Confusion about iPhoto...
 

Hey, all. This is maybe a silly time to bring up my iPhoto questions since I`m within a week of switching from my Mac Mini to a Windows system, but that involves moving my stuff over somehow. The most pressing information I`m looking for is whether I need any specific kind of external hard drive for use as a moving vehicle. I think files are files, but not sure, so before I run out and spend $60 or so on a piece of equipment that won`t work for me, I`d better ask. And since I`m asking, would loading them all onto a portable hard drive, then onto the new computer really be a reasonable way of transfering? I`m thinking it might be a good idea to buy a backup drive anyway, so might as well pick one up now and use it for moving.

Not as urgent, I`ve wondered about and guessed at how iPhoto works, but really never knew for sure. It seems to me that the actual image files are stored somewhere else in the bowels of my computer, then pulled out and all my edits applied when I click to open one from iPhoto. The original remains intact and whatever I do to the coppies in iPhoto gets sort of catalogued in order to apply the changes again next time I open it. Do I have that right?

The main reason I want to know that now is that I like the results of how the system works even though I don`t get the mechanics of it. I`d like to set up a Windows computer in a similar way- be able to crop, rotate, resize, dink with exposures, etc without degrading the original or having to remember to make a copy every time. Is that reasonable? If so, what kind of storage program could I do it with?

Finally, when I transfer all my pictures to the new computer, will they be all lumped together or separated into the events they`re in now? Will they show up in edited form, or original? Or does that maybe depend on whether I export from iPhoto or the deep down storage library that I suspect exists somewhere? Recommendations on how to best go about it? If you got all the way through my long winded questions, thanks for your patience!

You need a hard drive formatted in FAT32, so that both the Mac and the Windows machine can read the files.

I think the photos will be in folders that group them. If you modified any of the photos, iPhoto has a separate folder for the modified version, and it keeps the originals.

How many photos do you have? Any reasonable amount should fit on a cheap thumb drive...

I am technically ignorant about such things; but, I have two sons who are experts at this stuff. They both make very nice livings working with this stuff. They would tell you to store your stuff in a cloud. Hard drives have too many interface hiccups to be reliable. So use a cloud.

First off, thanks to everybody for your responses. One by one:

FAT32, got it. I looked that up and see there is no shortage of compatible HDs available, but the thing about formatting has my head spinning a little. Not sure if I`ll attempt go ahead with the operation myself, or just pay to have my files moved over as an extra service where ever I buy the new computer from. Configuring the drive sounds like a one-time thing, yes? So once it is set up, all new files loaded onto it will follow suit and whatever machine it gets hooked up to will either be able to read the files or not, with no more dinking around needed?

Back to moving the photos (if I end up doing it myself), I got to thinking that if I export from iPhoto, selecting highest specs and full size (in jpeg?) I should get edited versions, which is both good and bad, but probably better all in all. And if I do it event by event, they will obviously end up on the new device that way. Is there another option to export the complete original files from the internal hard drive, bypassing iPhoto?

Not quite 7000. "Get info" on the iphoto library says "23.23 GB on disk (24,910,579,526 bytes)". Don`t know why the difference, but I imagine that`s normal. I COULD do it via CDs, but was thinking about an external HD for backup anyway, so figured to maybe kill two birds with one stone.

1. 10.4 to (most likely) Windows 10.
2. Ummm... lost me. Are you talking about the transfer, or recommending something to do with the new computer?
3. Sounds good. I see most of the new coputers in my price range claim at least one USB3, will need to check specs on this one to see what flavor the USB ports are.
4. Almost total Greek to me, sorry. But it sounds like most of that is a warning not to do the transfer via Time Machine? If so, the rest I think is moot.

Noted. I prefer to buy the device one time rather than depend on outside service for the rest of eternity, likely with monthly fees. The risk of equipment failure is just something I`ll have to accept and the need to be at home to access my pictures isn`t a big deal to me.

2—> You're about to step into a big pile of Windows poo. If you have Windows 7 or 8, automatic update will install Windows 10 "just in case you choose to upgrade later". Microsoft really, really wants you to have their new OS. If you buy in at 10, it's moot. I really try to think better of Microsoft now that Steve Ballmer is gone.

3—> USB is backward compatible. Your Mini is probably USB 2.0 and the transfer to a newer machine (from the drive) will be ten times faster. An off-the-shelf drive should be plug compatible with both systems. Don't put anything in the cloud you wouldn't want you mother to see.

4—>'The rest' is how easy it is to do it. Finder means the OS's file manager. File is the file menu, it's just to the right of Finder in the menubar. Compress and Burn are options to move the data. Burn is less attractive given the 23.23Gb*. If you can Get Info on a folder [in the Finder] you can choose Compress instead and if there is~20Gb of free space a compressed version will be created. It may be in the vicinity of 15-18Gb in size.

* The discrepancy is down Allocation Blocks, the last one for each file doesn't get completely filled. I also used to make good money talking to people about this. Editing the Registry over the phone :eek: Never lost a drive, but it's a young person's game now.

