Oh no! More boring computer problems! Oh no!

As it is, I've moved it from a home computer to 3 different work computers over 10 years at the company, and back to home when I stopped working there, and iTunes already gets the flu and "loses" files all the time, and then when I try to reload them, DUPLICATES them so I don't know which is which. Basically I have no music management system at all.

how would you extend the bookshelf metaphor to the FAT32, NTFS, etc. issue?

Trying to put files > 4GB on a FAT32 drive is like trying to put vinyl record sleeves on your standard sized Ikea bookshelf

Or your TASCHEN or w/e humongo art books

Or trying to put a lot of books on an Ikea bookshelf -- it just can't hold that many without falling apart

Things fall apart, the file allocation table cannot hold

sarah idk bcz there are two factors with each file system: reading and writing. Mac can READ NTFS (like it can see the files on it, it can open the files, it can play the music, etc) but it cannot WRITE to it (so you cannot save files, you cannot change the track names in iTunes, etc). It's completely one-way.

I guess like idk different bookshelves fit in different rooms better than others? And the one that fits in every room universally has shelves that are too small and can't fit your records or your TASCHEN books.

I tried to copy some old files from some DVD-Rs that were 10+ years old maybe and like half the shit was corrupted :(

Uh wait I just looked at my files and I have plenty of mp3s that are over 4GB. Like, LOTS.

I MEAN MB, NOT GB. Sorry.

Wait okay, I misread. SORRY.

and there's this hot new bookshelf on the scene (that's actually been around for a while at this point...) that is supposed to fit in all of the rooms, it's DESIGNED to fit in all of the rooms, but a lot of room designers are like "ugh no we don't really want that" which defeats the purpose, but it can hold yr TASCHEN books and your acid house 12"s and there's no reason not to buy this bookshelf

this is just getting weird and convoluted i think

xp fyi 1 GB = 1000 MB

I like topics where if you use the wrong word or are slightly unclear, the listener or reader can still get your drift. Things where meaning depends on absolute accuracy from character to character make me really flustered. Like, say, ALL OF MATH.

isn't it 1024 though?

1000 on the Mac 1024 on PCs

i mean yes but ssshhh, the gist of it is 1000

So the 4 GB file limitation on FAT32 means on a Mac the limitation is actually 4.096 GBs ; )

DAYO STOP

:D

and compression is like those library shelving systems with the sliding racks, where you can't just go in and grab the book, you have to crank the wheel so that it opens to the shelf you want?

I know the difference, it's just that in mind one character being read/remembered wrong shouldn't make the whole statement false. But it does. But I think I'm okay now. So...how do I reformat this HD now that everything is duped to a folder on my desktop?

Applications -> Utilites folder -> Disk Utility

Then: http://support.apple.com/kb/PH5819

Ignore the part about ExFAT, just select MS-DOS (FAT)

they've changed so many basic things for Macs in the past 10 years or so, (since the last one I own that still works was made) that it makes me wonder if I could even do the things I used to know how to do on one. :/

and compression is like those library shelving systems with the sliding racks, where you can't just go in and grab the book, you have to crank the wheel so that it opens to the shelf you want?

― sarahell, Saturday, October 25, 2014 5:09 PM (8 minutes ago) Bookmark

Yeah this is good

Okay but the size of the disk is over 32 GB. It will be okay anyway?

yes, you can ignore that.

the 32 in fat32 does not refer to any disk size limit. It will be okay.

I think the 32 GB is a thing leftover from Windows XP days; it should

But you should definitely check by formatting it then unplugging it and replugging it into your router to see if it recognizes it + sees how big it is

I'm like 95% certain that it should be okay

oh yeah well i'm like 97% or 98% certain

YAAAAAAY NOW IT SEES THE HD AS HAVING 931 GB CAPACITY. I have no idea why 1 TB just turned into 931 GB but whatever, I don't need HALF of that anyway.

I am 100% certain, but I am a PC user, so that might just be like 97% for Macs

Okay uh now how do I put things in it?

Because the router settings page recognizes it but doesn't tell me how to drop files in, ie I don't see a button or link or anything. And it doesn't show up in my Finder tree anywhere as a location.

Unplug the drive from the router and replug it to the MBA and transfer file sthat way

But my computer won't recognize it anymore now that's it's formatted for Windows, I would have thought? I'll try, hang on....

Dumping the HD folder back on.

The thing about FAT32 is now it will be recognized by EVERYTHING :D

your new shelving system will fit in any apartment!

I think this is where I bow out though, you should probably follow the instructions on "how to set up your router as a file server" on page 65 here http://www.tp-link.com/resources/document/TL-WDR3600_V1_User_Guide.pdf

But IDK how to really set it up in OSX Finder, Stevie D you probably do?

i am mac-dumb but i will see what i can do

I googled and found this:

Mac computers don't self-discover a USB file share on the router. I emailed TP-Link and got an answer 6 hours later. (Finder...Go...Connect to Server...smb:192.168.0.1/{volume name})

io you should rename it something simple and lowercase and one word after copying the files back to it

can you like Favorite it so it always shows up?

I did that Go > Connect to server thing this morning and it worked to an extent--it still couldn't fully see the thing bc of the formatting, I guess.

I did it, IT WORKED! YOU DID IT!

I can read and write to the HD now, wait wait I'm about to tell iTunes to look there for the music library, that's the final test.

So this...isn't working. I changed the Prefs to tell iTunes to look on the HD for the music library but it's making me locate every single track individually. I even told it, "YES, please use this location to find other missing files" but it does no good.

Absolutely every action, even just scrolling, gets the color wheel and a long lag time.

I think it is an issue of iTunes being shitty

Yeah I have a feeling that won't work