Moving cross-platform external hard drive question

[sonesta.smith]

Lightroom Version

Lightroom Classic

Operating System

1. Windows 10
2. macOS 13 Ventura

I have read the ebook you made regarding moving LRC to a new computer. I am moving from pc to Macbook Air. I store all my photos on an external hard drive. In the ebook you simply mention, after all the prep, to backup everything, but you don't mention how exactly to do that, especially in light of how to use an external hard drive for this process, since you can't use the same one on both platforms unless it's been formatted that way. Mine has not been formatted, but currently contains all my data, so I can't format it first. Seems like a catch-22 issue to me. I'm sure it has to be much more simple than this, but I don't want to wipe something out fiddling with what I don't know. Thank you for any help in this area.

 

[Johan Elzenga]

If your drive holds data, then it’s formatted. It probably came preformatted. You need to check what format it is. MacOS can read and write to ExFAT and FAT 32, but it can only read and not write to NTFS formatted drives. There are third party drivers that can solve that, however.

 

[sonesta.smith]

Yes, I meant that it is formatted, but not for use with both pc and Mac. It is NTFS. So I need step-by-step instructions as to what I need to do. Thanks

 

[Califdan]

At the end of the day you will need an external drive that the Mac can both read and write. As of now you only have one that the Mac can read. So, here's what I'd do baring any better idea. However, I'm not a MAC person so others may have better ideas

1. Assure that the folders Panel in LrC is not referencing images on any drive other than your external drive. If it is, then deal with that
2. After closing LrC, copy the entire folder containing your LrC catalog to your external drive if it is not already there
3. Go out and buy yourself a second drive.
4. Format it with either ExFat or Fat32
5. Plug both drives into the new MacBook Air
6. Copy everything from the old drive to the new drive
7. Optionally, copy the folder containing the catalog from the new drive to your new internal drive
8. Open the LrC catalog and relink the images file if need be
9. Re-format the old drive for use on the Mac and use it for backups (good place to put Time Machine files)

 

[Victoria Bampton]

I store all my photos on an external hard drive. In the ebook you simply mention, after all the prep, to backup everything, but you don't mention how exactly to do that, especially in light of how to use an external hard drive for this process,

How are you currently backing up the photos that live on that drive? It’s not your only copy of them is it?

 

[Jim Wilde]

There are third party drivers that can solve that, however.

In the past, I've used the Tuxera utility app to allow my Mac to read/write NTFS-formatted drives. Might be a good short-term solution until you can fully migrate your drives to Mac-specific formats.

 

[clee01l]

In the past, I've used the Tuxera utility app to allow my Mac to read/write NTFS-formatted drives. Might be a good short-term solution until you can fully migrate your drives to Mac-specific formats.

I agree with Jim that this is or should be a short term solution. When I checked a Tuxera license cost €15 (US $15). A check of Amazon shows a 1TB Thumb Drive for $26.99USD. There is even a 2TB Slim HDD for $11 https://www.amazon.com/External-Por.../dp/B08CXL9VGM/ref=sr_1_22?crid=19UGRSNI7FPFP
If the EHD date can fit Copy the EHD data folders and files to the Thumbdrive, then reformat the EHD to Apples APFS file format. then copy the data bak to the newly reformatted EHD.

 

[sonesta.smith]

Thank you all. I was able to get a new EHD. I'm just learning the Mac also, so how do I find the properties and format it for Mac? Thanks

 

[sonesta.smith]

I am doing the backup of all the LRC files listed in the ebook. I do not have files called .lrcat-shm or .lrcat-wal. Can anyone tell me if I'm supposed to have those files, and where they would be located? They are not in the same file as the catalog and I don't have a catalog file anywhere else. Thanks

 

[sonesta.smith]

How are you currently backing up the photos that live on that drive? It’s not your only copy of them is it?

To answer your question, I keep all my RAW files on my EHD. I'm stuck in this transfer process. In the ebook you mention to backup and transfer all the files before installing LRC on the new computer. That doesn't work for some files, since there is no place yet created for them to go into. Years ago I transferred LR from one pc to another (that was before the cloud versions) and it was so simple. This has been very daunting so far, having to search all over for all the files that need to be backed up and transferred into the correct locations. I just want to make sure I'm doing it correctly. Thanks for any input you have.

 

[Jim Wilde]

I am doing the backup of all the LRC files listed in the ebook. I do not have files called .lrcat-shm or .lrcat-wal. Can anyone tell me if I'm supposed to have those files, and where they would be located? They are not in the same file as the catalog and I don't have a catalog file anywhere else. Thanks

Those files are temporary and only exist while LrC is running, and are deleted when LrC is closed down. Therefore, no need to back them up.

 

[clee01l]

Thank you all. I was able to get a new EHD. I'm just learning the Mac also, so how do I find the properties and format it for Mac? Thanks

You format a new drive using the Utility app named Disk Utility. Check the Menu item {Edit} for formatting options. Selecting a volume in Disk Utilities will show it properties. You can also see the Volume properties using "Get Info" in Finder.