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Using Move Rename & Copy to create a back-up disk
blgentry:
As I said in another thread, I don't like using RM&C to do large copies or large moves. I haven't experienced the things you are reporting, but I probably haven't tried in a while, so I'm not sure what might be going on.
My approach is a little unusual I know, so I'm going to tell you what I do, but without tons of detail. Because I'm probably one of a very few people that would use my method.
My backup method is to use rsync, which is a command line program for making exact copies of directory structures, including all subdirectories, all files of all types, etc. It also preserves date and time information, permissions, etc. I have written scripts that call rsync to back up my various disks to other disks.
If I were you, I would probably be investigating one of two methods:
1. Time Machine with external disks. Time Machine is a fantastic "set it and forget it" backup tool. But I'm not sure how well it works when backing up external disks. It's mostly designed to back up your internal disk to ONE external backup disk. I mention Time Machine because it's included with OSX and has been around for a long time.
2. A third party graphical sync tool. Something that you can do a few clicks to tell it "back up this directory and everything under it, and put it in this other directory on this external disk". That way it will be easy to understand and it will get EVERYTHING.
RM&C should not need to be used AT ALL with either of these scenarios. You'll just have your backups done without involving MC.
Good luck to you.
Brian.
macdonjh:
--- Quote from: RoderickGI on December 25, 2018, 04:56:55 pm ---Yes. Absolutely. Don't do it!
MC names Sidecar and Cover Art jpg files. Leave them alone. The RM&CF function renames them correctly when you move the Movies, TV Shows, Audio Tracks etc. If it doesn't, something is wrong, or you are doing something wrong. Fix the issue, and then MC will look after the files.
That's the heart of my questions, I think something is wrong, with my technique or perhaps with MC. For example, I wanted to COPY a movie to my external USB drive. I used RM&C to COPY:
[Movies]/[Movies]/[busters]/Ghost Busters.mkv to
[5TB Library]/[Movies]/[Ghost Busters]/Ghost Busters.mkv
(for example)
I was using the MR&C utility to do the renaming for me. I knew from looking in the Finder that the original [busters] folder had my .mkv, .xml and .jpg files. I don't know why, but MR&C utility copied and renamed only the .mkv file. I ended up manually copying the .xml and .pdf files. They didn't "connect" with the .mkv file until I renamed them to match the newly renamed .mkv file and used MR&C utility to "update database". Now my new library is working properly, except for the subtitle files, which apparently didn't get copied, either.
If Cover Art images don't link to movies correctly, fix the Cover Art, don't re-copy the files from the source. Just right-click on the movie > Cover Art > Add from file, and navigate to and select the correct file. MC will take care of moving and renaming the Cover Art image file. Or you can use "Quick find in file / Cover Art directory, which works well if the file is named correctly and in the correct location, but just not linked to the movie record. You can do those processes in bulk, for any movies not set up correctly.
I'll look at the "Quick find in file / Cover Art directory" which I didn't know about. In another thread blgentry has suggested some other ways of finding files using MC, which I also have to try. I don't want to simply link new copies of audio or video files to existing copies of cover art. I want copies of the cover art, too. A complete copy of my collection. That's why I am copying.
Unless you are fixing something that you screwed up by manually copying and renaming stuff, and you know what you are doing, don't go renaming Sidecar files either. Just rerun the "Get Movie & TV Info" process again. If you lose some tags in those files when
I didn't think about that. Duh. Like I said, I have gotten everything relinked, though, I was just hoping there was an automated way within MC to COPY (again, I don't want to move the files, or simply create another library, I want my whole collection copied). I also like the idea of having cover art in the same folders as the "matching" audio or video file. My video collection got set up like that, but my audio collection has a central folder with all the cover art in it (somewhere). I want to change that.
One reason that Sidecar and Cover Art jpg files might not get moved is that you have imported them into MC. You do not want to do that. Check that your Auto Import settings for Movies, TV Shows etc. does not include importing images and xml files. Incorrectly set up Auto Import settings explains a lot of these sorts of problems.
How can I tell if .xml and .jpg files are imported? Is there a way to "un-import" them? I'm not on the computer that I have MC installed on, and I don't remember what my auto-import settings are, but it wouldn't surprise me if I had it set to import everything.
