Why can't I drag my files in finder to an external hard drive?

I'm trying to drag my files from finder to an external hard drive--I just get the universal "do not" symbol.  How do I do this?

1.youd need a program like PARAGON to write to a NTFS drive from your Mac.
2. IF you can offload that data onto your PC or other computer, THEN format same in Mac OSX extended journaled, you can just drag and drop files to it.
3. To show the HD on desktop go to Finder > preferences > General > check on "external disks" and "hard disks"
4. The "EASY" option really is to get another HD for use with your Mac, unless of course you need specific files off that drive ON your Mac.
$70 for a good cheap quality 1TB external USB HD.
5.  FAT32 and (better option>) EXFAT can read/write to BOTH Mac and PC   (however time machine will not use either)
6. See mac format below, HFS+ i.e. "mac osx extended journaled"
FORMAT TYPES
FAT32 (File Allocation Table)
Read/Write FAT32 from both native Windows and native Mac OS X.
Maximum file size: 4GB.
Maximum volume size: 2TB
You can use this format if you share the drive between Mac OS X and Windows computers and have no files larger than 4GB.
NTFS (Windows NT File System)
Read/Write NTFS from native Windows.
Read only NTFS from native Mac OS X
To Read/Write/Format NTFS from Mac OS X, here are some alternatives:
For Mac OS X 10.4 or later (32 or 64-bit), install Paragon (approx $20) (Best Choice for Lion)
Native NTFS support can be enabled in Snow Leopard and Lion, but is not advisable, due to instability.
AirPort Extreme (802.11n) and Time Capsule do not support NTFS
Maximum file size: 16 TB
Maximum volume size: 256TB
You can use this format if you routinely share a drive with multiple Windows systems.
HFS+ ((((MAC FORMAT)))) (Hierarchical File System, a.k.a. Mac OS Extended (Journaled) Don't use case-sensitive)
Read/Write HFS+ from native Mac OS X
Required for Time Machine or Carbon Copy Cloner or SuperDuper! backups of Mac internal hard drive.
To Read HFS+ (but not Write) from Windows, Install HFSExplorer
Maximum file size: 8EiB
Maximum volume size: 8EiB
You can use this format if you only use the drive with Mac OS X, or use it for backups of your Mac OS X internal drive, or if you only share it with one Windows PC (with MacDrive installed on the PC)
EXFAT (FAT64)
Supported in Mac OS X only in 10.6.5 or later.
Not all Windows versions support exFAT. 
exFAT (Extended File Allocation Table)
AirPort Extreme (802.11n) and Time Capsule do not support exFAT
Maximum file size: 16 EiB
Maximum volume size: 64 ZiB
You can use this format if it is supported by all computers with which you intend to share the drive.  See "disadvantages" for details.

Similar Messages

  • Why can't I see my photos after moving them to external hard drive?

    My imac hard drive ran out of available space, so I copied iPhoto and all file to an external hard drive and deleted the originals from my original hard drive. All files seemed to come over, but I can't open the photos or see the images. Is there anything I can do to resolve this situation? Thanks in advance for your feedback.

    no idea what you did or if the EHD is properly formatted
    the correct procedure is
    Moving the iPhoto library is safe and simple - quit iPhoto and drag the iPhoto library intact as a single entity to the external drive - depress the option key and launch iPhoto using the "select library" option to point to the new location on the external drive - fully test it and then trash the old library on the internal drive (test one more time prior to emptying the trash)
    And be sure that the External drive is formatted Mac OS extended (journaled) (iPhoto does not work with drives with other formats) and that it is always available prior to launching iPhoto
    And backup soon and often - having your iPhoto library on an external drive is not a backup and if you are using Time Machine you need to check and be sure that TM is backing up your external drive
    LN

  • I backed up my I-tunes library (by dragging my "music" folder to my new external hard drive.  Now 6,000  songs won't play stating, "original file cannot be found."  What can I do to get these songs back???!!!

    I backed up my I-tunes library (by dragging my "music" folder to my new external hard drive.  Now 6,000  songs won't play stating, "original file cannot be found."  What can I do to get these songs back???!!!

    Try putting the files back where they were before you moved them, then follow the steps in this Apple document -> iTunes: Back up your iTunes library by copying to an external hard drive

  • I just got my first mac pro and I can't get the photos out of iPhotos moved on my hp external hard drive, I try export says unable, then I try to drag it from the desktop to the external hard drive but same problem. Thank you so much

    I just got my first mac pro and I can't get the photos out of iPhotos and move them on my hp external hard drive, I try export says unable, then I try to drag it from the desktop to the external hard drive but same problem. what to do? Thank you so much

    How is your external drive formatted? Use Disk Utility to check the volume format. If it is NTFS, you will need to reformat the HDD as exFAT in order to retain universal compatibility (RW to it on both Mac and Windows).

