Brian

Because Adobe likes pushing out software for its users to Beta-Test? I'd revert back to an older version. Having the latest-and-greatest Adobe Product isn't all that it's cracked up to be. But the FOMO is strong and the Creative Cloud Products have people convinced they need 3-4 different versions of Photoshop / Bridge in one year.

Here is the funny thing with Mac Books, some of those USB-C Ports are Thunderbolt Ports, which are faster, and the other side are slower USB-C Ports. Usually the left side is Thunderbolt. To get the speeds you are after here are the ingredients: A FAST SD Card. Such as this one: SanDisk 64GB Extreme PRO UHS-II SDXC Memory Card A True Thunderbolt Card Reader with a direct cable. No adapters. Here is one: Angelbird SD Dual Card Reader Software that supports "Ingesting." Otherwise you are doing the tried-and-true method, which is copy / paste each card to a specific folder on your EHD. (This is what I do.) Finally, a Thunderbolt External Drive, such as this 12TB Thunderbolt G-Drive. The cool part with that G-Drive is you can hook your card reader directly to it (Daisy Chain) to help save a Thunderbolt port.

Which data recovery company did you use? This is the main problem with Data Recovery software, you usually don’t get a one to one restoration. It’s like putting together a 1000 piece jigsaw puzzle without a photo on the box. Do you have access to another computer? If so, try opening the files on that computer. Otherwise, you are SOL and need to go back to the stat recovery company.

I haven't heard much about them, but I did see a video from Adobe demonstrating a few filters in PS that use the GPU in order to work. (That uses that GPU.) As long as you have 8GB - 12GB of Video Memory, you should be fine. But like I said, I'm not 100% sure. Laptop models like changing every 45-90 days, and I just can't keep up. In reality, the IPS Screen is the toughest thing to find in a Laptop that is "Good for Photo Editing." I guess get a laptop that has one, and give it a test drive and report back. I really need to update those pinned articles soon.

CleanMyMac X from MacPaw is what you want. You can download it and have it scan your computer, but in order for it to clean anything, you will need to buy it. This program has also switched over to a yearly subscription model, like Anti-Virus software, which is good as it keeps you up to date.

Sorry about that. I found two RAM kits, one from OWC and the other from Crucial, which is a bit more expensive. Sigh...welcome to 2023! Either one should work fine with your current RAM, I'd just install these two sticks in the slots that your current RAM modules are occupying and then take the two existing ones and move those to the empty slots. This should get your RAM to 72GB, which is fine for the majority. I always recommend doing a little housekeeping before upgrading the OS. The first step is to trigger a Full Manual Backup to your Time Machine Drive. When it's finished, I'd eject it and power it off. Call me old-fashioned, but I'd rather have my drive physically disconnected and / or powered off so I'm 100% sure that it hasn't been touched by the new OS, just in case I need to nuke the HD and restore back to the previous version of the OS. The second thing to do is ensure you have the latest version of CleanMyMac X and run it. With utillity programs such as those, you MUST keep them up-to-date. I've seen multiple members here complaining on how CleanMyMac "Messed their computer up!!" only to find out that they were using CleanMyMac 2 or CleanMyMac 3 on a modern OS. With utility programs such as those, you can not hold onto that software for years and not update it. By doing so will screw up your computer; 6 year old software and new modern OS do not play well together. So start by killing / moving everything off your Mac Desktop. Prune your Downloads Folder (You'd be surprised on just how much crap is in that folder) and then run CleanMyMac X. Then upgrade your RAM and then tackle the OS upgrade. Do one thing at a time. Be deliberate and methodical, not willy-nilly upgrading things without thinking.

I still would upgrade your Mac to at least 32GB first, then upgrade to Big Sur. To upgrade to Big Sur, head to this link via the Safari Web Browser. (It is REQUIRED to use Safari in order for this to work.) Anyway, head to that page in Safari, and click the Big Sur Link. This will open the App Store and take you to the Big Sur Download Page. Click "Get" and follow the prompts.

I was having problems with my 2017 27” iMac and decided to upgrade to Big Sur. I have been happy with my choice so far and at this point, Big Sur is a mature OS. Monterey seems to be geared towards M1 Macs, for obvious reasons. For people like us that have Intel Macs, Big Sur is more than enough. By the time we would “need” Monterey, we would be upgrading to a new computer anyway.

Here is another thought, you could just buy one of these 1TB Flash Drives, and then visit each family member. As I've stated above, a Mac will read a NTFS drive just fine and you can copy the files for everyone. This way there is only one device to keep track of. Of course, if you family is scattered all over the globe, Thumb Drives or Cloud Storage is more practical.

