I want to format my external drive so that my new imac and my pc can read and write ,what should i do?

i want to format my external drive so that my new imac and my pc can read

Start by partitioning the drive as required for the Mac:
Drive Partition and Format
1. Open Disk Utility in your Utilities folder.
2. After DU loads select your hard drive (this is the entry with the mfgr.'s ID and size) from the left side list. Click on the Partition tab in the DU main window.
3. Under the Volume Scheme heading set the number of partitions from the drop down menu to one. Click on the Options button, set the partition scheme to GUID then click on the OK button. Set the format type to Mac OS Extended (Journaled.) Click on the Apply button and wait until the process has completed.
4. Select the volume you just created (this is the sub-entry under the drive entry) from the left side list. Click on the Erase tab in the DU main window.
5. Set the format type to Mac OS Extended (Journaled.) Click on the Security button, check the button for Zero Data and click on OK to return to the Erase window.
6. Click on the Erase button. The format process can take up to several hours depending upon the drive size.
Now click on the Erase tab in the main menu, then select ExFAT from the Format Type dropdown menu. Click on the Erase button. This format is read/write on both the Mac and the PC. If you have a problem with it on the PC, then format the drive the same way using the Windows formatter.

Similar Messages

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    Whilst it may not be your fault I am afraid it appears that your post is on a forum which is not the best for your OS. It will save the time of the unpaid volunteers here, and may resolve your issue faster, if you could examine the list below and see if there is a more appropriate forum to which you could direct your question.
    OS X 10.9 Mavericks
    OS X 10.8 Mountain Lion
    OS X 10.7 Lion
    OS X 10.6 Snow Leopard
    OS X 10.5 Leopard
    OS X 10.4 Tiger
    OS X 10.3 and earlier
    OS 9, OS 8 & System 7
    OS X Technologies
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    iPhone
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  • External drive not readable on new iMac

    Hi, I recently bought a NEW iMac with USB 3 and Thunderbolt. I am upgrading from an OLDER iMac with firewire 800 and 400. The OLD iMac was operating on OSX 10.58. The NEW iMac is operating on Mountain Lion OSX 10.82. I have been using 4TB G-Drive for about 6 months on the OLD iMac. I connected the G-Drive to the NEW iMac via and I get the message: "the disk you inserted is not readable by this computer."
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    Whichever computer I format the drive with, it wont mount on the other. I've never encountered something like this! It is important that I am able to use this drive on multiple MAC computers as I am regularly moving between editing systems and collaborating with other people on various Mac computers. I don't think it is a firewire / USB 3 issue as it works with both cabels (once it has been formatted by either the old or new iMac). I am thinking it has something to do with Mountain Lion?
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  • How to format an external drive for mac AND pc use

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  • Format an external drive from mac to pc

    How do I format an external drive (My Passport) from mac to pc (iOS Snow Leopard) without losing my data?

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  • Mac novice needs to know how to format an external drive

    How do I format a memory stick or external hard drive?  I remember in PCs you could right click and click on format.
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  • Is it safe to format ANY external drive to Mac OS Extended?

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    Formatting a drive simply will remove any data currently stored on it. There is no such thing as "proprietary formatting." Drives come out of the factory with no formatting.
    Whatever the person told you it was patently wrong not to mention mis-informed.
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  • HT201250 how do I disable time machine? I want to use my external drive as additional storage. But it mirrors everything I edit. If I remove a document, it removes it from the external drive as well.

