Mac OS Forks? 1

[WallyBeast]

I have a tired old G3 iMac running 10.2.8.

When I transfer mp3 files from my music library to my mp3 player or mobile, I end up with TWO of each file on the target device. One is a playable file, the other isn't. I assume that this is down to Mac OS's use of 'Data' and 'Resource' forks.

I am having to use Finder to 'push' the files onto the target devices since neither are recognised by iTunes. The problem therefore is that the iMac sees only the ONE file on the target device, whereas the target device sees TWO.

I can navigate to the folder on my SonyEricsson mobile and delete the non-playing files, but my mp3 player is little more than an a SD card reader with mp3 playback ability - it has no browser/file-manager with which to delete the duff files. Consequently, every other file I have on the device is non-playable. At the moment, the only way I can get round it is to plug the mp3 player into a friends PC and delete the offending files, thus leaving the playable ones.

Isn't there some way I can copy just the playable part to the target device? Or else, somehow merge them?

 

[Welshbird]

I think what you are seeing is the same files that are on your Mac but on the Mac one of the 'pair' is hidden. I see the same thing when I put music on my mobile.

Fee

The question should be [red]Is it worth trying to do?[/red] not [blue] Can it be done?[/blue]

 

[WallyBeast]

Thanks Willif. I had already deduced that both files were on the source platform, but disguised by Mac OS as one unified file. However, the inescabable truth is that I must skip every second file on my mp3 player unless I go to a PC.

A secondary problem is that I can't even delete the files on the mp3 player from my iMac. Deletion appears to work but in fact leaves behind the non-playing files. Thus the player might show 120 tracks but in fact they are all non-playable files (resource forks?) that don't appear in Finder!

 

[drlex]

WallyBeast,
I had the same issue with my G3 iMac and a Creative Muvo, which appeared as a removable disk on the desktop. I found it best to use the terminal application to access the Muvo and remove the non-playing files, which IIRC, were all prefixed with a "._"

Steps:
1. copy files to device
2. open terminal
3. type "cd" (without quotes) and drag across the Muvo icon to the end of that line (shows as a plus in green circle when dragging)
4. type "ls -a" to list all files and ensure that you're in the right place
5. type "rm ._*" to remove the unwanted files
6. type "ls -a" to verify step 5.
7. type "exit"

Since your device may well store the music files in a folder or sub-folder, it may be best to re-do step 3. as
typing

cd /volumes/"no name"/music

where no name is the description given to the music player when mounted on the desktop and music is the folder where your music is stored.

soi la, soi carré

 

[WallyBeast]

That sounds more like it. I shall give it a try when I get home tonight!

 

[WallyBeast]

Many, many thanks drlex.

I feel ashamed that someone with 15 years of UNIX didn't think of using the Terminal command line himself.

Cheers
WallyBeast

 

[drlex]

WallyBeast,
You're welcome; thank you for the star. No shame here; I'm glad I didn't give condescending explanations of the Unix commands that I had to look originally!
Lex

soi la, soi carré