Moving Database File

[cj79]

Version: 2004
Operating System: Mac OS X 10.4 (Tiger)
Processor: Intel
Email Client: pop

My iMac completely died earlier in the week. After many I/O errors I booted from the install DVD and ran disk utility, found errors and fixed them. Then the boot drive wasn't recognised, just the flashing folder question mark. I eventually managed to clone my MBP and boot the iMac from an external usb drive as my MBP. I've pulled everything off the system, only thing remaining is my Entourage database. I can copy all of the contents of the Microsoft User Data folder except the 6.2 gig database file. I need to format the internal HDD and reinstall tiger from scratch but can't until I get this database file off the drive.. Every time I try to copy it I get the error -36 some data could not be read or written. I've set destinatioin and source drives to ignore ownership and enabled read write on all drives etc. The only thing I can think of doing now is to somehow manually copy the required system files to the internal HDD and make it bootable again so I can start the iMac up like before and properly export all my emails as MBOX files. I have also tried to set up an alias to the Microsoft User Data folder on the internal drive but since the iMac is running from an external drive it refuses to load entourage from any database file that isn't contained on the local (in this case external) drive. Help!

 

[Diane Ross]

I can copy all of the contents of the Microsoft User Data folder except the
6.2 gig database file. I need to format the internal HDD and reinstall tiger
from scratch but can't until I get this database file off the drive.. Every
time I try to copy it I get the error -36 some data could not be read or
written.

Error -36 is a hardware error.

An I/O error almost always means disk damage (hard drive, optical drive,
CD). You probably have a bad disk. Try running Disk Utility / Repair Disk.

Error -36 is often just a read/write error e.g. when copying from a bad DVD.
If you get this error when copying between hard drives you should start to
worry.

The fact that you can't copy the files is a bad sign. Since you cloned it
and it didn't copy over the Microsoft User Data folder, your data could be
lost. If you can get your old drive to open your Identity, you can try to
manually move the data out.

How to manually move your data. (when import fails and/or you need to move
to a new Identity same version or revert to an older version)

<http://www.entourage.mvps.org/install/manual_install.html>

Even though Entourage writes all it's data to a database, the actutal
database file is written in bits over your drive. Because of the failed
drive, it's possible the bits can't be put back together to copy over.

Good luck!