32GB Flash Drives, formatted to FAT32, should do the trick. Well, as long as each individual file is less than 4GB each, and they probably will be, FAT32 can handle it. If by some strange circumstance and these TIFF files are more than 4GB each in size, (HIGHLY-HIGHLY-HIGHLY UNLIKELY,) then you will need to use NTFS. A Mac and Windows computer should Read & Write to FAT32 with no issues. In addition, by default, a Mac will READ a Windows Drive just fine, even if it's NTFS, it just won't WRITE to it by default if it's NTFS. For the most universal format, FAT32 is it. The only downside is Microsoft states they do not recommend going above 32GB with FAT32. I realize some manufactures go higher, but since this is archival stuff going to family members, I'm not messing around and taking chances. If you are going to go the Thumbdrive Route be sure to Format the Flash Drives on a Windows Computer!!! I always seem to have issues with FAT32 Drives that are formatted on a Mac not being read by a Windows Computer. Drives me nuts. As I mentioned above, you could go the 128GB Flash Drive Route, here is a 10 pack for $120 and I would use your Windows Computer to format the drives with NTFS. Of course, if you are creating things on a Mac and want them to be read on a Windows Computer, FAT32 is what you want. Clear as Mud? Bottom Line: You want to get a multi-pack of Thumb Drives and format them on your Windows Computer. 32GB or less, FAT32 is fine. 64GB and larger, you want to format using the NTFS file system. As long as your family who have Macs don't plan on writing to these Thumb Drives, you should be fine. As to how large you should buy, that depends on the total size that these TIFF files are taking up. 32GB might be overkill, but it's really the smallest size you can get these days. (Yes, sometimes you can find 16GB Drives, but they are pretty rare these days.) Or you may find that you need 64GB or more. It really depends. So I would finish scanning these photos and figure out how large the total space is. If you are planning on doing any editing and want to send .psd files, you will need to plan for that as well. There is another way to "Share" these images, and that's using a Cloud Service like Dropbox on a public / shared folder. So if you have something like OneDrive or Dropbox, you could go that route. But then people will need to download and configure the Cloud Software, etc. etc. By far, the easiest way is Thumb Drives. If you want to get fancy, either a Cloud Service or a NAS that has hosting of some sort. (But that's REALLY complicated. )

Honestly? There is all sorts of weird problems with this round of latest updates, and I've got nothing. I'm thinking it might be a video driver issue, and you will need to check Dell's support site to update it. Or I could be completely wrong and Adobe just released half-baked software. (Which is very likely.) Other than that, I'd recommend going back a version of when things worked last.

That's going to be tough. The reason is the heat dissipation, it's easier with a larger laptop. That being said, there are exceptions to every rule. See if you can find a 15" or 16" Laptop. "Editing Photos" and "Traveling" should not occupy the same thought, let alone be in the same sentence. Oh, a smaller laptop that has the same specs, expect to pay for it. I'd target your budget being around $3000.

It should be fine for what you are looking to do. Out of all the specs, I'm not liking the 3060 video card, and prefer a 3070...but overall, it's fine for the short term. When I look to buy things, I have a 5 year time-frame in mind, or longer, so I tend to buy bigger. That laptop should get you 24-36 months of usage. Enjoy your purchase. Here's one I would buy today: ASUS 17.3" Republic of Gamers Strix Scar 17 Gaming Laptop

Laptop #3!

Buy Brian a Beer!!

The Medium version has been on my Amazon Wishlist forever. Enjoy your purchase.

Here is what I configured: First and foremost, you want a IPS-Based Display Panel that is Non-Glossy / Matte. RAM: 32GB but 64GB is also quite acceptable. Main OS HD is at least 1TB. Do not buy a 500GB HD for your Main Drive. Period. CPU: For Photoshop, a i7 is fine. If you want to spend the extra cash and get a i9, that's fine too. Video Card: A separate and dedicated Video GPU with it's own dedicated Video Memory. I like the NVIDIA 3070 8GB models for Photoshop. When it comes to Photoshop, the extra cost for a 3080 or 3090 will not yield THAT much of a performance boost over a 3070. Maybe something like a 3-5% performance boost; certainly not work an extra $400. I'd rather have you get a i9 CPU or more RAM. Windows: I did the above configuration with Windows 11 Home. But you could spend the extra $40 and get Windows 11 Pro. The difference between the "Pro" and "Home" editions is one is meant for more corporate/business environments, BUT it also stays out of your way when you go to fix things. With the "Home" Versions, there are Wizards after Wizards for you to run when you need to fiddle things. I can tell you how to fix something in a few steps with the Pro Version of Windows, or tell you to follow the stupid Wizard that the Home Versions make you do. I also have things like the ability to access "Local Group Policies" that I can set things...like Windows 10 not upgrading to Windows 11, or forcing the "High Performance" setting in the Power Options instead of it resetting to "Eco-Friendly" settings when Windows updates. Basically, with the Pro Version, you have all the "Bells & Whistles" with all tweak-able settings instead of the dumbed-down version. Keep in mind, when Sept 2025 comes around, Windows 10 in all incarnations will be taken behind the Proverbial Barn and shot dead. Just like Windows 7 and and Operating Systems before that. Windows 11 is coming, like it or not. So far the price looks like this: There is never "Enough." Speed is Relative. What is "Overkill" today will be the new normal in the next few years. Photoshop is getting more-and-more bloated and requiring A LOT more from the hardware, so if you are looking at a 7-8 year time-frame, it's going to cost you. Or you could go with a lower price-point and be in the market 4-5 years from now. Either way you are going to spend more money as the days of the $1500 Laptop are GONE. Just like the $999 Computer Bundle...those days are long gone. With the chip shortage that we are still dealing with, plus Import Tariffs along with new restrictions that the current White House Administration is implementing, prices are going to remain where they are. Of course, you can find deals here-and-there and I hope you do. It just sucks to be in the Market for a new computer right now.

