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Can iPhoto 11 library file be copied to a Fat32 external HDD?

M

MrMister111

macrumors 68040
Original poster
Jan 28, 2009
3,900
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UK
My iPhoto 11 library is on my iMac and backed up to my external HDD time machine.

I also want an offsite backup, I know the iPhoto 11 library file is a database package file, can I copy this file to a USB external HDD formatted in Fat32 or NTFS as I also use this drive for other backup stuff?

Also is there anyway to only backup the changes every month for example to the iPhoto library file, rather than copying the whole file which is 10s of Gb already every time.

What do people use to backup their iPhoto libraries offsite?

Cheers
 
If the file itself is over 4 gigs then fat 32 won't work. That file system has a limitation on file size. Ntfs is an option with the right software to read write to the drive. I think it's ntfs-3g I'm not home right now or I'd check for you. Is there a reason you don't want to use hfs +?

As for copying changes only, I don't believe it's possible. An option might be to setup a cron script that backs the file(s) up in the wee hrs of the morning.

Sent from my DROID BIONIC using Tapatalk
 
MrMister111 said:
...

I also want an offsite backup, I know the iPhoto 11 library file is a database package file, can I copy this file to a USB external HDD formatted in Fat32 or NTFS as I also use this drive for other backup stuff?

...
Click to expand...
I strongly recommend against using either FAT32 or NTFS for backup of your iPhoto Library. The only reason to store Mac files on a Windows file system is to share those files between the two systems. There is nothing that a Windows computer can do with your iPhoto Library. Neither FAT32 nor NTFS handles files so that MacOS X backup utilities recognize that the copy stored on an HFS+ volume is identical to its twin stored on a Windows volume. This behavior is unacceptable in a backup workflow.
 
reason to share was over different OS, ie to use on a windows system for backup and a Mac.

forgot about the 4Gb fat32 limit so that's out, but your saying ntfs is ropey as well?

so I would have to have a dedicated HFS+ formatted drive for backing up iPhoto?

is this what everyone does for offsite iPhoto backups? if I go this way anything that can do incremental iPhoto library backups then?

cheers
 
MrMister111 said:
...

is this what everyone does for offsite iPhoto backups? if I go this way anything that can do incremental iPhoto library backups then?

...
Click to expand...
I make no representations about what everyone does. I am only telling you what works and what will give you unnumbered headaches. What Earthly purpose do you have for using a non-native filesystem for backup? I can assure you that you can do incremental backup with an HFS+ volume. FAT32 and NTFS? Not so much.
 
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Ok so I need to buy another external HDD and dedicate it just for iPhoto and iTunes for offsite and format it in hfs+

I didn't know CCC was a backup tool I just thought it was for making image files, will have to read up on it.
 
Why not split your offsite drive so it has an HFS partition as well as Fat32 etc? Then you could probably just redirect time machine to it when you want to do those backups.
 
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Didn't know you could split it like this, thanks.

Its not going to be the same drive though. I have a current TM drive that I soley use on my iMac, which lives beside my iMac. I'm a bit worried not having an offsite backup of my iPhoto and iTunes.

When I go on holiday for an extended time in summer I take my TM HDD to my parents, but I'm thinking I should really have an offsite one at all times?
 
MrMister111 said:
My iPhoto 11 library is on my iMac and backed up to my external HDD time machine.

I also want an offsite backup, I know the iPhoto 11 library file is a database package file, can I copy this file to a USB external HDD formatted in Fat32 or NTFS as I also use this drive for other backup stuff?

Also is there anyway to only backup the changes every month for example to the iPhoto library file, rather than copying the whole file which is 10s of Gb already every time.

What do people use to backup their iPhoto libraries offsite?

Cheers
Click to expand...

you'd better not, because fat32 can not hold permissions of mac file
 
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So after the info in this thread I've realised I need a hfs+ drive for backing up my iPhoto library for offsite.

So rather than me manually copying iPhoto library and iTunes on this drive, can I use the new drive as another TM?

I already have one TM, but is it possible to have another TM running in parallel? This would then manage itself, rather than me managing folders etc.

On a side note can if using TM just extract the iPhoto library, our iTunes library etc?

Cheers
 
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MrMister111 said:
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Didn't know you could split it like this, thanks.

Its not going to be the same drive though. I have a current TM drive that I soley use on my iMac, which lives beside my iMac. I'm a bit worried not having an offsite backup of my iPhoto and iTunes.

When I go on holiday for an extended time in summer I take my TM HDD to my parents, but I'm thinking I should really have an offsite one at all times?
Click to expand...

Yes, you can plug in your other drive and use DRIVE SETUP (in applications/utilities I think; just use spotlight) to change the partitions.

Setup an hfs partition of whatever size you need (probably about the size of your system disk, or at least as much as you have in use) and leave the rest as FAT32 or NTFS for use with windows.

Note that you will most likely need to erase the whole drive to do this, so take precautions.

Note that OSX cannot write to NTFS so if you're sharing files to a windows box better stick with FAT32.
 
iPhoto Library copied to Fat32 drive

OK, so I must have missed the caveat somewhere but I moved my iPhoto 11 library to an external drive after it got too large for my MBP hard drive. I have a USB3 drive with 2 partitions. I thought both were Mac OS Extended (journaled) formatted but it turns out the one I used was Fat32. I noticed this only after I moved the library over. Now I can't open any of my pictures or videos. All I see is a big exclamation mark in a yield icon. iPhoto still shows that I have all my pictures and the file size is still what I expected, but nothing shows up, not even thumbnails. Is my iPhoto Library irreparably damaged? Is there some way to go back? I did move the file to the other partition that was Mac OS Ext (journ.) formatted from the beginning but the pics/videos still show only the exclamation mark. Oh, this sucks and surely how would someone reasonably know this in advance?
 
rickpdx said:
OK, so I must have missed the caveat somewhere but I moved my iPhoto 11 library to an external drive after it got too large for my MBP hard drive. I have a USB3 drive with 2 partitions. I thought both were Mac OS Extended (journaled) formatted but it turns out the one I used was Fat32. I noticed this only after I moved the library over. Now I can't open any of my pictures or videos. All I see is a big exclamation mark in a yield icon. iPhoto still shows that I have all my pictures and the file size is still what I expected, but nothing shows up, not even thumbnails. Is my iPhoto Library irreparably damaged? Is there some way to go back? I did move the file to the other partition that was Mac OS Ext (journ.) formatted from the beginning but the pics/videos still show only the exclamation mark. Oh, this sucks and surely how would someone reasonably know this in advance?
Click to expand...

If anybody still has this question, this might be of help.

You may rebuild the database by:
1 - Press cmd+opt while opening the library until you see the troubleshooting screen in iPhoto.
2 - Select "Rebuild database"

This might solve the issue. The library should be in an HFS+ formatted drive though.
 
As far as the cross-platform requirements for a drive, exFAT is a much better option for the drive format. It works on Windows and OS X, but doesn't have the file size restrictions of FAT32. It is one of the formatting options in Disk Utility.

It should work as an iPhoto backup, but I don't know if you could run iPhoto directly.
 
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