User profile for user: Niku
Niku Author
User level: Level 2
410 points

Finding files in external hard drive

I have sometimes been able to find files in my external hard drive, but mostly not, to the point where I have to wonder whether having one is worthwhile. The situation might even be worse than I know, since I've only looked for certain E-mail messages and images/photos in iPhoto. Anyway, I've decided to try again. Before I do, I'd like to know: (1) E-mail messages: are they stored throughout the external hard drive, or is there an E-mail section where all E-mail messages are kept? If they are scattered throughout the EHD, is there a way to consolidate them? (2) Moving files by dragging. Are there disadvantages to moving files this way rather than by highlighting and clicking? I may be wrong, but it seems to me that dragged files do not become consolidated with other files of their kind. They exist separately. Is this correct?



Where can I find a good guide for using an external hard drive, no, make that, to find and retrieve files from external hard drives?

iMac (27-inch Late 2009)

Posted on Apr 26, 2015 5:46 AM

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13 replies
User profile for user: Niku
Niku Author
User level: Level 2
410 points

Apr 26, 2015 2:23 PM in response to Niku

I don't know what a "copy per file backup" is, but I have an external hard drive always attached, and it is set to automatically backup my computer at frequent and regular intervals. Anyway, I haven't yet followed your instructions, but they sound good to me. I'll be employing them shortly. I haven't done them yet because I am not comfortable with such complicated instructions, and I can't just rush into them heedlessly.


I believe I will be successful; however, I then have one more question about consolidating ALL of my files. This would be from both partitions of my computer hard drive, together with the contents of two external hard drives. All of this would go in to a new 2 terrabyte external hard drive, which I will be buying. My idea is to first put EVERYTHING into that new hard drive; then, delete all duplications in that hard drive. My final step would be to use your method to consolidate my E-mail and iPhoto files in this final hard drive. Then, if I still can't find what I'm looking for, I'll just have to give up.

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User profile for user: Eric Root
Eric Root
User level: Level 10
685,215 points

Apr 26, 2015 1:52 PM in response to Niku

This is not a backup of some sort, but a copy per file backup?


1. If a copy file back up if they are scattered, then that is how you put them there. To keep them consolidated, go to Finder and select your user/home folder. With that Finder window as the front window, either select Finder/View/Show View options or go command - J. When the View options opens, check ’Show Library Folder’. That should make your user library folder visible in your user/home folder. Select Library. Then go to Mail. Copy the entire folder over which will also backup your settings.


2. Either way should produce the same order.

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User profile for user: Niku
Niku Author
User level: Level 2
410 points

Apr 26, 2015 2:10 PM in response to Eric Root

Eric Root wrote:


This is not a backup of some sort, but a copy per file backup?


1. If a copy file back up if they are scattered, then that is how you put them there. To keep them consolidated, go to Finder and select your user/home folder. With that Finder window as the front window, either select Finder/View/Show View options or go command - J. When the View options opens, check ’Show Library Folder’. That should make your user library folder visible in your user/home folder. Select Library. Then go to Mail. Copy the entire folder over which will also backup your settings.


2. Either way should produce the same order.

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User profile for user: benwiggy
benwiggy
User level: Level 4
1,491 points

Apr 26, 2015 2:26 PM in response to Niku

Niku wrote:


(1) E-mail messages: are they stored throughout the external hard drive, or is there an E-mail section where all E-mail messages are kept? If they are scattered throughout the EHD, is there a way to consolidate them?

(2) Moving files by dragging. Are there disadvantages to moving files this way rather than by highlighting and clicking? I may be wrong, but it seems to me that dragged files do not become consolidated with other files of their kind. They exist separately. Is this correct?

1. Apple Mail messages are normally stored within the USER's Library folder. User domains are not normally stored on external drives, unless you've deliberately tinkered with OS X to make that happen, or if the external is a copy of a user's folders. Email should not normally be scattered across a hard drive, unless you've chosen to do that, too.

The best way to search and manage emails is to use an email client, like Apple's Mail, rather than through the Finder.


2. There should be no difference. It's not clear what you are describing. Perhaps a screenshot would help.


Finally: you NEED duplicates! Copies of your files on separate devices (backups) are essential if you are not going to lose any files.

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User profile for user: benwiggy
benwiggy
User level: Level 4
1,491 points

Apr 26, 2015 10:58 PM in response to Niku

You have an internal storage device - part of the computer, that normally stores the Operating System, your user account, your apps, your documents and your settings.

It is important to use an external device to make a duplicate copy (using Time Machine or other app). This is known as a backup. If your computer gets lost, stolen, set on fire or simply stops working, then you have a second copy of your files to fall back onto.


You should not normally search for files on the external drive, except using the Time Machine application, where you can browse through all the versions of your files that it has saved.


If you are looking for an email, then you should search within Apple Mail (or whatever email client you use), which should store, organize and index all your emails.

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User profile for user: Niku
Niku Author
User level: Level 2
410 points

Apr 27, 2015 6:16 AM in response to benwiggy

benwiggy wrote:



If you are looking for an email, then you should search within Apple Mail (or whatever email client you use), which should store, organize and index all your emails.

I am looking for those files in my external hard drive because they're not in Apple Mail. Actually, I'm quite disappointed with its searching abilities. It can't even find files that I know are there. Well, no problem. This is the beginning of a new day, and I'm ready to implement the techniques given to me by Eric Root.

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User profile for user: benwiggy
benwiggy
User level: Level 4
1,491 points

Apr 27, 2015 6:46 AM in response to Niku

If the emails are stored within Mail, and Mail can't search for them, then that's a problem with your system's Spotlight index.


There numerous webpages showing how to reindex Spotlight on your drive. Doing this will take a bit of time, and your computer will work hard while doing it, but then it should be better at finding things, both within Mail and within the Finder.

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User profile for user: Niku
Niku Author
User level: Level 2
410 points

Apr 27, 2015 7:49 AM in response to benwiggy

I got as far as dragging the icons of my hard drives into the Finder window and pressing the + sign, but then it seemed as if I was expected to drag each and every file in each hard drive into that same window. This I didn't want to do. I had assumed that just dragging the hard drive icons there would do the job. I am fearful of going further.

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Finding files in external hard drive

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