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Mac Error Code 36 when transferring files
I get Mac Error Code 36 when trying to transfer files to a flash drive or memory card. How do I fix this?

Users of Mac OS X Snow Leopard may experience a problem related to copying directories to Windows-formatted volumes in Finder.

The problem stems from the “dot-underscore” companion files that Mac OS X’s HFS+ filesystem creates for files when they get moved to FAT16 or FAT32 volumes. These hidden files – which start with “._” followed by the original filename – contain extra information to go along with the main file’s data. The problem is observed when folders from a Windows-compatible volume get moved to a Mac and then back again. The dreaded “Error Code -36″ message is the result.

Reference Article: Solution to finder "Error Code-36"

If you are experiencing this problem, you can run a simple dot_clean utility to remove the hidden "dot-underscore" files from your flash drive or memory card. Here are the steps to use the dot_clean utility and a demonstration video demo.

Reference Video: Getting rid of Error-36 in Mac OSX

Solution

1. Launch Terminal (Applications > Utilities) and type dot_clean, and a single space.
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2. Drag the flash drive or memory card icon to the terminal window.
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The proper /path/folder syntax will be added to the terminal window command.
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3. Press Enter. The hidden '._' files should be deleted and you can now copy files to the flash drive or memory card.



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