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iPad File corruption on copy to external storage
- Thread starter sparksd
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I use an app called System Status from Techet that provides used and free storage (% and byte count) info for attached external storage -
https://techet.net/sysstat/
https://apps.apple.com/us/app/system-status-cpu-memory-battery-disk-monitor/id401457165
as written. In FBPro as well as FEFE you have to add a
This is how it looks in FBPro on one of my iPads:
As you can see I have added certain folders on my iPad, as well as external SSDs, USB C-sticks, and external spinning HD as a location.
After adding you can copy directly between each of this devices when they are connected.
This is how it looks in FEFE on on my iPads:
Neither FBPro nor FEFE will automatically mount and provide access to external media. But once added the devices-names and locations (e.g. like shown above) will be permanently available within the apps.
location (FBPro) or a connection (FEFE) e.g. for your external SD-card as well as e.g. the SSD - you just connect your hub with the card reader and SSD connected and then add both as a permanent location/connection.This is how it looks in FBPro on one of my iPads:
As you can see I have added certain folders on my iPad, as well as external SSDs, USB C-sticks, and external spinning HD as a location.
After adding you can copy directly between each of this devices when they are connected.
This is how it looks in FEFE on on my iPads:
Neither FBPro nor FEFE will automatically mount and provide access to external media. But once added the devices-names and locations (e.g. like shown above) will be permanently available within the apps.
Just in case: wether with FBPro or FEFE - whenever I copy Photos from an SD card directly to another external device or onto my iPad, I have the SD card write-protected. It’s a habit, I write-protect them when I remove them from the camera device.
I personally would not recommend to edit files directly on an external SD card. While technically possible I run into some strange problems while using Pixelmator Pro and Affinity Photo around iPadOS 14.
I don’t edit Photos directly on a SSD/HD either due to that experience - I only had problems with direct edits on EXFat SSD cards never SSD, but even my “transporter”-T7 I use to transfer photos and data between devices with different OS, is regularly flag as having file system inconsistencies which then will be “repaired“ under e.g. Windows.
There seems to be something intrinsically wrong with the way iPadOS <=15.3.1 writes to external file systems, which can result in data inconsistencies or even loss.
But: I usually do preselect Photos directly on SD-cards or SSDs using RAWPower and, due to the fact that FileBrowser Pro integrates so nicely with iPadOS, I then copy these selected Photos directly to another external storage or onto my iPad via the
I personally would not recommend to edit files directly on an external SD card. While technically possible I run into some strange problems while using Pixelmator Pro and Affinity Photo around iPadOS 14.
I don’t edit Photos directly on a SSD/HD either due to that experience - I only had problems with direct edits on EXFat SSD cards never SSD, but even my “transporter”-T7 I use to transfer photos and data between devices with different OS, is regularly flag as having file system inconsistencies which then will be “repaired“ under e.g. Windows.
There seems to be something intrinsically wrong with the way iPadOS <=15.3.1 writes to external file systems, which can result in data inconsistencies or even loss.
But: I usually do preselect Photos directly on SD-cards or SSDs using RAWPower and, due to the fact that FileBrowser Pro integrates so nicely with iPadOS, I then copy these selected Photos directly to another external storage or onto my iPad via the
Share->Copy to FileBrowser Pro-command.
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Thanks @All. So neither FBP nor FEFE has any issues with files getting corrupted, right?
As I can insert two SDs into my camera I think I will create a backup already internally telling my cam to write the same files on both SD cards. But still, just wanted to doublecheck the above with FBP / FEFE.
As I can insert two SDs into my camera I think I will create a backup already internally telling my cam to write the same files on both SD cards. But still, just wanted to doublecheck the above with FBP / FEFE.
Do you often charge your iPad when working with external storage? If so, may I ask what powered hub are you using? There are dozen of Anker ones, I myself am using an unpowered one. But most of them are for designed for Mac, allowing to pass 100W which scares me. Would I have to use my MBP charger or would 20W one for iPad be enough? I just need to keep my SSD and iPad alive, not to fast charge it.
there is zero risk, the iPad pro cannot receive more than 30w anyway
The USB-C iPads use a sophisticated charger design called power delivery (PD). This is standard on USB-C and Thunderbolt 3/4 ports. It does a handshake to determine how much power the device needs. You don’t have to worry about using too large of a charger.
I do. I use this Anker hub with a 60W charger - the hub itself uses 15W and any attached peripherals may require their own juice -
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B087QZVQJX/
It can be hard to find what the power requirements for a hub are and low-power chargers may not provide enough for the hub+peripherals.
