Moving Data folders to another disk

Topic

New Reply

New to this forum and Windows 10. How can I move Photoshop photos folder from system disk to another disk. Everything I’ve tried I screw up. Gotta be way for retired musician to do this.

Reply | Quote

Replies

First things first: what follows might not be applicable to Windows 10, because it is based on my experience with Windows 7, but worth my having a crack at it, in case it actually helps you. Also, my posting this here will make your new thread visible for a while near the top of the brown right-side bar, so other people will learn about its existence…

In case you have not tried this yet, although it is very likely you already have (assuming, again, that it is applicable to your own case) I shall explain it.  And if my suggestion — assuming it applies to you — doesn’t work, then I won’t be able to really explain to you why that happened:

Connect the external hard disk to the PC via USB and connect it also to a power point (wall socket, a second USB port…)

If the icon of the external disk shows up on your desktop, open it there; if it does not, then open the external disk by double clicking its icon in “Computer”, the latter accessible by clicking on the start button.

Downsize the window of the external disk, so you can see, at the same time, what else is on your Desktop, or elsewhere using Internet Explorer to find those folders full of files you wish to copy that are not on your Desktop.

Drag the folders you wish to copy, one at the time, to the open window of the external disk.

Wait for each folder to be copied over, then do the same with the next one… until done.

And good luck, whatever you do.

Ex-Windows user (Win. 98, XP, 7); since mid-2017 using also macOS. Presently on Monterey 12.15 & sometimes running also Linux (Mint).

MacBook Pro circa mid-2015, 15" display, with 16GB 1600 GHz DDR3 RAM, 1 TB SSD, a Haswell architecture Intel CPU with 4 Cores and 8 Threads model i7-4870HQ @ 2.50GHz.
Intel Iris Pro GPU with Built-in Bus, VRAM 1.5 GB, Display 2880 x 1800 Retina, 24-Bit color.
macOS Monterey; browsers: Waterfox "Current", Vivaldi and (now and then) Chrome; security apps. Intego AV

Reply | Quote

See How to Move Your Pictures Folder Location in Windows 10.

Reply | Quote

Except if you are using a photo application with a built-in photo organizer. You may want to do it from within the organizer, so it can continue to keep track of where everything is at. Else you may have to reconnect missing files in the organizer.

Windows 10 Pro 22H2

Reply | Quote

Hi, Retired Musician,

From the request, I see you are trying to move your photoshop photos folder from the old computer with Windows (I assume, not a Mac) to Windows 10 and you are asking us professionals (in this particular field) to help you.
Let’s verify:

–I own Photoshop CS6 and Photoshop Elements.  I used to use Lightroom as well.  Photoshop does not use a separate catalog, so all its files are stored in the Pictures folder, which we geeks can also call a directory.  Photoshop Elements, however, does use a separate metadata file and catalog if you use the Elements Organizer.  You need to know which version of Photoshop you are having trouble with.

—The actual pictures and originals are in the Pictures folder. If the files are all there, then your problem is not the copying but pointing at the files to open in Photoshop.  With Windows 10, recent versions fail to let Photoshop become the default program.  Photos opens instead, every time.  This is a known issue that may be repaired by repeatedly running all updates in Settings.  From Photoshop itself, you can click on File and select Open.  Select the Pictures folder and choose one from the list. OR:  While looking at the pictures in the pictures folder, right-click on the one you want to edit and choose Open With and choose Photoshop. If it isn’t listed, you will have to select Other and manually hunt down the program’s executable file.  I won’t go there because this post is already long.

If your problem is truly transferring the pictures:

—You don’t have to remove the internal hard drive to transfer the files.  You need to buy a USB backup drive or very large flash drive with enough space to hold all the pictures.  If inadequate, the copy will fail or be incomplete.

— The other part of the request, copying the pictures, depends on whether you are using Windows 7 or 8.0/8.1.  I am going to assume you know nothing, so you can figure out where things went wrong.  Finding the files can be tricky in 8.1 since 8.1 uses a different tablet-style desktop.  One method that will work for all versions of Windows is to use a keyboard shortcut.  Hold down the Windows key (it looks like a window to the left of the spacebar) and tap on the E key.  It opens up a File Explorer window that will show you your user folders, including the Pictures folder.

———–1.  Right-click on the Pictures folder to see a list of options, and select Properties at the bottom.  Look for the size of the whole folder.  You must have a good, preferably empty,  external drive bigger than that.  (If you are trying to use a USB drive you have already, it could be failing or full.  Both would cause a problem.)

—Plug in the USB backup drive.  Hopefully, a Window will pop up that shows anything on the drive.

—You now have two windows open: The original file explorer window showing the Pictures folder and the new USB backup drive window.  Click on the Pictures folder and keep pressing on the mouse while you drag it to the open area of the usb window before releasing the mouse.  Take a deep breath. By the time you finish that breath, a progress bar should pop up to show the files are copying.  Do not unplug the usb drive until it disappears.

—When finished, verify all files were copied. Right-click on the Pictures folder on the USB drive and select  Properties to find the actual size. Does it match?

—If it does, then safely remove the flash drive.  Close the USB backup window only.  Find the USB drive listed on the left side of the File Explorer window and right-click on it to Eject it.  Let windows do the work properly so nothing gets corrupted.

–Plug the USB drive into the Windows 10 machine and double-click to open the Pictures folder.  I have found that selecting all the files using the keyboard reduces errors in copying.  Hold down the CTRL key and tap on A to select all of them.  Then hold down CTRL and tap C to copy.  If you see the Pictures folder in a list on the left, simply click on the Pictures folder under Quick Access and verify that it does not show the same files as the USB drive.  In a white area in the Pictures folder, right-click and select PASTE.  If it sees duplicates, you will have a request to skip files or replace them.  You can skip files if you think the previous attempts at moving your pictures were successful; otherwise, choose Replace.

 

—If my explanations do not help, we need further information:

1.  What is the original Windows version?

2.  What version of Photoshop are you using?

3.  Is it the same version you are using on Windows 10?

4.  Is there an error message?

5.  What are the symptoms?  Right now, I hear “When I use a hammer to build a cabinet, it doesn’t work.”  Umm, how do I answer that? I don’t know if it is an actual error or a user-is-less-knowledgeable problem…sorry.

Reply | Quote

kreela wrote:

From the request, I see you are trying to move your photoshop photos folder from the old computer with Windows (I assume, not a Mac) to Windows 10

I’m not sure how you came to that conclusion based on the question that was being asked.

I interpreted the question as the OP simply wanting to move the pictures from a system drive (C:) to another drive, as one might wish to do in order to free up space on the system drive. I saw no mention of two computer systems involved in the question.

And if there is no dedicated catalog involved, then it should simply be a matter of dragging and dropping the selected picture folders into a new path. Or by using the alternative that was also suggested by @b, for telling Windows 10 to migrate the entire “Pictures” folder to a new location.

Hopefully the OP will return with some more details regarding the request, and perhaps relate what has already been tried that did not work.

I use Photoshop Lightroom with a catalog, and Photoshop Elements without the organizer.

Windows 10 Pro 22H2

Reply | Quote