Error Code -36

[Rikos87]

Trying to back up my itunes library, on a certain episode of a TV show I have I get this error code and a message saying it can't be backed up. I've searched all over and have had no luck finding the meaning of the code. Is there a simple fix or is it something more complex?

Thanks in advance all.

 

[mac2x]

If I recall correctly, -36 is an I/O error.

 

[davidnssbm]

had the same problem with another file awhile ago and there was NO solution on the entire internets. You gotta trash it brother.

 

[PinkyMacGodess]

What I've found while trying to copy folders of pictures is that I will get the 'error code -36' and I will look in the folder and see that the icon doesn't show the small thumbnail preview of some of the other files. So I can start the copy on the file immediately after that one and it will go until the next file that doesn't show a previewed icon and stop again with the same message. Interesting...

Well, while looking at the source directory, I noticed that the file that I couldn't copy flipped to a 'preview icon' and IT COPIED fine! Even after I had tried over and over again to copy the same file. It copied like in the blink of an eye...

So what is it about the 'preview icon' what somehow gives the file the proper 'kiss' that allows OSX to copy the file? Is there something in the finder database that disallows the copying of 'un-previewed' files? Is there a way to force OSX to 'kiss' a file? Why the hell would the OS care if it was 'kissed'?

So, to rule out a USB I/O error, I hooked the hard drive up to another, and much newer, MacBook Pro and have tried to copy the files across the network and *BAM* I get stopped at the SAME FILE. Is the Finder FAT corrupted? This is the same file name that chocked in a different directory.

And HAH! Now the destination system is HUNG waiting for the network to respond. THERE HAS TO BE SOMETHING IN THE FINDER DATABASE that is keeping this from updating like it should.

(Well, and when does the destination Finder give up and error/dicso with this error. The problem seems to be on that hard drive (that passed Disk Utility tests) and perhaps any Finder FAT analog that might be on that drive...

Can I rebuild that database somehow?

 

[PinkyMacGodess]

Wow and that destination system is hung tight!

Wow, it appears that the entire network on the destination system has crashed... I can't get it back.

This is fun... NOT!

Also, some more information: The source drive is 10.5 copying to a 10.6 system. Both OSX incarnations were/are current.

Is part of this because the Leopard partition still has Leopard files? This issue is just so bizarre...

 

[cb911]

Exact same problem

I'm having the exact same problem. Just got an iMac on Sunday, updated to 10.6.4 and copying over files from my PC. The drives are formatted NTFS and I know they work fine because I have been using them in my PC for over a year, no I/O errors or system hangs or anything like that.

The drive is in an external enclosure now - most files have copied fine but there's a bunch of video files that are giving me grief now. The file names are over 31 characters long, is that a problem? I searched and found that OS X Server used to have problems with that but updated versions can handle ~200 characters? Is OS X the same?

Anyway I'm trying to compress the root folder now to get around the long fine names, will see if that works...

 

[cb911]

Well it took a little bit of time, but the root folder compressed okay and I got all my video files off the external HDD. So I'm guessing it wasn't bad sectors on the hard drive, to me that seems like the long file names were the problem? Oh well - problem solved for me.