Too dang slow! Help!

I’m running a 2011 iMac 2.7 GHz processor speed, 4GB of RAM…I don’t know if that helps. I have my router wirelessly running to my machine, and the MBL is now plugged in via Ethernet cable to my MBL. Currently I’m trying to transfer 10.59 GB of photos from my mac drive to my MBL and it’s telling me it will take about 2 hrs. I clicked on a folder on my MBL to open it and make sure it had the contents that I had just transfered over earlier today, and it still hasn’t showed me what’s in the folder. It’s been like 20 mins. I have 1.76 available on my MBL.  Does any of that help?