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MacBookpro2011

macrumors regular
Original poster
Oct 19, 2017
133
70
Ontario, Canada
I use a WD My Passport Ultra for backing up my original images. I was attempting to use a couple taken a few years back but when I either import them into my Mac Photos App or just select them so they open up in Preview they show as locked. Don't remember ever locking them but who knows. Any way or steps to unlock these images. One other thing I noticed is that when in Finder and desktop is selected the external hard drive does not show but it is visible on the desktop itself and can be accessed by doubling clicking on it. See screen grab of EHD info.

EHD Finder Info Screen.jpg
 

mollyc

macrumors G3
Aug 18, 2016
8,065
50,760
Have you tried hooking the external to a different computer? I use a NAS and every once in a awhile I get a weird permissions issue but usually restarting fixes it.
 

Fishrrman

macrumors Penryn
Feb 20, 2009
29,242
13,315
Try this:
It may help (or maybe not)
It won't "hurt anything".

1. Have the WD drive icon mounted on the desktop.
2. Click the icon ONE TIME to select it.
3. Type "command-i" (eye) to bring up the get info box
4. Down at the bottom of get info, click the lock and enter your password
5. In sharing and permissions, put a check into the box "ignore ownership on this volume"
6. Close get info.

Can you "get to" the photo you want, now?
 
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MacBookpro2011

macrumors regular
Original poster
Oct 19, 2017
133
70
Ontario, Canada
I ended going to Finder/Applications/Time Machine and restored the folder of photos I wanted to my desktop and they are all available as originals and unlocked.
 

bigfatipod

macrumors 6502
Sep 22, 2011
358
178
Have you tried hooking the external to a different computer? I use a NAS and every once in a awhile I get a weird permissions issue but usually restarting fixes it.

Do you use the NAS to back up the photo library or store the main one there? Did you have to format the nas drive(s) the same as your Mac?
 

mollyc

macrumors G3
Aug 18, 2016
8,065
50,760
Do you use the NAS to back up the photo library or store the main one there? Did you have to format the nas drive(s) the same as your Mac?

I don't use Photos, so I don't have a library per se. I do use Lightroom and my catalog files live on my hard drive, and I have some photos locally, but photos from 2005-2017 all live on the NAS; LR is fine with that split.

I'm not sure how the drives were formatted; my husband has a PC and set it up for me originally, then gave me the permissions/passwords.
 
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