Best way to distribute files?? I have limited HD space!!

[zazuzapp]

Ok, here's what I have:

MacBookPro 15"
185 GB hard drive
2 GB RAM

139 GB of photos on the hard drive

External hard drives:

128 GB drive that contains old PC files (including about 30 GB of photos not currently in iPhoto library)

500 GB portable WD hard drive for Time Machine backups (188 GB free)
1 TB brand new Seagate Expansion desktop hard drive, totally fresh

The problem:

Finder says I have 1.8 GB of free space on my hard drive. I have to do something about these 139 GB of photos. I access them more than anything but my HD is so clogged that things are not saving well. Even iPhoto library tells me it can't save changes, and I am just trying to delete photos! I am thinking of running my iPhoto Library off of an external hard drive. Do I even have enough memory to transfer it? Should I just upgrade my internal hard drive and use the externals for backups? What would you do at this point?

I want to eventually install Photoshop and Lightroom. Just bought Photoshop Elements 9 and hope to use it with iPhoto. How do I put all these hard drives to good use?

 

[John Doe 57]

It will take some considerable time but, just drag/drop the iPhoto Library onto the 1TB or 500GB hard drive. You'll be able to access those photos easily. The iPhoto Library should be in your Users > Username > Pictures Folder and looks like so:

 

[agentphish]

Let me break this down for you...

Step 1) Carbon Copy Clone your current internal drive to that 1TB.

Step 2) If you can use a Philips 00 and a Torx T6...and don't care about potentially voiding any service options from Apple....Buy this... http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822136314 it's dirt cheap.
Address and solve your internal space limits first. It's super easy and there's all sorts of guides on the intertubez if you need help. You will thank yourself later...not to mention this is necessary if you want to install any other large programs like PS and LR.

Step 3) Erase & install of your OS on new drive.

Step 4) Migrate data back to new drive from the 1TB during setup assistant after you have the OS installed.

Step 5) Once you have the internal drive upgraded keep all your stuff on it, erase the 1TB and start using Time Machine to backup.

You've got space to play with and all your stuff is in 2 places so everything is backed up properly and you don't have to fuss with anything.

Whole deal should take you just a few hours after you have the drive cloned.

 

[zazuzapp]

@John Doe 57, I've thought about just moving the library, but wherever it goes it needs to be close at hand. I access it very often. Also, I found that the process needs to be done separately for RAW files, which I have a lot of. Still thinking about that one. Considering iPhoto Library Manager, which might make things easier, as then I could have separate library for each year, for example.

I deleted half a couple GB of photos in the last couple of days, which has helped for sure, but I still have 8 GB sitting on photo cards that I haven't even seen yet.

@agentphish, I have 5 months left of Apple Care. What future service options would I be risking by installing a new drive myself? Could I have someone in an Apple Store install it without voiding anything? I've thought about this, and I would love to do it. I just wonder what I would be compromising. Does it change the resale value of the computer for the better or the worse?

 

[agentphish]

I was making the assumption that you have a non-unibody MacBook Pro.

I believe if you install a 3rd party drive, the official stance is that you will void your warranty. If it's a unibody MacBook pro then you can change anything you want in terms of hard drive. I think most stores don't have an issue as long as any repair issue you bring it in for isn't related to the hard drive. I've seen mixed results at genius bars over the years when bringing my stuff in and seeing other customers when I was there.

One option is to get the drive and have an apple authorized service provider install it, then it's been opened by a certified tech and there is no worry on the warranty.

If you do it yourself and have to go in for service under AppleCare, be up front about it. I have found the geniuses typically appreciate honesty.

Good luck