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Puzzling...can't transfer movie to SD card

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The SD card has 25,5 gigs available.
The movie from my hard drive is 15.5 gigs
When I try dumping the movie to the card I get the following message:
This item can't be copied because it is too large for the volume's format
Any ideas, anyone?
-Thank you.
 

Slydude

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Check the drive formatting on the card (single click the card and choose Command I). if the drive is formatted as FAT 32 thats the likely source of the problem. No matter how much space the drive has FAT 32 limits individual files to 4 GB or less. Working around that problem would require reformatting the card to some other format (OS X Extended, journaled or NTFS). Ex Fat might also work but I haven't worked with that system much.
 
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The file I'm trying to move to the card is 15.3 GB. So as you say, that's probably the problem. It's a movie file. How about dividing the movie into 4 equal parts (3.82 GB)...can do that with Quick Time 7.... then moving each of those to the card. In other words I would be turning the original movie into 4 separate ones, each less than 4GB?
 
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The file I'm trying to move to the card is 15.3 GB. So as you say, that's probably the problem. It's a movie file. How about dividing the movie into 4 equal parts (3.82 GB)...can do that with Quick Time 7.... then moving each of those to the card. In other words I would be turning the original movie into 4 separate ones, each less than 4GB?

Hi Backlighting - believe that Sly has likely provided you an answer - first, tell us how the SD card is formatted, and second, what are the drive specifics of the individual who will be watching the movie? Below is a quote that I've left in the past (summary from a number of websites including Mac Rumors) - look at the details and decide which format might be the best - splitting the large file into 4+ parts seems unnecessary - good luck and let us know - Dave :)

Choose the appropriate format:

HFS+ (Hierarchical File System, a.k.a. Mac OS Extended (Journaled)
* Read/Write HFS+ from native Mac OS X
* Required for Time Machine or Carbon Copy Cloner or SuperDuper! backups of Mac OS X system files.

* To Read/Write HFS+ from Windows, Install MacDrive

* To Read HFS+ (but not Write) from Windows, Install HFSExplorer
* Maximum file size: 8EiB
* Maximum volume size: 8EiB
* Mac OS X: Mac OS Extended format (HFS Plus) volume and file limits
* You can use this format if you only use the drive with Mac OS X, or use it for backups of your Mac OS X internal drive, or if you only share it with one Windows PC (with MacDrive installed on the PC)

NTFS (Windows NT File System)
* Read/Write NTFS from native Windows.
* Read only NTFS from native Mac OS X

* To Read/Write/Format NTFS from Mac OS X, here are some alternatives:
* For Mac OS X 10.4 or later (32 or 64-bit), install Paragon (approx $20) (Best Choice for Lion)
* For 32-bit Mac OS X, install NTFS-3G for Mac OS X (free) (does not work in 64-bit mode)
* For 64-bit Snow Leopard, read this: MacFUSE for 64-bit Snow Leopard
* Some have reported problems using Tuxera (approx $36).
* Native NTFS support can be enabled in Snow Leopard and Lion, but is not advisable, due to instability.
* AirPort Extreme (802.11n) and Time Capsule do not support NTFS
* Maximum file size: 16 TB
* Maximum volume size: 256TB
* You can use this format if you routinely share a drive with multiple Windows systems.

exFAT (FAT64)
* Supported in Mac OS X only in 10.6.5 or later.
* Not all Windows versions support exFAT. See disadvantages.
* exFAT (Extended File Allocation Table)
* AirPort Extreme (802.11n) and Time Capsule do not support exFAT
* Maximum file size: 16 EiB
* Maximum volume size: 64 ZiB
* You can use this format if it is supported by all computers with which you intend to share the drive. See "disadvantages" for details.

FAT32 (File Allocation Table)
* Read/Write FAT32 from both native Windows and native Mac OS X.

* Maximum file size: 4GB.
* Maximum volume size: 2TB
* You can use this format if you share the drive between Mac OS X and Windows computers and have no files larger than 4GB.
 
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Sly/ Dave
The drive formatting on the card is FAT 32. I didn't mention in my post that I have other .mov files on the card, which I want kept on the card & they amount to 6 GB.
Since I'm proficient with Quick Time 7 player I can easily create 4 movies out of the 1 so that is way I'll proceed.
Didn't know about the limitations on Fat 32 so thanks much Sly, you came thru again...hope you get a raise.
Dave, your reply was very informative too... so thanks.
Til next time.
 
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You will have to buy another card and formatiton the Mac to Mac OS Extended (Journaled). They are very cheap. Don't do that Backlightong. The Mods get paid far too much already!

Sly got a ten gallon hat this month already!
 

Slydude

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Sly got a ten gallon hat this month already!
With support from a few more folks like member Backlighting I might be able to talk the folks into a matching belt buckle to go with that hat. Of course the belt will have to have a few more notches than it did when I was younger.
 
