iPad Pro Samsung T5 Issue

[jcmc]

Hi there,

So I bought a used T5 from ebay to use specifically as a back up drive for my large iCloud Photo Library. Yesterday I selected a few hundred pictures starting from the beginning of my library, clicked Saved To Files, waited for them to download from the Cloud and saved them onto my drive. Seemed straight forward enough.

When I plugged the drive this morning, the folder I created was there but was empty. I repeated the process copying over 1000+ images, all seemed well, then after disconnecting and reconnecting the drive again nothing seems to be displaying in the folder.

I think that it might have been used by its original owner as an Android accessory, so I was wondering if it needs formatting - and of so can that be done on iOS. Other question is whether my workflow is the right way to do it?

Any help appreciated.

Thanks,

C.

 

[Ludatyk]

Here’s a good place to start…

File corruption on copy to external storage

Over on Reddit, I've been in a conversation with a user who was seeing photos being corrupted on copy from his iPad to a Samsung T5 SSD. He was seeing around 5% corruption in just over a hundred files copied. He suspected the T5 was a problem but I have not trusted Files with large numbers of...

forums.macrumors.com

 

[Ray2]

What file system did you use when you initially set up the drive?

 

[jcmc]

Well that’s one of the questions I was looking for an answer to - I haven’t formatted it and not sure I know how to on iOS?
Another behaviour I am finding with this is that if I copy a selection of images to T5/Desktop then they stay there after the drive is disconnected and reconnected. However if I copy them to T5/Desktop/Created Folder they disappear.

 

[Ray2]

It’s a safe assumption it’s a Windows centric file system. That “can” work but, on iOS, has been shown to at times result in corrupted file transfers. There's a long thread on it somewhere. Quite alarming if one forgets its focused on Windows users, using iOS and an exFAT file system.

If you're a Mac user: You need to find a Mac and format it APFS (encrypted if you like), GUID. If you’re a Windows user: Leave drive as is, don't use the Files app. Try using Filebrowser Pro.

 

[jcmc]

I am neither a Mac not Windows user though, I am iPad only thus the question about how you might format a drive like this using iOS?

 

[Slartibart]

the T5 is probably formated ExFat. You use Apple’s Files on the iPad Pro to copy your files? As well as to create the folders you want to copy files to? The thread linked above will offer more insight and information, but just in case

TL;DR: get and use FileBrowserGo/Pro or FE FileExplorer to do data management including copying to external media on your iPad.

 

[Ray2]

I am neither a Mac not Windows user though, I am iPad only thus the question about how you might format a drive like this using iOS?

Suspected that. Hope you last longer than I did. I went about 6 months before i threw in the towel and picked up an MBA.

 

[Slartibart]

I am neither a Mac not Windows user though, I am iPad only thus the question about how you might format a drive like this using iOS?

at the moment (iPadOS 15.x) there is no way to format any external media. you have to use a computer with Windows, MacOS or Linux for that.

 

[sparksd]

the T5 is probably formated ExFat. You use Apple’s Files on the iPad Pro to copy your files? As well as to create the folders you want to copy files to? The thread linked above will offer more insight and information, but just in case

TL;DR: get and use FileBrowserGo/Pro or FE FileExplorer to do data management including copying to external media on your iPad.

Agree. I'm the OP on that linked long thread and now exclusively use FileBrowser Pro with exFAT attached storage. I can readily recreate the file corruption issue using Files but have done the same operations with FB Pro and never run into a problem.

 

[lungbutter]

at the moment (iPadOS 15.x) there is no way to format any external media. you have to use a computer with Windows, MacOS or Linux for that.

A great opportunity for a utility code peeps!

 

[jcmc]

Thanks for the replies, though I’m just as confused as when I started!


I note the comments about needing to format the drive which seems odd for so-called plug and play drives which many people will want to use with their iPad without access to Macs. So if I find someone with a Mac and ask them to format it for me, then all should work normally? And as I suggested, I’m actually achieving something with the drive in its current state - just not what I need. If I copy a selection of images to T5/ Desktop then they preserve just fine. If I then move them into T5 / Desktop / Created Folder they disappear. Any ideas on that?

I have had a look at FilebrowserGo and cannot seem to do anything useful with it on the free version. I have 70,000 images to eventually back up and you can’t seem to select a sweep of images by dragging your finger across to the bottom right and down as you can in Photos. FBG wants you to select an image at a time and won’t let me drag a folder over in its entirety.