind this odd glitch is a nice little tidbit of computer trivia.

Unix is a computer operating system that, in one form or another, is used on most servers, workstations, and mobile devices. It was launched in November 1971 and, after some teething problems, the “epoch date” was set to the beginning of the decade, January 1, 1970. What this means is that time began for Unix at midnight on January 1, 1970 GMT. Time measurement units are counted from the epoch so that the date and time of events can be specified without question. If a time stamp is somehow reset to 0, the clock will display January 1, 1970.

So where does December 31 fit in? It’s because you live in the Western Hemisphere. When it’s midnight in Greenwich, England, it’s still December 31st in America, where users will see December 31, 1969—the day before Unix’s epoch.

drume wrote:

Can you please stop? DenverJohn1 gave some interesting information that some of us enjoyed. Sheesh, let it go.

I asked what you were talking about, you're the one who is all wigged out about a question. Lie down for a while.

drume wrote:

Hold on. Now Apple is doing it wrong too?! But organizing it more intuitively will break it! Time for a new thread complaining that Apple is breaking esoteric DCIM standards. Scandalous! 😉

Possibly a tongue in cheek comment, but the "new" folder structure is still following the DCIM (aka DCF) "standards".

Now that Apple uses the new format, would someone be willing to run a test to see if it is possible to move a folder off of the iPhone to the PC and then later move it back to the iPhone without it causing any problems? These would be the steps to follow:

1. In Windows Explorer, open DCIM folder under Internal Storage of iPhone.

2. Move one of the Apple folders (e.g. 102APPLE) to your PC. Will it let you move it?

3. Verify that folder structure on iPhone remains intact. Did the file names remain in order without the 102APPLE?

4. Disconnect iPhone from PC and verify that Photos is working ok.

5. Reconnect iPhone to PC.

6. In Windows Explorer, open DCIM folder under Internal Storage of iPhone.

6. Verify whether 102APPLE is missing or whether the folders were renamed.

7. If 102APPLE is missing, move 102APPLE folder from PC back to DCIM foder under Internal Storage of iPhone.

8. Verify that the folder structure now shows 102APPLE folder.

9. Disconnect iPhone from PC.

10. Open iPhone and verify that the pictures that were in 102APPLE folder are on the iPhone again and that Photos is working properly.

Thanks!

Hey ARPU99,

I did the test for you, got the results I expected.

The "move" from internal storage to PC isn't really a move, it's a copy. You can delete the files from within the folders (on internal storage), but it wouldn't allow me to delete the folder myself. It does however delete the folder on internal storage on reboot if it is empty. I didn't check to see where the naming increment starts after that.

The folder is intact on the PC, but its content organization is controlled by whatever your view settings are in windows. In my test it stayed in the original sort until I changed my view. It is chronological and easy to get back to.

You cannot copy back to the iPhone so far as I've found. I have to do that with iTunes (which I don't like, but deal with)

Hope that helps.

What they do is come here to pick a fight knowing that we don't have enough points to report their posts. They instigate an argument and when we defend ourselves against the trolling, they report our posts to be deleted. Then they pretend to be the righteous ones. They didn't need to keep coming back here because they don't use the same tool. They know those of us who do were going to keep using it and keep asking for a solution, so they could've easily moved on and let us be. Now that iOS 9 has brought about these changes, they could easily go about their business and forget about this thread, but us little level 1's are easy targets, so they keep coming. Levels & points mean absolutely nothing to me. I see how the ones with higher levels & more points treat others in these forums and how they stick up for one another and boost each others' points, even when they're rude to people. They accuse us of posting "totally useless information," but what have they contributed for the last several pages of this thread that was helpful? Nothing. What really matters to me is how you carry yourself. I'll take a level 1 with no points who's helpful & courteous any day.

In the end, the ones who kept coming back here to tell us we're using the wrong tool, we're doing it wrong, and that Apple couldn't do what we were asking them to do...well, they were wrong. This thread and the feedback that many of us sent to Apple paid off. I'm happy to see they were listening and did something for us "lowly" Windows Explorer users.

At first I thought the 1969 date was just an oversight on Apple's part, but then I Googled it because it made me curious that they used such a precise date. My first guess was that it was related to Steve Jobs somehow. I think that would've been a nice nod if they had done something like that. The mentalfloss article I ended up linking to in my last post talks all about the Unix epoch date.

I have no problem keeping an eye on this thread until the OP marks it as solved just in case others come here looking for help and don't read past posts.

I wonder what determines how many DCIM folders we end up with after updating to iOS 9, because ARPU99 said they went from 39 folders to 22. Even 22 seems high because I went from over 40 down to 4. And I see where you went from 77 to 4 as well. I wonder why ARPU99 ended up with a different result?

mdrolle
wrote:

Hey ARPU99,

I did the test for you, got the results I expected.

Thanks for running the test for ARPU99. It's understandable why he/she didn't want to try it. Some people aren't comfortable with doing something like that and don't want to make things worse. There's nothing wrong with asking if anyone else wants to give it a go. Your results are what I expected too. I didn't expect the behavior of the transfer to change. It's just nice to see better organization.