Having trouble copying files to an external HD

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Level 1

5 points

Having trouble copying files to an external HD

I am trying to manually back up some files to an external HD. The HD is brand new and its in ExFAT format. When I move smaller folders (1-2GB or less) it works just fine. But when I try to move larger folders or move them all at once it gets stuck at "Zero bytes of X - Estimating time remaining"

I have tried waiting a couple hours and it was still stuck. Any help would be much appreciated, I could move them in small amounts at a time I guess but I'm not sure why I can't just move them all at once.

MacBook Pro 13″, macOS 10.13

Posted on Apr 27, 2023 02:54 AM

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Answer 1

HWTech

Level 9

66,710 points

Apr 30, 2023 10:01 AM in response to ianjonez

First, uninstall the anti-virus software as it is not needed on a Mac. Anti-virus apps, cleaning/optimizer apps, and third party security software usually causes more problems than they solve, plus they impact system performance. These types of apps cannot help themselves, because they are designed to interfere with the normal operation of macOS.

Make sure to try both of the USB-C ports. Also, try rotating the USB-C cable connector 180 degrees upside down to see if it makes any difference, just in case the laptop's USB-C port half bad.

Also, try booting into Safe Mode to see if it makes any difference.

You either have a software issue with this laptop, or you have a hardware issue with the laptop since you have tried multiple external drives.

I was unable to find any information about a Samsung SRD0NF portable drive.

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Answer 2

HWTech

Level 9

66,710 points

Apr 27, 2023 04:29 PM in response to ianjonez

It really helps to know the exact model of your Mac and version of macOS being used. You can get this information by clicking the Apple menu and selecting "About This Mac".

Also, knowing the exact make & model of the external drive is important. Plus the interface you are using.

Try connecting the drive directly to the Mac and disconnect all other external devices in case one of them is having a problem.

Have you tried using Disk Utility to erase the whole physical drive? I personally always do this with every new drive I acquire just to be safe. Some vendors may have secret partitions on them as well as hidden files.

Are you using any anti-virus apps, cleaning/optimizer apps, or third party security software?

Edit: Are there a lot of small files or are the files large?

When you attempt to copy the files, does it get past the analyzing & collecting portion of the copy process, or does it actually make it to the step where the files are starting to be written?

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Answer 3

ianjonez Author

Level 1

5 points

Apr 27, 2023 08:35 PM in response to HWTech

Thanks for the reply. I have a Macbook Pro (13-inch, 2017, Two Thunderbolt 3 ports) with High Sierra.

The first external HD is a Seagate 2TB Portable Drive. Model SRD0NF, I then got a new one which didn't work either. The new one is a UnionSine 500 GB External Hard Drive. Model HD2510

I did try using Disk Utility on the first one and clearing it out/reformatting it but same problem. I am using an antivirus app called Antivirus One. And its a large number of smaller files, mostly audio.

And for the last question, it hasn't gotten past the analyzing & collecting part except for one time right after I re-formatted. It got to around 10GB and froze there.

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Having trouble copying files to an external HD

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