I was going to recommend the Wacom Intuos Pro line. Unless you really want to go the "Full Monty" and purchase a Cintiq Pro 24 Creative Pen Display, though the $2000 price-tag is a bit of a pill to swallow. Have you read Damien's Article - Which Graphics Tablet to Buy yet? The trick is choosing the right size for your display.

Why the F*ck are you using Winzip Driver updater? Yeah, it's probably screwed things up, and way too much for me to attempt any recommendations; you might have to take your laptop into a local repair shop to have things checked out. Sidenote: I'm thinking either the USB Drivers or Chipset Drivers are really screwed up, and I would never use a program like that to update drivers for a laptop. You head to the Manufacturer's Support Section of their website to get the drivers. (They usually have their own free scanning tool.) It might just pull the Microsoft Drivers which aren't always 100% compatible with your hardware. Worst Case Scenario: They are going to have to Nuke your HD and reload everything. Best Case Scenario: Someone will be able to find out why it's crashing and correct it.

The 7200 RPM Drives, which plug into an AC outlet are much faster than their slower 5400 RPM counterparts. Yes, there is a noticeable difference. The "Enterprise Grade" HDs that I recommend, do plug in.

It really depends on the interface that you are using. I personally work off an External Drive, but I also have a Thunderbolt 3 port on my Mac, which is extremely fast. So for me, my external almost feels like an internal drive. That said, USB 3.0...there is a bottle-neck and you won't get the performance as you would off of your internal. I would seriously copy your images over to your external, and verify that everything transferred correctly. Delete the images off of your internal laptop. Why not just "Move" the files all at once? Because sometimes Windows screws up. When you Copy / Paste, the original files are intact and if Windows screws up, you can always Cancel and try again. If you move the files (Cut / Paste) and Windows screws up, your original files go "Poof" and you are looking at data recovery. Once you get everything transferred over, only edit current projects on your internal drive. Once they are completed, transfer them to the external. Rinse & Repeat.

Either. If it were me, I'd get the Sandisk.

Moving thread to Windows.

This is very bad. Ultimately, you never want to go more than 75%-80% full on your Main Drive. So even at 146GB, it's still not enough. You want around 300GB free. It's just not the PS Scratch Disk you need to worry about, Windows has its own "Scratch Disk" called Pagefile.sys, which was formally known as the "Windows Swap File." At 5GB free, you are in danger of things getting corrupted, in addition to things coming to a screeching halt. While this is true to some degree, it doesn't eliminate all risk. Not having an off-site backup (duplicates) negates "spreading things out..." AND if they are el-cheapo consumer grade drives, like the "$99 Special" or a "Eco-Friendly or Green" Drives, raises your risk even higher. I like my hard drives to be beefy and reliable. I get the "Don't put all your eggs in one basket!!" Mentality, but honestly? It really is a wash. If a Hard Drive fails, and you are looking at professional recovery at a cost of $1500+, it doesn't mean a damn thing in the grand scheme of things. While it's true that you "Only" lost ________ set of images, it still sucks to deal with it, especially if you need those images. Even if it's a 500GB External Drive. In addition, there is the whole Fire, Theft and Floods to deal with, even if you are in an area that isn't in a Flood Plain. A busted Water Pipe in your ceiling above your desk can ruin things. I typically recommend the G-Drives. I have two sitting on my desk as I type this. One 4TB that I use for my Time Machine Backups and one 12TB that's duplicated to another 12TB and kept off-site. Plus, I have really important things backed up to my OneDrive account. So if something dies, it's more of a Pain in the Arse than a Catastrophe. All I waste is an afternoon or so. Here is the default drive choice that I've been recommending lately, G-Drive - 6TB.

So are you looking to be mobile or not? Are you looking to consolidate your externals to one large drive? What capacities do you have now with your externals? How many drives are we talking?