File copying in Finder... overwriting!

[skp574]

I am trying to copy my MP3 collection from DVDs onto my Mac, but the Finder keeps overighting folders.

Let me explain.

I may have two DVDs with two identical artists, say Delerium

Disc 1 has a folder Delerium/Chimera
Disc 2 has a folder Delerium/Karma

Now if I drag the Delerium folder from Disc 1 all is fine. If I now try to copy the contents of Disc 2 it asks to replace the existing destination folder. What it actually does is delete the Chimera contained in the destination Delerium folder as well!

I have many compilations (20+) split across 10 DVDs and each time it overwrites the sub-folders. This is not what I want. Why does it do this, there is no option to append folders or files. I can't keep track if all my music has been copied.

Is there a way to append copy rather than replace?

 

[mmmdreg]

Can't you just copy the sub folders into a destination directory? So copy the "karma" folder into the "delerium" folder that already has the "chimera" in it..?

 

[ravenvii]

OS X cannot do merges like Windows can. You're SOL.

 

[skp574]

OS X cannot do merges like Windows can. You're SOL.

That is a big bummer.

I have many albums organised like Artist/Album split across multiple discs.

That means I have to manually track the copying. I can't just put the discs in and drag the whole contents over to the destination folder and walk away for 20 minutes. I have to sit infront of the computer and manually drag each folder into the right place.

What a pain in the arse! How can something so simple not be possible.

 

[MisterMe]

That is a big bummer.

I have many albums organised like Artist/Album split across multiple discs.

That means I have to manually track the copying. I can't just put the discs in and drag the whole contents over to the destination folder and walk away for 20 minutes. I have to sit infront of the computer and manually drag each folder into the right place.

What a pain in the arse! How can something so simple not be possible.

Certainly since the introduction of HFS, the Mac has treated folders as objects. You want to synchronize folders. There are several utilities that handle tasks such as this. I prefer Qdea's Synchronize! Pro X.

 

[mkrishnan]

What about in terminal? This seems like something that might be accomplishable there, with a directory recursive copying of some kind. I have to think more to be more specific, but....

 

[mkrishnan]

Okay, I can be more specific now.

I created the following directory hierarchy:

~/test/
~/test/temp1/
~/test/temp1/fish/
~/test/temp1/fish/test1 (a text file)
~/test/temp2/
~/test/temp2/fish/
~/test/temp2/fish/test2 (also a text file)

Now, in the ~/test directory, if I execute:

cp -R -n temp1/ .
cp -R -n temp2/ .

I get a fish directory in the test directory, containing both test1 and test2.

This is essentially what you want, right?

So, you cd into the target directory where all the music is going to go, and you <cp -R -n> each disc's root directory into '.'

Right?

 

[Nermal]

The easiest way is to double-click the DVD, do a Select All, then drag all the folders to the iTunes icon in the Dock. This will automatically copy all the songs into your iTunes Music folder and organise them appropriately.

However, if you don't want to do this, then the Terminal is probably the best way.

 

[Cybernanga]

Seeing as you are talking about importing songs, wouldn't it be simpler to just use iTunes?

Import all the songs into iTunes, and let iTunes do the organisation, then search for duplicates, and remove them.

No messing with Terminal that way.

 

[skp574]

I am very fussy where my files go.

I don't like the way iPhoto imports pictures into its own folders and leaves the originals which I have already organised where they are. In affect duplicating them.

As for music, I may have many MP3s which are by the same artist and same title, but they are different as they belong to a mix cd. I selected the "keep iTunes music folder organised" before and that completely buggered up the playlists.

I don't like the idea of all tracks by one artists in its own folder even though they belong to different albums.

I think I may play with the terminal.