I frustratingly had this same issue: https://forums.macrumors.com/thread...vailable.2342786/?post=31048384#post-31048384
iPadOS is not ready to be a laptop replacement for professional creatives if it can't handle basic tasks like copying files from a SD/microSD card.
This has occurred multiple times across many months and multiple iPadOS updates:
1. Take microSD card (exFAT format) from GoPro/drone (videos often 4K60)
2. Plug it into iPad Pro (w/ USB C) via adapter
3. Open Files app, viewing videos is file
4. Clicking share freezes up Files app
5. Files app either crashes / needs to be force closed / SD has to be removed
6. Re-inserting SD results in "content unavailable" error in Files app (it stays like this for weeks to months...)
7. Plugging SD card into MacOS, the video files are no longer there in the SD card
What's the point of getting a 512GB/1TB GB iPad if you can't copy videos to it?
Anyone know how to recover the files that get corrupted and destroyed?
iPadOS is not ready to be a laptop replacement for professional creatives if it can't handle basic tasks like copying files from a SD/microSD card.
This has occurred multiple times across many months and multiple iPadOS updates:
1. Take microSD card (exFAT format) from GoPro/drone (videos often 4K60)
2. Plug it into iPad Pro (w/ USB C) via adapter
3. Open Files app, viewing videos is file
4. Clicking share freezes up Files app
5. Files app either crashes / needs to be force closed / SD has to be removed
6. Re-inserting SD results in "content unavailable" error in Files app (it stays like this for weeks to months...)
7. Plugging SD card into MacOS, the video files are no longer there in the SD card
What's the point of getting a 512GB/1TB GB iPad if you can't copy videos to it?
Anyone know how to recover the files that get corrupted and destroyed?
I was lucky to lose only a portion of my road trip content from last Autumn's Norway trip when copying files from camera's mSD card to iPad and SSD. I wasn’t able to recover any files. They occupy space (giving you impression the transfer was successful) but are unreadable. Similar problems losing connection to mSD cards, SSDs.
1. Avoid Files altogether
2. Use FE File Explorer (one time purchase) or FileBrowser (Go/Pro-subscription, I believe, don't have it) for any file management
3. Use AFPS instead of FAT/exFat (F that I won’t)
I now only trust my iPad to handle files on backup SSD. It's such a letdown, I wanted it to replace Mac, but you can't just rely on it.
Thanks for the recommendations! Are these file managers "save to use" or do they also result in occasional corrupted and missing files?
I have yet to run into a problem using FileBrowser Pro. All of my external media used with the iPad is formatted exFAT.
I've only run into corrupted files, not deleted ones. In the past, though, I have had it happen elsewhere for other reasons. I was able to recover some files using s/w from EaseUS -
https://www.easeus.com/ad/data-recovery-wizard.htm
A lot depends on what has been done with the storage after the deletion - rewriting, formatting, etc. - and no matter what, YMMV.
Thanks for the recommendation. I ended up stumbling onto this tool which helped me recover my files:
TestDisk - https://www.cgsecurity.org/wiki/TestDisk_Download
Guide - https://www.cgsecurity.org/wiki/TestDisk:_undelete_file_for_FAT
I saw that post and downloaded it myself - good find and glad it worked for you.
Gave my test a try again today. Using the Files app, I copied 165 Canon RAW images (.CR3) from iPad local storage to a 1TB Samsung SSD formatted exFAT, connected to my 2021 12.9 iPP via USB-C cable, iPadOS 15.5. All files were copied without corruption; however, on connecting the SSD to my Win11 laptop, I got the message that there was a problem with the SSD, and it needed to be repaired. I executed the repair on completion, and it returned that no errors were found. Before disconnecting the SSD from iPad, I fully closed out all apps and ensured that no on-going writes to the SSD were occurring. I retried the test but powered down the iPad before removing the SSD; this time, there were no reported errors when connecting it to the laptop.
A follow-on test: I repeated the copy (iPad to T7 SSD) but used FileBrowser Pro instead of Files. No corruption and I did not get an error msg when connecting the T7 to the Win11 laptop (I also fully closed out FB Pro before disconnecting the drive and I did not turn the iPad off).
You are copying files from the Apple OS to Windows and the Apple files are composed of what's called a ' resource fork'- that is in fact there are 2 files.
You don't see the ones with the '-' when you use the ipad or Mac but windows sees them. You can just delete those and there's a program I found somewhere that deletes them automatically. I think there might be a setting somewhere about using Windows friendly format or something but I don't know much about this and others can give you way more info or you can look up 'resource fork'.
In my experience and corrupted transfer data, it always turns out to be the cable.