10-08-2007, 06:55 PM

I'm probably missing a simple detail here but I'm trying to figure out how to "move" a folder from my iMac G5 desktop to an external LACIE hard drive WITHOUT "copying" it. It seems to always default to copying the contents of the folder rather than simply moving it. The folder contains .vob files and it takes a good deal of time to copy which is a real pain in the neck when I just want to move the thing. Any help on this annoying problem would be very much appreciated. I'm running Panther OS.

Thanks!

10-08-2007, 07:02 PM

Hold down the Command (Apple) key and drag the folder. It will move it to your external drive.

10-08-2007, 07:05 PM

No, it's not possible.

You have to transfer every bit of data from the internal drive to the external. There's no way to do that without the computer sending every single bit across the FireWire cable, which is going to take some time. There is no magical way to move files.

If you were just moving it around on a single disk, it wouldn't take as much time, because it's not really being moved anywhere.

10-08-2007, 07:16 PM

excuse me? He asked how to Move instead of copy. I just did it here and it worked to my external drive.

Sure there is no magical way to move it in a second if it's VOB,s but if you hold Apple and drag it, it does move it there. I never said it was instant.

And to be sure I understand the OP since it's a bit up in the air, you want just the folder without it's VOB files? Why would you have to move just a folder?

If you just want a new folder there with the same name, right click and make a folder of that name on the external. You used Copy and Move a folder. I told you how to move it. I never figured you just wanted an empty folder.

10-08-2007, 10:06 PM

Originally Posted by dtravis7

excuse me? He asked how to Move instead of copy. I just did it here and it worked to my external drive.

Yes, and what did the progress dialog say when you did it?

"Copy."

Because it's not a true move, where the system changes the position in the folder hierarchy (technically, it modifies the B*-tree) It's a copy, followed immediately by a deletion of the source file. It involves making a duplicate of the contents on the target disk, and freeing the space on the source disk.

"Moving" the file using the Command key does not save any copying time.

10-08-2007, 11:07 PM

Originally Posted by technologist

Yes, and what did the progress dialog say when you did it?

"Copy."

No, it said Move.

And this was not about Time. Copy makes a COPY on the other drive. Move Moves it there and deletes it from the original location. I get asked this all the time by Windows users who are used to both Copy and Move.

No sense arguing about it. I know what I see here and what it's doing. The OP is mixed up if he thinks it will just move the folder and not the files inside it. You are correct on that point.