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Sly/ Dave
The drive formatting on the card is FAT 32. I didn't mention in my post that I have other .mov files on the card, which I want kept on the card & they amount to 6 GB.
Since I'm proficient with Quick Time 7 player I can easily create 4 movies out of the 1 so that is way I'll proceed.
Didn't know about the limitations on Fat 32 so thanks much Sly, you came thru again...hope you get a raise.
Dave, your reply was very informative too... so thanks.
Til next time.

What is your purpose for putting the movie files on the removable drive? Is it for backup only? Or, will you be inserting the drive into another system to view?

If you're only backing up data and no other system would ever be "consuming" the content, you could consider copying the existing files off of the drive and onto your hard disk, re-formatting the removable drive to either HFS+ or exFAT.

If you're going to use the drive in other systems, you could still consider re-formatting, but the filesystem you choose should be influenced by the limitations of the other systems that will be using it. Basically, you format it for the most limiting device that would consume the data.
 
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You will have to buy another card and formatiton the Mac to Mac OS Extended (Journaled). They are very cheap.
Understood. Will do on the next card I get.
 
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What is your purpose for putting the movie files on the removable drive? Is it for backup only? Or, will you be inserting the drive into another system to view?

If you're only backing up data and no other system would ever be "consuming" the content, you could consider copying the existing files off of the drive and onto your hard disk, re-formatting the removable drive to either HFS+ or exFAT.

If you're going to use the drive in other systems, you could still consider re-formatting, but the filesystem you choose should be influenced by the limitations of the other systems that will be using it. Basically, you format it for the most limiting device that would consume the data.

Hello
My purpose is for back-up only.
 

chscag

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If you're using SD cards for backup, you need to reconsider. SD cards are unreliable and subject to failure more often than other media such as an external hard drive.
 

chscag

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Sorry, but I don't believe the graphs or stats depict real life usage. I'm speaking from experience and from the experience of others. SD cards do fail more often and are definitely not as reliable as SSD drives. For one, it's media that has to be inserted and removed and on and on again in order to be used. That alone takes away from its reliability. Sure it may be more reliable as it remains in a camera and used primarily for photography, but that's not the same as using it for backups.
 
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If you're using SD cards for backup, you need to reconsider. SD cards are unreliable and subject to failure more often than other media such as an external hard drive.
I agree. I'm using them to back up my external drive...a back-up to a back-up...on a few select files. I understand their limitations.
For the record: Sly dude answered my first post in this thread with some good info about an hr. after my post appeared. Now that's quick! As I've said before...a raise should be on the near horizon for him, if not recently given.
 

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Glad to help. Since the raise has not recently materialized, I assume that either:
1. It is forthcoming as you suggest.
2. It has been vetoed by someone higher up the chain. I'm told they can be an "overly thrifty" lot. :Mischievous:
 
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Glad to help. Since the raise has not recently materialized, I assume that either:
1. It is forthcoming as you suggest.
2. It has been vetoed by someone higher up the chain. I'm told they can be an "overly thrifty" lot. :Mischievous:

lol..
 

Slydude

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There is of course the possibility that they are working on magic beans in hopes that I will accept that in lieu of cash.
 
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There is of course the possibility that they are working on magic beans in hopes that I will accept that in lieu of cash.

Shoot for the sky and demand kruggerands.
 
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Sorry, but I don't believe the graphs or stats depict real life usage. I'm speaking from experience and from the experience of others. SD cards do fail more often and are definitely not as reliable as SSD drives. For one, it's media that has to be inserted and removed and on and on again in order to be used. That alone takes away from its reliability. Sure it may be more reliable as it remains in a camera and used primarily for photography, but that's not the same as using it for backups.

In your example, the issue is not failure of the media but failure of the contacts. And, I agree that constant insert/remove operations can and will cause wear. But...

A) A quality card that's well-built will still last a very long time
B) If the card is having issues, it will have a high likelihood of exhibiting problems at the time you're trying to copy data TO it
C) If there's real concern about damage to the contacts, put the card in a reader and leave it there, then attach/detach the reader with its USB cable

I've only ever had one SD card fail on me in the last ten years (since I started using them, basically), and it was a cheap card that gave me trouble almost from the start. You're much more likely to run into a problem because of exceeding P/E cycles on them than anything else. So, be sure you're buying cards that are designed for long-term use and use them correctly.

And, as with everything else, everyone has to make their own decisions on what needs to be backed up and how much value it has. Only then can someone determine what they're willing to spend to back that content up.
 
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"And, as with everything else, everyone has to make their own decisions on what needs to be backed up and how much value it has. Only then can someone determine what they're willing to spend to back that content up."

Absolutely.
 

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