BTW, the RM&CF function isn't really the best tools for creating a backup of your files. Sure, it can do it, but if you get the directory and/or file expressions wrong, MC is going to not just move the files between disks, but also rename the sub-directories they are in and the files. Plus if you copy the files, I think MC is going to import the copies into its Library as well, and you will have two copies listed. I haven't checked that. But anyway, a backup application or a file sync tool would be better for what you are doing.
I understand what you're saying, but I am using RM&C to rename a lot of audio and video files and reorganize subfolders as I copy everything to my back-up disc. I don't have a back-up or file sync tool (at least that I know about). I see that blgentry below is recommending Time Machine, but I don't want a back-up I can use only with my Mac. Most of the computers in my house are PCs, so I want to be able to transfer files between the Mac and PCs, too. A lot of what you're saying and warning me about is why I am COPYing my files to my new disc, rather than MOVing them. My original files and library are still intact and functioning fine. They are just terrible disorganized because of the way I created them when I first installed MC.
Someone else has reported that the RM&CF function would only Move/Copy a few Albums worth of files at a time. Search the forum for that thread. There may be answers in it. The MC RM&CF function can copy thousands of files at a time, although that isn't really recommended. Break any large move operation down into smaller lots.
That was me, at least most recently in the Mac forum. Breaking my copying down into smaller chunks is how I solved the problem.
Also, make sure you are running the latest version of MC. There have been some fixes and improvements in the above features recently.
PS: I just noticed that you are running the Mac version, I run the Windows version, but in this functionality, they should be identical. But no guarantees.
--- End quote ---
macdonjh:
--- Quote from: blgentry on December 25, 2018, 07:24:52 pm ---As I said in another thread, I don't like using RM&C to do large copies or large moves. I haven't experienced the things you are reporting, but I probably haven't tried in a while, so I'm not sure what might be going on.
My approach is a little unusual I know, so I'm going to tell you what I do, but without tons of detail. Because I'm probably one of a very few people that would use my method.
My backup method is to use rsync, which is a command line program for making exact copies of directory structures, including all subdirectories, all files of all types, etc. It also preserves date and time information, permissions, etc. I have written scripts that call rsync to back up my various disks to other disks.
Sounds like you are using rsync to set up a RAID structure.
If I were you, I would probably be investigating one of two methods:
1. Time Machine with external disks. Time Machine is a fantastic "set it and forget it" backup tool. But I'm not sure how well it works when backing up external disks. It's mostly designed to back up your internal disk to ONE external backup disk. I mention Time Machine because it's included with OSX and has been around for a long time.
I don't want to use Time Machine to do this work because I want to be able to use my newly created and reorganized collection (and the back-up I'll create from this new USB disc, once I get it working properly) with both Mac and Windows computers. Also, as we've talked about in my other thread, I also want to use this opportunity to better organize my collection, since I was lazy when I was ripping everything originally. I've got stuff scattered and with no real logic in the file names.
2. A third party graphical sync tool. Something that you can do a few clicks to tell it "back up this directory and everything under it, and put it in this other directory on this external disk". That way it will be easy to understand and it will get EVERYTHING.
RM&C should not need to be used AT ALL with either of these scenarios. You'll just have your backups done without involving MC.
Good luck to you.
Thank you, you've been really helpful.
Brian.
--- End quote ---
macdonjh:
When I get this all sorted out and finished, I'll be able to go back to using the MC utilities for what they were made for. :)
RoderickGI:
--- Quote from: macdonjh on December 26, 2018, 04:41:57 pm ---How can I tell if .xml and .jpg files are imported? Is there a way to "un-import" them?
--- End quote ---
Check your Auto Import detailed setting for the top level folder that contains the media files. In there you will see what files types are being imported.
You can also just search for xml and jpg files in MC, in one of the views, and see if they exist in the Library.
You can't un-import them, but you can just delete them from the Library if you find they have been imported.
As you are reorganising and renaming files as you copy them, you aren't really getting a backup of your files and library, so much as a different copy. In your situation this is what I would have done.
0. Find a suitable sync application. There are plenty around, and lots are free. Rsync may be a good choice. No, it doesn't have to use a RAID structure. There have been quite a few recommended in the past on the forum.
1. Sync your existing drive to your external drive.
2. Use the RM&CF function to rename and move files on your original disk to what you want. i.e. Do all the cleanup on the original disk.
3. Regularly sync to the external drive, whenever you are happy that what you have done is all good. Don't do it all at once, and resync after each part is done.
4. Repeat 2 & 3 until finished.
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