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lukerodgersgraphicdesign
Participating Frequently
January 18, 2021
Question

Does anyone have any advice on migrating project files to a new computer/hard drive

  • January 18, 2021
  • 7 replies
  • 1415 views

I'm a designer using InDesign, Photoshop and Illustrator mainly for my work, on a Macbook Pro running Big Sur. The SSD in the laptop is nearly at capacity and I bought an external 1TB SSD to move my things over. 

 

Essentially, I wanted to keep all my applications saved to the main laptop storage, but move all my project files and assets to the new external drive, and then delete them from the main storage to clear it up.  Is there a way to do this without having to then manually go into each InDesign project and re-link all the placed assets because their file tree is traced back to a different storage device? I'd like to avoid packaging projects up, really I want to just be able to drag all my work folders over to the new drive and continue to use them from that.

 

If anyone has any experience transferring their data to a new drive/new computer I would be grateful!

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7 replies

Srishti_Bali
Srishti_Bali
Legend
February 8, 2021

Hi there,

 

Thanks for reaching out. I am hopeful that your query is resolved by the suggestions shared above. You can also save the files to Creative Cloud and access it anywhere.

 

Check out this help article (https://helpx.adobe.com/in/creative-cloud/help/sync-creative-cloud-files.html) for more details.

 

Regards,

Srishti

rob day
Community Expert
rob dayCommunity Expert
Community Expert
January 19, 2021

Here’s an example of how link paths are relative.  I have a Projects folder with an ID file named Test inside of one of its subfolders. I also have a folder named Photos which is outside of the Projects folder containing one of the Test doc’s links

 

 

If I move the Projects folder and delete the Photos folder, the links that are relative to the Projects folder will have the their paths updated, but the Photos link is missing:

 

L
lukerodgersgraphicdesignAuthor
Participating Frequently
January 24, 2021

Hey there, had a few days of busy work so wasn't able to make any progress - but have it solved now.

 

Before, I was just copying all the folders over to the new SSD. As such, even the 'new' versions of the projects were still looking at the old drive to source the assets. I was intending to copy everything over to make sure it works and then delete from the original drive.

 

I have now just straight moved everything over without duplicating, and it has updated the paths as you said it would. I think it was the fact that there was still an original version of the projects on my original drive that was confusing InDesign. Now I have everything ONLY on the new drive and everything has updated perfectly. (I have a second backup on a USB stick and more in the cloud too, so should be safe), and cleared up a load of space on my laptop. 

 

Thank you so much for taking the time to help with screenshots and explainations. Much appreciated.

E
Community Expert
Eugene TysonCommunity Expert
Community Expert
January 24, 2021

Can you embed all your links in all your files? 

 

My thought is to use a script to find all your indesign files - embed all the links.

Copy your InDesign files over.

 

Run another script to Unemebed all the links to a folder in the same folder as the indesign file. 

 

Probably a complex solution - but I'm sure a scripter could do this easily.

 

Randy Hagan
Community Expert
Randy HaganCommunity Expert
Community Expert
January 18, 2021

Not to belabor the point, but if you do a full clone of your system drive, all the links are maintained on the copy/clone just like they are with your current system disk.

 

If it's linked to everything now, it will be off the cloned drive too.

 

Randy

L
lukerodgersgraphicdesignAuthor
Participating Frequently
January 18, 2021

Thanks Randy,

 

This is definitely something I'm going to look into - a backup of my full system is probably a good thing to have regardless of the Adobe stuff, just in case!

 

rob day
Community Expert
rob dayCommunity Expert
Community Expert
January 18, 2021

For example if all of my InDesign documents and their assets are in the Projects folder on the OldVolume, I can move the Projects folder to the New Volume without breaking the links—their paths will be updated

 

 

 

Projects folder moved to the NewVolume

 

 

The Link Status for Test.indd is OK

 

rob day
Community Expert
rob dayCommunity Expert
Community Expert
January 18, 2021

but move all my project files and assets 

 

Are all of the project assets in the same root container folder? If that’s the case you can move the container folder to the new drive without breaking the links.

L
lukerodgersgraphicdesignAuthor
Participating Frequently
January 18, 2021

This is how I have my folders set up - under Clients I then have various fodlers for Project Files, Assets, Exports etc. But everything for my graphics work is contained within -Graphic Design- folder.

 

I tried copying the fodler over to the new SSD, and opening the external version of a project, but all the assets placed within are still linked to the MacintoshHD version of the assets.

rob day
Community Expert
rob dayCommunity Expert
Community Expert
January 18, 2021

Just to confirm are all of the placed assets enclosed inside of the -Graphic Design- folder—they are not somewhere outside of the Graphic Design folder, but on MacintoshHD (i.e. in the Creative Cloud Files folder)?

 

 

 

Randy Hagan
Community Expert
Randy HaganCommunity Expert
Community Expert
January 18, 2021

Check out Carbon Copy Cloner to create a complete cloned image of your current system SSD.

 

The absolute best backup you can make on your Mac is one you can just plug in and run from in an instant. As opposed to creating a file backup, disk cloning software creates a complete, bootable drive with your saved configuration you can use to start from scratch. My preferred tool, SuperDuper, isn't available for Big Sur yet. So if you want to do it today, I'd have to refer you to using CC Cloner. You'll have to jump through a couple of extra hoops to get that bootable clone drive, but you can get one today if you want one.

 

And please trust me, in this use case you absolutely want one.

 

Hope this helps,

 

Randy

    L
    lukerodgersgraphicdesignAuthor
    Participating Frequently
    January 18, 2021

    Thanks for the help, Randy. I feel like I'm pretty computer literate on the whole but when it comes to storage and directory transfers etc my knowledge has definite gaps.

     

    So what's the benefit of cloning evething over to the new drive using paid softwarerather than just copy and pasting from Finder? I'd hate for it to just copy everything over and I still have to re-link all the placed files and things! I'm not sure I want anything bootable or running the OS or whatever, I just want a really simple system where I have my apps installed on my laptop, but all my assets and project files on the external SSD. 

     

    So if you can confirm this is definitely the best way to go about it, I'll have a look into the carbon program!

    Randy Hagan
    Community Expert
    Randy HaganCommunity Expert
    Community Expert
    January 18, 2021

    Hopefully nothing.

     

    If everything is running smoothly, there's no difference at all. It may take a little longer to copy everything on your system to your external drive, but either option is cheap insurance against potential future problems.

     

    But where cloning your drive pays off is when your system drive gets fried. Sure, your files are backed up, but you'll have to get a new drive, format it, load your system and all your relevant apps before you can put that backup to use. Plus re-set all your preferences and personalization settings on the fly to get back where you were before catastrophe struck.

     

    With a cloned system disk? You just plug your lifesaver into a USB port, boot up holding down the option key and select your cloned external drive. End of problem. You may or may not see a small performance hit running off your USB bus rather than your system board, but everything's there up to the last time you created your cloned disk. And, when you install your replacement system disk, you can blow all that cloned data back into your repaired system like it never happened.

     

    As someone who lost only 10 minutes after a system drive crash instead of a day or two, using a cloned external disk instead of simple file backup will pay handsome dividends.

     

    Randy

      BobLevine
      Community Expert
      BobLevineCommunity Expert
      Community Expert
      January 18, 2021
      Open them. Package them to a folder in the external drive.
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