You can get a 32 GB thumb drive for under $10. Or a 32 GB SD card, which you can put in a cell phone (one of the places where I have all my important stuff backed up), and keep it with you, avoiding things like a fire destroying both PC and backup device.

The difference in sizes is that a GB is actually powers of 2 rather than of ten. That is, (1024 * 1024 * 1024), not (1000 * 1000 * 1000).

Playing around on the calculator 23.23/24.91=93.25%. 1000^3/1024^3=93.13%. 1000^4/1024^4=90.94% (the % goes down as the size goes up). So that checks out; I withdraw the suggestion it is the block size.

There's also going to be a bit of overhead space used for whatever the Mac/Win equivalent of inodes are - basically the space needed to store the filenames and directory structure. Whether that was included in the total size or not depends on how it was computed (in *nix, the difference between using du and df), but with image files it's almost certainly only a tiny fraction of the actual file size.

The rabbit hole goes a long way down. In HFS+...

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hierarchical_File_System

It appears that Inode Indirect Blocks correspond to the Extent Overflow File. However Mac OSX does use something called inodes.

OP -- here's another option if your not talking about gigabytes of data: Email the files to yourself.

I think I`m better off to just pay the people at the store I buy the computer from to move my files as an additional service. After everything is working on the new machine I`ll worry about backup, for Windows only. Thanks again for the help you`ve all offered. Even though I won`t be putting most of it to use, I appreciate the input.

If you're going to have a "windows" shop try to do that, you may well end up losing files if they don't know their way around a Mac.

Time Machine backups are pretty much useless from a Windows computer.
You CAN get at them, but it's rather a pain ITA to do so ...

iPhoto keeps both original and modded versions of your pics ... under the same filename - so keep 'm in separate folders or Windows will think they're duplicates.

Users/your_username/Pictures/iPhotoLibrary/Originals
and same path with /Modified

You have to control-click on iPhotoLibrary , then choose "show package contents" to see the files inside this "package" ...


If you've used iTunes, you'll either have to use the Windows version of that, or use your iTunes on Mac export function to export your music in a format other Windows media players can handle


I strongly suggest putting these and other files you want to transfer on an USB stick (Fat32 or exFAT depending on size)


BTW:
In the last 5 years, I've seen more hiccups in the cloud than on my HDs or memory cards.
Backing up 24GB into the cloud is going to take a while, too.


I tend to woo non-tech savvy people away from Windows.
And iPhoto / Photos :rolleyes:

I use none of those. We haven't heard why the migration away from the Mac Mini. I've had four or so over the years. No microphone and no webcam. I like that, it isn't an attack surface if it isn't there. This one was $250 used with a 23" monitor and a laptop sized keyboard. They are scarce on the used market.

Can you retain the Mini alongside that Windows thing? There's IIRC a straight through Ethernet cable that enables a 2-node network. It couldn't get much easier than that. At least on the Apple side. ;)

Sheesh! I don`t know whether to cry or laugh when I read that statement. My principle reason for leaving Apple is precisely because I`m NOT very tech savy! If I had the skills and knowledge to deal by myself with all the little hitches that come up (or the inclination to do extensive research and learning), maybe I would continue. Since I don`t know how to handle tech issues, I`m kind of stuck- either pay somebody or spend hours searching, asking around just like I`m doing now. In the end, that usually works, but I don`t like doing it. To solve mysteries (minor mysteries for people who know, big head scratchers for me) on my wife`s Windows laptop, there are a myriad of reasonably knowledgeable friends and family at the ready. But when we mention Mac, most sort of shrug and cower away. Obviously there are people who know Mac well, but none in my circle of friends. I must live in a "Mac desert".

EDIT: Oh, thank you very much for the location trails (what do you call them?) to the original and modified iPhoto files. I did find those on my Mini, but they open up even more mysteries and confusion for me- multiple libraries, numbers don`t come close to adding up, and some ghost archives have opened up with a lot of pictures I thought were lost years ago. Is that good news or bad news??? Haha, I don`t even know any more! So my plan has changed again. Now before I ask the service center at a "box store" to move my files, I want to bring the Mini to a serious Mac specialist for consultation. It`s a really weird situation that I have a hard time explaining remotely, would much rather start clicking in my archives in the presence of a real expert so I can ask "WTF is this all about!?!"

I suppose we could keep two desk-top systems, but... why? Although the Mini by itself is very compact, by the time we add in modem, router, monitor, printer, and the slew of cables that connect them all, it takes up a full desk.

My migraton to Windows is more complicated. The easily explained part is what I wrote about not having knowledgeable problem solving help easily available. The more sticky reason is that I feel a large amount of shame in falling for Apple`s marketing BS. Not so much against Apple because all successful companies do the same thing, but usually I can see through it. I really bought into the "Mac and PC" ad campaign when I decided to shell out extra money for the Mini- expected I could just open the box, plug it in, and be rolling with never a worry. Not so. Now that my nearly full hard drive is slowing down and choking up frequently, certain websites work only partially with my out-of-date browsers (which I can`t update with my out-of-date OS), and some websites (my bank) no longer work at all, I need to replace with SOMETHING. Might as well get a $200 Dell or HP to roll with for the next round. I took a chance with the Mini, and there were some aspects I liked a lot, but all in all, one dance with Apple was enough for me.

