Card reader mounts, i can open/view photos, but cant copy!?!?

[e12a]

Okay, so here's the thing, i bought this ebay "18 in 1" card reader that works perfectly fine under Windows XP/Vista, no drivers required. Now when i use it on my OS X side, it mounts, i can view and flip through photos like normal. The problem arrives when I try to copy the files to my pictures folder. I looked under Disk utility and it says i can Read and Write.

I get an error: "The finder cannot complete the operation because some data in "IMG_****.JPG" could not be read or written. (Error code -36)."

What?! How come i can open and view them?

 

[mad jew]

Okay, that's a very generic error for file transfers and connections between devices and/or network volumes. Maybe tell us a little more about your card reader. Where and how do you see the images? Does the card reader mount something onto your Desktop? Do you use an app? A screenshot may be helpful here too.

 

[e12a]

My card reader is those all in one kind of readers with different slots for various cards, and i got it off ebay.

To view files, i just use Finder. it mounts and shows up on the desktop without issues. I can browse through the pictures just like any external thumb drive. However when i try to copy, whether from finder or Adobe's utility, it gives that error message.

I am in class right now and I dont have the reader with me. I'll take a screenshot when i get back.

 

[iSaint]

Have you tried to import via iPhoto?

 

[e12a]

I've tried iPhoto, Adobe Photo Downloader, and the Finder copy command, and all come with the same message of not valid/unreadable/etc data.

iphoto's particular message:

The iphoto's import progress bar remains at 0 percent during import, and when i cancel and select "keep photos" it shows that window.

Note: out of 204 photos. I can open finder and preview and view the files.

 

[PlaceofDis]

don't know if Image Capture will work, but worth a try.

 

[iSaint]

I've tried iPhoto, Adobe Photo Downloader, and the Finder copy command, and all come with the same message of not valid/unreadable/etc data.

iphoto's particular message:

The iphoto's import progress bar remains at 0 percent during import, and when i cancel and select "keep photos" it shows that window.

Note: out of 204 photos. I can open finder and preview and view the files.

Does drag and drop work? Grab a file from Finder and drag it into iPhoto...

 

[mad jew]

Can you use Preview to save one of the images to your Desktop?

 

[LeviG]

ok different take on the problem here.

Is the file on the memory card read only (or another setting which may prevent copying), this may stop some devices from copying over.

 

[e12a]

sorry for the delay in replies, but yes i have tried dragging and dropping by Finder (what i meant with the Finder copy command).

According to Get Info as well as Disk utility I have permission to read and write with the card reader. I can get a screen of that too but i'm at class again.

I could try to use preview to save images, but then realistically that would be not an efficient way to transfer photos. I'm talking bulk transfer, assuming that Preview's method works. Thanks for the tip, i'll try that when i get back to my room.

The problem isnt reading, its copying.

 

[e12a]

here's a screen. Thats a photo opened up in preview from the card reader. The disk utility window where you can see it is able to "read and write" as well as the finder window. The card reader is mounted as "EOS_DIGITAL" (Rebel XT).

"Save as" from preview works though, and the SD Card reader portion. Seems like the CF function doesnt work..

 

[Marky_Mark]

Where are you trying to save the photos to? If you're not running an admin account, perhaps it's a folder that you've not got permissions to modify. As an alternative, try drag-copying your photos to the Public folder on your HDD.

A shot in the dark, but you might have a corrupt directory on the card. If all else fails, you may end up having to individually open and save each image (I know, I know...), and then format the card in the camera after you've safely retrieved the contents to give it a fresh start.

 

[e12a]

I am running through my normal account...but even this shouldnt be a problem, as my SD Card using the same reader transfers and copies fine. Seems to be only the CF function affected.

i'm pretty much done with this problem. I'm going to have to resort to using windows or just using the camera's usb connection despite slow transfers. There doesnt seem to be an easy solution to this.

 

[plinden]

Try from Terminal. What happens if you type this?

cp -R /Volumes/<name of cf drive> .

This should copy the directory structure.

If that doesn't work, enable admin on your account and use:

sudo cp -R /Volumes/<name of cf drive> .

The sudo use should override any read/write permission problems.

 

[e12a]

okay i did that

how do i figure out how it worked? haha sorry i'm still learning my way around terminal...

 

[Sbrocket]

okay i did that

<snip>

how do i figure out how it worked? haha sorry i'm still learning my way around terminal...

You forgot the '.' at the end of the command which, believe it or not, is essential. You got the usage message because the command you entered did not specify a target directory to copy the files to. The period the the source directory ("/Volumes/EOS_DIGITAL") tells the cp command to copy the files to your current working directory, which in a new terminal should be your home directory ("/Users/<USERNAME>/" or ~). Try the commands again with the period at the end (make sure you put a space between "/Volumes/EOS_DIGITAL" and the period) and post what happens.

 

[theBB]

Yepp, don't forget the "space" followed by "dot" at the end of the command.

 

[e12a]

thanks for the "." tip guys..

so i did it and it says input/output error.

 

[mad jew]

This is truly baffling. Have you tried doing the drag & drop method whilst holding OPTION? I can't see how you could open the files, save them, but not copy them.

 

[plinden]

thanks for the "." tip guys..

so i did it and it says input/output error.

What exactly is the error?

The last time I got input/output errors when moving/copying files, it turned out that my OS X file system was corrupted (I can't remember the exact error) and I had to reformat and reinstall. But don't panic, it's more likely a problem with your flash card than your Mac.

Since you say it works in Vista/XP I think you should try to copy the files off using Windows (you might still get errors though). Then reformat the flash card as FAT32.

 

[e12a]

Here is a screen after using the cp command:

here's another screen showing the full path as well as another picture opened:

edit: going to restart into windows and copy the files. The thing is though i think it is better to have the camera format the card..

 

[e12a]

okay, i'm in windows on the mbp via bootcamp install.

what do ya know...it works! DCIM folder on desktop next to the window...

reformatted the card in-camera and took a picture of my macbook pro afterwards...still a problem

curiously, Adobe Bridge automatically starts because it detects photos...i copied that one photo to my desktop by dragging and it worked..but it gives me the error still and stops (if i have more than one picture).

 

[thegrandmaster]

Ok really simple thing, do you have a copy protection switch on the side of the card (is it SD)?

What does the 'get info' in the Finder say about the card, does it say its read only or write protected? Can you change that?

 

[e12a]

Ok really simple thing, do you have a copy protection switch on the side of the card (is it SD)?

What does the 'get info' in the Finder say about the card, does it say its read only or write protected? Can you change that?

everything is answered above. Read the earlier posts.

kinda off topic, but i noticed my screen seems pretty evenly lit.

 

[e12a]

update: I installed parallels 3.0 and ran my Vista bootcamp installation. Copying works without a hitch so I think it is an issue with the card reader and OS X's drivers, which probably cant be helped.

thanks for the help.