Tech info:
MacBook Pro 2.8 GHz Core2 Duo, 4GB, 500GB; Mac OS X v 10.5.8
Photo Mechanic v 4.6.1
Nikon D300, 8GB Lexar 133x CF card
I recently upgraded from PC to this Mac and upgraded Photo Mechanic to 4.6.1 at that time. Yesterday was my first use of PM on the Mac to any extent. My workflow on the PC had been to apply the IPTC Stationary Pad into the files on the CF card before ingesting or copying so that the data would be with the file for later copying to backup. I was following this procedure on the Mac when an error popped saying the data could not be applied to a file. I would locate the offending image in the contact sheet, deselect it and proceed only to be stopped again. At most, after the first hit, I could only apply the data to 4 or 5 images before hitting the error, sometimes it would be the next file. After working this laborious way for awhile I stopped and looked at the card through the Finder. I was surprised to see a number of files showing 0k size and a date of Dec 31, 1907. It appeared as though the original files had been zapped. (The 8GB card is full with approx 270 jpeg only and 420 NEF + JPG.)
I took the card to a PC and looked at it through Explorer and it looked different. There were two sets of files. The first were ._DSC3017.jpg thru ._DSC3279.jpg followed by a sequence of NEF + JPG files also with the dot preceding the file name. All of these files showed a size of 5k or 4k. There was also a ._PM.lock file that was 4k. Following the dot files were all of the files that were on the card with appropriate sizes, and followed by a PM.lock file. When I called up one of the files in Photoshop it had the updated stationary pad info. None of the dot files could be opened. When attempting, PS showed a message saying Could not open ... "because an unknown or invalid JPEG marker type is found."
Finally I brought the card back to the Mac and looked at the files in Finder again and there are 20 files that show 0k and the 1907 date and a Kind of "Alias." They do not have corresponding data files. These are 10 images NEF + JPG.
During the attempted application of Stationary Pad data yesterday, I tested trying to apply data singly to a file that had errored. I also tried applying the data while copying the file to the Mac drive. Got same error each time. I did not attempt an ingest of the entire disk applying the stationary pad since the files are from different shoots.
So, has anyone see this before? Is my workflow flawed on a Mac? I dare not move forward with the software on the Mac when the Mac seems to be losing data.
Sorry for the long-winded post ... just wanted to get all the info out there.
BobP
