Photos copy from External to user/Pictures "already file here"

[onda]

Hello, I have had my Photos Library on an external (APFS Volume) that needs to be reformatted, so I would like to move it to my MBP 2019 16" 2.6MHz running Big Sur 11.3.1. The Photos Library file is 110GB; I have 178GB space on my HD.

The first time I drag and drop the file from my external into my user/Photos/ folder, a prompt stated that there was already a Photos Library file and I could “Replace” or “Keep Both”, I selected “Replace”. That time, and every time (3 more times for 4x total), the normal Progress/Status box appears, it starts copying, everything seems fine, I do something else as it shows 2-3 hours to complete, I return later to the Finder, it is working, and then at some point a dialog box is there (to the effect) "this cannot be copied as there is already a Photos file in this folder", and frustrated, I click OK.

In all cases, the Progress/Status box then reappears, showing anywhere between 20% completion (2 hours left) and 99% (last night it said 10 seconds left, done in a completely different User), and within 15 seconds disappears.

In the last 3 attempts, as stated above, there is no file at all in the /users/Pictures/ folder, not even a small “Photos Library” file, not after Relaunching the Finder (after 2x) or a Shutdown (after 3x). Again the 4th time was done in a different user.

This is a Photos Library started in 2003 on what OSX I don’t remember.

Thanks for reading

 

[Cory Cooper]

Hello,

If it was originally created in 2003, then it was probably originally an iPhoto Library in OS X Jaguar/Panther that has been updated over the years to newer versions of iPhoto/Photos.

Strange issue indeed. Hopefully you have a Time Machine or other backup of the data on your MBP and the external drive?

Do you have another external drive that you could try copying the Photos Library to?

C

 

[onda]

Yes, the last upgrade was in August to Santa Catalina... it was from El Cap before that

I just copied it to a regular folder on my Desktop and Photos accesses it fine. I don't think there is a problem accessing it from this folder, right? The Pictures folder in User is a regular folder, just there as a standard protocol? Same way a Library on an External works?