  • Can I bring files from a NTFS formatted external hard drive (from Windows XP 32 bit desktop) to my new macbook pro retina?

    Can I bring files from a NTFS formatted external hard drive (from Windows XP 32 bit desktop) to my new macbook pro retina?

    What are these files you are trying to copy over?
    If they are program specific and there is no program on a Mac to read them then you'll have to find either a Mac version of that program or one that does the same thing and can read those files.
    The file extension should not change just because you connect a NTFS formatted drive to a Mac computer. A Word Document is still a .doc/.docx ad the same for all other office type programs. Music files with an extension of .MP3, or whatever, should read the same on both system. Same goes for all other files like images with a .JPG extension.
    Yes I would network them.
    I would not use Migration Assistant. There is nothing on your Windows PC that can be used on the Mac other than your personal data files. No programs or settings can be carried over from Windows to OS X.
    marimbapony1 wrote:
    Also, when I view the files from the external hard drive, they show up as .nbz and are not recognized by any program on the Mac. Should I just abandon the hard drive option and start sharing files through the LAN approach?

  • Why is the quality of movies and pictures exported to the external hard drive lowered?

    Why is the quality of movies and pictures exported to the external hard drive lowered?

    Are you speaking of manually moving these files, or using an application to export?
    When you use the the term "export", it usually entails an application performing some kind of file conversion, rather than a simple transfer. It is during conversion to another file format that information may be lost through lossy compression, or by settings of the export.
    Anytime you convert a file to another format, there will usually be some loss or degradation. Tghis can't be helped, as one format may not support every information characteristic the original one did.

  • How Can I Migrate My Time Machine Backups To A New External Hard Drive?

    I have a external hard drive that has 500 GBs left, but I want to buy a larger drive.

    ivan wrote:
    How Can I Migrate My Time Machine Backups To A New External Hard Drive?
    I have a external hard drive that has 500 GBs left, but I want to buy a larger drive.
    Hi iVain
    Fire up *Disk Utility*, click the Restore tab, then drag your old and new TM drives into the Source and Destination fields. Click Restore, and a complete copy of your old TM files will be made on the new drive. Go to TM preferences and select the new drive, and it will continue backing up just as it left off.
    Hope this answers your question. See:
    http://discussions.apple.com/thread.jspa?threadID=2595485&tstart=0

  • I got a macbook pro 2008 and can not back up using time machine. it eject my external hard drive everytime. does someone has a fix???

    i got a macbook pro 2008 and can not back up using time machine. it eject my external hard drive everytime. does anybody has a fix???

    Does your external hard drive have it's own power supply?  It should.
    Is your external hard drive formatted with the NTFS file system?  It won't work.
    It needs to be formatted either with Mac OS Extended or FAT32.
    (There are drivers available to add NTFS support to OS X but their quality is unknown, especially the "free" ones.)

  • Hi! I have a WD my book external hard drive plugged into my imac and I want to share it over my network with my apple tv. I went into system preferences sharing, checked "file sharing" and added my external hard drive to the shared folder. So now it is

    Hi!
    I have a WD my book external hard drive plugged into my imac and I want to share it over my network with my apple tv. I went into system preferences > sharing, checked "file sharing" and added my external hard drive to the shared folder. So now it is listed in "shared folders" but under "users" everything is grayed out (it says "read and write" for "everyone" - but "read and write" is grayed out, and it doesn't let me add or subtract users). Now I can access all of the folders I shared from my imac except for the externalhard drive. What's going on?

    Hi RRFS!,thanks for help.I forgot to tell that hard drive has 2 partitions 1:format :Mac OS Extended (Journaled) and that works properly,2:format:MS-DOS (FAT32) and when i "get info" for both :first has shering & permitions:You can read and write - with name and privilege, second has shaing & prermissions:You can read and write- without name and privilege

  • Does file vault effect using a external hard drive as back up

    does file vault effect using a external hard drive as back up

    weird_glasses wrote:
    ... as you can guess Im still on L plates ...

  • HT5260 Hi, my name is Gerard and my iphoto library is getting very large I would like to know if I can store all or most of my photos in a external hard drive and access them from Aperture?

    Hi, my name is Gerard and my iphoto library is getting very large I would like to know if I can store all or most of my photos in a external hard drive and access them from Aperture?