    how do I disable time machine? I want to use my external drive as additional storage. But it mirrors everything I edit. If I remove a document, it removes it from the external drive as well.
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    Do not backup your startup volume to another partition on the same drive. If the drive fails you have nothing. Always backup to another drive or volume on another drive.
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    Select the destination volume from the left side list.
    Click on the Restore tab in the DU main window.
    Check the box labeled Erase destination.
    Select the destination volume from the left side list and drag it to the Destination entry field.
    Select the source volume from the left side list and drag it to the Source entry field.
    Double-check you got it right, then click on the Restore button.
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    After startup do the following:
    Erase internal hard drive
    Open Disk Utility in your Utilities folder.
    After DU loads select your internal hard drive (this is the entry with the mfgr.'s ID and size) from the left side list. Note the SMART status of the drive in DU's status area.  If it does not say "Verified" then the drive is failing or has failed and will need replacing.  SMART info will not be reported  on external drives. Otherwise, click on the Partition tab in the DU main window.
    Under the Volume Scheme heading set the number of partitions from the drop down menu to one. Set the format type to Mac OS Extended (Journaled.) Click on the Options button, set the partition scheme to GUID then click on the OK button. Click on the Partition button and wait until the process has completed.  Do not quit Disk Utility.
    Restore the clone to the internal hard drive
    Select the destination volume from the left side list.
    Click on the Restore tab in the DU main window.
    Check the box labeled Erase destination.
    Select the destination volume from the left side list and drag it to the Destination entry field.
    Select the source volume from the left side list and drag it to the Source entry field.
    Double-check you got it right, then click on the Restore button.
    Destination means the internal hard drive. Source means the external startup drive.
    Note that the Source and Destination drives are swapped for this last procedure.

  • Do i need to re format my external drive if i am planning on using super duper for my  bootable backups or does super duper do that for me?

       do i need to reformat my external drive if i am planning on using superduper for my bootable backups or does superduper do that for me? thanks

    You need to format a external drive using Apple's Disk Utility 
    Partition 1
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    Format: OS X Extended Journaled.
    Before OS X can be installed or cloned onto the drive, or else it can't be booted from.
    Formatting a drive erases all data on it, so backup up any data you want to retain off the drive.
    I really do not advise SuperDuper for the fact that it doesn't copy the RecoveryHD partition and restore it, as this is needed to reinstall a fresh copy of OS X from Apple's servers.
    Erase, formatting, OS X installs on Mac's
    A better, more powerful and more intelligent tool is Carbon Copy Cloner.
    See the cloning section of my User Tip here
    Most commonly used backup methods

  • How do I format an external drive with mountain lion?

    How do I format an external drive with mountain lion?

    Applications > Utilities > Disk Utility
    select the external drive in the left pane
    partition and format in the right pane

  • Format an External Drive to Work on PC and MAC

    I am trying to format my external hard drive so that I can view files stored on it on both my MAC and PC. I think this can be accomplished through the disk utility, but trial and error have not gotten me far.
    Thanks
    joe

    Hi,
    The best best is to use Disk Utility in Mac OS X to format the drive. Pick the Erase tab, then select Windows FAT-32 for the Volume Format. Both Windows and OS X readily read and write FAT-32. Oddly, newer versions of Windows won't format a drive in FAT-32 even though FAT-32 is a Microsoft standard. Go figure.
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    -Bill

  • Hi..i want to format only c drive using hp recovery manager.

    My notebook belongs to Presario V3000 series and has Vista OS.
    I want to format only C drive without lsing data on other drives, using HP recovery manager.
    Please let me know which option to choose under Advanced Options in HP recovery manager.

    Recovery manager has changed over the years, what options are available?

  • Windows 7 wants to reformat my external drive?

    I have a Western Digital external USB hard drive that i have been using with a Dell XPS Laptop.  i plugged it in yesterday and Win 7 keeps asking if i want to reformat my external drive.  trying to figure out why??  any help would be appreciated.

    Hi,
    This issue can be caused by a corrupt file system. However, there are still data for you stored in this disk. Please attempt to fix the errors on this disk.
    select the corrupt disk, right click and select Properties. Head for the "Tools" tab and select "Check this drive for errors".
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    http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/magazine/ee872425.aspx
    Note to reduce the lost resulting from such issue, i recommend you to backup thoes data frequently.
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    Andy Altmann
    TechNet Community Support

  • Hi, I want to format my hard drive and reinstall my PC. How can I transfer my Acrobat Standard licence ? Regards.

    Hi,
    I want to format my hard drive and reinstall my PC. How can I transfer my Acrobat Standard licence ?
    Regards.

    First you should deactivate any Adobe programs you have installed so that you free up the activation for when you want to reinstall.  When you are ready to reinstall, do so using the installation files - transferring generally does not work.
    Before you do anything you might want to check to make sure you have access to installation files for reinstalling the program(s).

  • Formatting an external drive for both 10.4 & windows?

    I just installed windows xp on my macbook pro.
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