Now that depends on whether you wanted them gone or not :-) Personally, I much prefer a system where if you erase something, it's really gone.

Well, the ewe involved passed away last year, so at least it`s down to only one party who could be embarrassed by those photos resurfacing.

I guess you wouldn't have appreciated the discussion of inodes and B-trees. Sorry. (I learned something)

That's the most we have so far. Under the Apple menu the first choice is About This Mac. In that window it gives the version of the operating system. If you're using iPhoto you likely are using Safari for a browser. Are you using Safari? You're putting your finances on Internet?!?

Did that not happen? Could you not plug it in and have it just work? How many years has it been? Your OS could be 10.2 or later—that 2003. Did it take 12 years to get to the point it needs maintenance?
___________

You may be right, I don't like the direction Apple is moving in. Each new version of Mac OSX is a little more like IOS. And Windows has done some good things about security, or at least the appearance of security. At least until everything gets sucked up into the cloud.

So—Tom's Hardware is a very respected name online, and here is an article they did on Seven Small (But Powerful) Mini-PCs, Reviewed . It's going on two years old, but these are comparable with the Mini. The as tested prices range from $430 to $1245.65. As you can see a good quality PC will cost as much or more than Apple product. Apple only builds good quality and buys components in massive volume, so it hard to compete with them on price.

Another point. You could use a KVM switch and operate two or more computers with a single Keyboard, Video monitor and Mouse. Or put the Mini on a network and run it headless in a closet.

There's a lot you could do without spending on anything but cables and you can get them at Goodwill. I'd start by downloading a different browser like Firefox or Chrome and see if you can do your banking.

Edit: The Tom's Hardware article is 15 pages long (!) but the last page has 4 recommendations for different senarios: consumer, embedded, budget and gamer. The $430 Acer Aspire Revo makes the cut.

You people graciously answered the questions I asked. If some of the conversation inspired a few side tracks that you found interresting, great. I`m not offended in the slightest.

No, it did not happen as promised. Was that a serious question or rhetorical? I guess we`ve had it for about ten years now, and it`s in need of service. Not the first time, but still the fact that it needs service again isn`t among my complaints- I`m perfectly happy with how it has held up. My chief b*tch is that I need to spend time researching something that I honestly have no interest in and/or pay money for what I could otherwise get in exchange for serving a friend or co-worker a nice dinner, or ask as a favor from my sister in the same way that I take care of her household plumbing and other maintenance as a favor. Mac doesn`t seem to be spoken much around here.

OS is 10.4, Safari and Firefox for browsers, but neither is up to the standard that my bank says I need. Fortunately, my wife`s laptop carries two browsers that are acceptable, so we still have a way to manage the bank accounts. But I do most of that, and usually in the afternoon when she and her laptop are elsewhere.


Okay, but still don`t get WHY I would want two in house computers.

The scenario was simple data transfer. Being able to see successful transfer before letting go of the older machine, generally.

What I'm hearing is that you got 10 years of service life from a machine that's reached the end of it's service life without having to know much at all, and you've decided since all your friends have had to learn all these tricks, and likely replace the machine every 18 months, you will join them instead of just getting a new Mini. But the Windows people who will be so helpful can't, so now you're looking to pay someone to put you in the place you want to be.

What this shuts out of the conversation is the migration tools Apple provides to move data from the older machine to a newer one.

Migration Assistant
https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT204350

Transfer Mode
https://support.apple.com/kb/PH13842?locale=en_US

I'd just get a new Mini if it were me and go with what you know, but what did you think of the Tom's Hardware article? There are iMac-like all-in-ones, and traditional boxes full of card slots, but I like the slotless headless designs.

Wow, is Apple related to the Hotel California?

Now you`re getting it! Aside from a little understatement of what I`ve invested into my current Mini and the life expectancy of other-than-Apple machines, I think you`ve summed up my positon pretty well.

Unless I`m reading something wrong, those only work to move data onto another Mac. I have decided to go with Windows for the next round.

??? Even if the new Mini isn`t Freebeard approved?
The new Minis also start at twice what I expect to pay for a computer, no longer offer iPhoto (I really like iPhoto), and no longer come with a CD/DVD drive to read the service manuals for my pickup and my motorcycle.

Power consumption information was enlightening. The rest of the article seems to be about things I don`t care about. Admittedly, I just scanned it, didn`t carefully read the whole thing.

Redundancy? Or so you can use one for your browser that has to keep your bank happy, and one for the iPhoto stuff.

I actually have 4 that I use regularly, 5 if you count the tablet. Main machine is a T61 Thinkpad, optimized for low-power operation. Does all my browsing & normal work just fine. Second one has a couple of quad-core processors and CUDA cards, for serious number-crunching. Third is set up for the rare occasions when I need to do audio/video. (I hate noisy computers, so have removed the speakers from the others.) And all sometimes get used to make a small MPI cluster...