Copying files in order - Mac to HDD

Discussion in 'Mac OS X Lion (10.7)' started by Koala Operative, Feb 26, 2012.

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  1. Koala Operative, Feb 26, 2012

    Koala Operative macrumors newbie

    Joined:
    Feb 26, 2012
    #1
    Hey guys, quick question:

    Is there a tool, or a way to copy several files from my Mac to a external HD, while preserving the order of the files? I ask this because I'm trying to match the alphabetical order of the files in my Mac, with the File Allocation Table.

    My HDD will be used on a Philips TV, and the files are mostly MKV and AVI files. But since this TV is dumb, it shows the order of the files as they were copied, hence I need to copy the files in the same order as they show in the Mac.

    Thanks in advance! :)
     
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  2. Flantec, Feb 27, 2012

    Flantec macrumors newbie

    Joined:
    May 31, 2009
    #2
    You could use the terminal command rsync to copy alphabetically.

    the command would look something like this:

    rsync -rv /users/username/videos/ /volumes/externalhd

    you would need to use the correct paths for both the source and the destination, but rsync does copy alphabetically. good luck
     
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  3. Koala Operative, Feb 28, 2012
    Last edited: Feb 28, 2012

    Koala Operative thread starter macrumors newbie

    Joined:
    Feb 26, 2012
    #3
    Awesome, I'm gonna give it a try! :)

    Thanks for the info!

    EDIT -
    Okay, apparently this is what I need, but what would be the correct paths for two external HDs?
     
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  4. Flantec, Feb 28, 2012

    Flantec macrumors newbie

    Joined:
    May 31, 2009
    #4
    the source and destinations are going to be specific to your computer and hardware. where are the source videos located? I am assuming that the source resides in your videos folder. if so, you need to change "username" with your exact username

    as far as the destination, in terminal, type the following:

    ls /volumes

    if your external drive name has one or more spaces in it, you have to encapsulate in within quotes

    i.e. rsync -rv /users/koala/videos/ "/volumes/My External HDD"
     
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