    Moving the iPhoto library is safe and simple - quit iPhoto and drag the iPhoto library intact as a single entity to the external drive - depress the option key and launch iPhoto using the "select library" option to point to the new location on the external drive - fully test it and then trash the old library on the internal drive (test one more time prior to emptying the trash)
    And be sure that the External drive is formatted Mac OS extended (journaled) (iPhoto does not work with drives with other formats) and that it is always available prior to launching iPhoto
    And backup soon and often - having your iPhoto library on an external drive is not a backup and if you are using Time Machine you need to check and be sure that TM is backing up your external drive
    LN

  • Do macs keep a record of what files are copied to an external hard drive?

    Is it possible to set up a MacBook to keep a record of what files are copied to an external hard drive?

    Start up in safe mode and log in to the account with the problem. Note: If FileVault is enabled in OS X 10.9 or earlier, or if a firmware password is set, or if the startup volume is a software RAID, you can’t start in safe mode.
    Safe mode is much slower to start up and run than normal. The next normal startup may also be somewhat slow.
    The login screen appears even if you usually log in automatically. You must know your login password in order to log in. If you’ve forgotten the password, you will need to reset it before you begin.
    You may now be able to log in and move the files off the Desktop. Then restart as usual.

  • How can i save my individual playlist on itunes on my external hard drive because i want to buy a laptop and install itunes and move all my music and playlist thats on my desktop to my laptop and almost all my music is from a bunch of cd's i own

    how can i save my individual playlist on itunes on my external hard drive because i want to buy a laptop and install itunes and move all my music and playlist thats on my desktop to my laptop and almost all of my music is from a bunch of cds i own

    Hello ryane84
    The easiest and most efficient way to copy your music is to follow the steps under the External drive section. Make sure that you have organized the iTunes library first before you copy it over. Then put the copied iTunes folder in the same Music folder on your computer.
    iTunes: How to move your music to a new computer
    http://support.apple.com/kb/ht4527
    Regards,
    -Norm G.

  • Can I increase the capacity of Time Machine with an external hard drive connected to Time Capsule?

    Can I increase the capacity of Time Machine with an external hard drive connected to Time Capsule via the USB port?  My current Time Machine has a total capacity of 1TB.  I'd like to double or triple its memory.  I don't want to use the external hard drive in lieu of the Time Capsule hard drive.  I'd like to use it in addition to.  Just don't know if/how it's possible.
    This is another one of those questions that I've searched the web for answers, and have gotten tricky answers back.  So now I'm trying to introduce a clean slate to the mix.
    Thank you for your time!

    Well, what you mentioning is possible.  However, I don't know whether it's supported (as in, "easy to set up.").  Time Machine officially supports backing up to a locally attached drive, to a machine running a Time Machine server (i.e. running OS X Server software), and to a Time Capsule.  I don't know that it officially supports a drive attached to an AirPort or to a Time Capsule.  Though I know some people have gotten it to work.
    Best I can say is to try it.  Plug the drive into the Time Capsule, ensure it's shared on the network, and then try and set it as a backup target from a machine in the Time Machine backup panel (you'll need to ensure it's mounted first).  If it works, you're all set.

  • How can I back up my I Tunes library to an external hard drive?  Also how do I add my new content to the back up?

    How can I back up my I Tunes library to an external hard drive?  Also how do I add my new content to the back up?

    See this User Tip.
    tt2

Maybe you are looking for

  • Activation server error on ADE 3.0

    Hi! I unistalled ADE 4.0 and installed 3.0 because 4.0 wouldn't let me open .acsm files or transfer them to other devices. Now, on ADE 3.0, when i try to open an .acsm file, it comes up with a computer autorisaton window which reads "activation serve

  • I have imovie 10.0.4 and FCPX 10.1.2

    I have imovie 10.0.4 and FCPX 10.1.2 and I cannot get iMovie project sent to FCPX.  I see a very brief progress bar, but then nothing and no transfer to FCPX. Any thoughts? Thanks David

  • Location of bookmarks file in mac os 10.6

    I need to know where in mac os 10.6, does the bookmarks file reside?

  • Reindex doesn't work

    I have created a new index with 1 DataSource. Reindex doesn't work. Index Monitor shows always <b>Pending 0 0 0</b>  Queue fluching doesn't help. recreating index too. It works only when I am uploading a new document(not PDF). With PDF Monitor shows

  • Message No: 8I000 - No data selected for printing

    Dear All, I need inputs for resolving this.....please help me out... Issue Description:    When i am doing J1INCERT, for one company code it is working properly...but for one specific company code it is giving the error that No data selected for prit