[Don_S]

I just added a new folder with trip pictures to my iPad.  When I was done I realized that folders from 4 previous trips had been deleted.  Any clue is to what happened?  The new pics also are completely out of the order they were on my W7 computer. I am not using any photo program on my computer.  Just whatever Windows comes with.

I have synced photos before and never lost previous folders.  I need to go back and reaload them but don't want to do it until I can figure out what I did wrong.

Should I have ignored the step that synced iPad purchases to my computer?  There was no reason for that as far as I know. If I had run out of space what would happen?  I now show 9.28 GB available out of 14.7. That is after 4 folders were erased without my blessing.

Can I retrieve the pic folders from iTunes on my computer or do I have to load them from the original files again?

Thanks for any help. I am still in the camp that says Apple is not as intuitive and straight forward as it claims to be. If both devices were Windows I could have done a simple copy/paste and be done.

[Don_S]

I found a new folder "iPad photos" that iTunes made in my photos library on my W7 desktop.  My trip pics were in there.  I synced them back to my iPad but only the last one shows up.  It seems like every new folder synced erases the other ones.

I made this work before and wrote down the instructions.  Now that does not work. 

I am transferring an entire folder at one time.  How do I get them into folders in my iPad pictures library and keep them there?

The pictures also show up in the "years" library.  Is that a duplicate using up storage?

Thanks for any help.

[srb]

On your computer move all individual photo folders into one location.  That could be My Pictures or it could be any folder.

With your iPad connected and selected in iTunes, go to Photos

1. Check Sync Photos
2. Copy photos from: My Pictures or browse to your master photo folder if different
3. Select Selected folders
4. Under Folders, check the checkboxes of all folders you want to be copied onto the iPad.

If you uncheck a folder it will be removed from the iPad when synced.  The photos that you took with the iPad camera and are in the iPad's Camera Roll folder will be unaffected.

Steve

[Don_S]

Steve,

Thanks for your help. I will try that.  But how do I add new photos in the future without deleting everything already loaded onto the iPad?  I am confused as to why existing photo folders were deleted. I had multiple folders on the iPad.  One for each of my recent vacations. They went poof.

I load vacation pics onto my iPad to show my 92-year old mother.  She does not have an internet connection.

[srb]

When you connect your iPad to your computer via USB, depending on your computer AutoPlay settings, your photos will either be automatically imported or Windows will prompt you first.

Go to Control Panel > AutoPlay and under Pictures and Video Files you can choose the action (Ask me every time, Import pictures and videos using Windows, Import pictures and videos using Windows Live Photo Gallery, or other program choices if additional media programs are installed such as Picasa, etc.).

If connecting the iPad doesn't invoke AutoPlay, you can go to the Computer folder and under Portable Devices right-click and select "Import pictures and videos".

I would first set them to "Ask me every time", then when the Import Pictures and Videos dialog opens you can click Import Settings and choose where the folders are imported to, how the folders and files will be structured and named and whether or not to erase them from the device after importing.

When you sync the iPad through iTunes, if you have selected "All folders" then the new pictures (folder) will be added.  If you have selected "Selected folders" then you will need to check that new folder for it to be included in the sync.

Steve

[Don_S]

Steve,

What is an iPod (not iPad) "photo cache"?  A folder was created within an iPad photo folder in My Photos on my desktop. It has 50 folders in it plus an "Apple TV database" and a "photo database".  None of the folders will open on my desktop so I can't explore them.  I also do NOT have an iPod or Apple TV.

Can I delete the entire folder "iPod photo cache" with impunity? 

Every time I open a trip folder within the larger folder "iPad photos" the "iPod photo cache" also shows up within the trip folder.  Note that the "iPad photos" folder is something that Apple created by its lonesome.

[srb]

You can delete the iPod Photo Cache folder(s) with impunity!     This folder is created when you sync photos from an iPod, iPad or iPhone and stores photos optimized for the particular device.  If you delete it will simply be re-created on the next sync.

A new folder is created when the location changes.  If you designate My Pictures as the photo location then it should be created in that folder instead of the desktop.  The folder in the previous location is not automatically removed.

Steve