Preserving file creation dates when transferring to NAS

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Pangaea
Posts: 2
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Joined: Sun Nov 15, 2015 2:05 pm

Preserving file creation dates when transferring to NAS

Post by Pangaea »

I have just purchased a new Asustor 7004T network attached storage device, which I had hoped to use as an archive for the massive quantity of files I have spread across multiple computers and external hard drives. The problem is, I have many of these files meticulously organized by "date created", and recently learned, to my utter disbelief, that my device (and apparently NASes in general) does not preserve the creation date of any file transferred to it. For example, if I take three files dated 9/24/2008, 7/31/2011, and 1/6/2014, and simultaneously migrate them over to the NAS on 11/15/2015, they all end up with the timestamp of 11/15/2015. This is nothing short of a disaster for me, and I am flabbergasted (and frankly outraged) that a top-of-the-line, $1,000+ device expressly made for storing and backing up files was designed without a data storage capability possessed by any $5 2GB flash drive.

I am desperate for a way to circumvent this fatal (for me) flaw of the Asustor NAS. I would be eternally grateful to anyone who could recommend a means of copying files to an NAS that leaves the creation date intact, without potentially corrupting any data or otherwise compromising the security of my files.

Some key information: my computer is a 2012 MacBook Pro running Mac OS X 10.9.5. I am a 1988 model human being compatible with most Web Browsers and proficient with a handful of basic applications such as Microsoft Word, with the capacity to comprehend and follow simple step-by-step instructions as far as more technical tasks are concerned. In other words, if your solution is any more complex than downloading and installing an app, you should probably take a "for dummies" approach in explaining it to me. :P I would also appreciate any input from users of a particular method who found it to be buggy, ineffective, or otherwise problematic, for Murphy's Law is an ever-present specter in my life, and I would thank you to inform me of all the pros and cons of a particular solution before I risk implementing it.

Thank you in advance to all who contribute their help. I have not been able to find any other sites or forums where someone has asked about this issue in regard to a Mac or Asustor device, and hope that this thread will prove helpful to other users of those systems who share my predicament (I cannot imagine I am the only one).
MikeG.6.5
Posts: 917
Joined: Fri May 15, 2015 1:56 am

Re: Preserving file creation dates when transferring to NAS

Post by MikeG.6.5 »

Ok, I found a couple of methods to copy files from one machine to another or one drive to another and maintain the dates of the original creation. I don't know if the first will work on a MAC.

I have been working with computers for well over 30 years. By default, every time a file is modified, the date/time for that file gets modified to the current date/time. It has been this way with every computer I have ever used, from the old VIC-20 through the biggest of Unix systems and most in between. (Never used a MAC, but I'm going to assume, since the OS is based on Linux it operates the same way.)

Method 1:

Use the command prompt and navigate to the folder you wish to copy from. Then type xcopy *.* x:\path on the NAS Remember, this MIGHT not work on a MAC.... You could also try this with a copy command in a command prompt with the -p (for preserve) switch which should also do what you want.

Method 2:

Use some sort of zip or rar program and zip the files/folders up ton an archive and then copy this over to the NAS. Once it is there, unzip/rar the files/folders into their new location. You are going to want to make sure you use the store option for your compression tool, or it may change the date/time as well. Since zipping or raring a folder or the files within it maintains the dates and attributes of the original location, this is probably the best way to do this on a MAC.

Method 3:

This one is going to cost you some coin. Buy the software from this link: http://www.technocomsolutions.com/data-copy-tool.html

It does exactly what you want to do with the minimum of fuss. Sadly, it does require Windows.
Pangaea
Posts: 2
Joined: Sun Nov 15, 2015 2:05 pm

Re: Preserving file creation dates when transferring to NAS

Post by Pangaea »

Major update on this issue. Having told me that there was no way for my NAS to remember file creation dates, the Asustor support technician who had been helping me found out that the rules were different for Macs, and (to my enormous relief) it turns out that my NAS *does* preserve file metadata. The problem is, whenever I attempt to access my NAS via anything but a direct wi-fi or ethernet connection, the NAS contents as they appear on Finder have glitches such as showing the "last modified" dates for all the files instead of the creation dates, and inexplicably identifying certain files as Unix Executable Files instead of their proper file types. It's mystifying even to my support technician. If anyone has any knowledge on why my NAS would have difficulty displaying its file data over an Internet connection, I would love to hear your input. Otherwise, I just thought I'd let everyone know that my original problem has more or less been resolved. Thank you for all your help.
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