Can't format external drive for Mac

I got an external Seagate Freeagent 750GB drive to use with my new Mini. It came formatted as a windows FAT volume. Since I don't have a FW400 to FW 800 cable yet, I have it connected via USB. When I try to reformat as a Mac drive (with any of the 4 case-sensitive / journaled options), I get an error, but I can then reformat as FAT. Does anyone know how I can format this drive as mac and what the problem is?

It may have something to do with the partition scheme. There are at least three different schemes. One is used for windows formats (so you can use FAT32 or NTFS format), one is used for Intel Mac (probably GUID, not sure), and one is used for PowerPC Mac (probably the Apple Partition Map, again not sure). I don't know whether it is smart enough to choose the appropriate scheme for you when you have selected a format for your partition. Try to select the right scheme for Intel Mac first, and then decide on the format on each (if you have more than one partition on that disk) partitions.
I think you have to make sure the format is compatible with the scheme, especially when you have multiple partitions on one disk. You can't format one partition to FAT32 and another to HFS+, although it will try to do something, but it will end up with error.

Similar Messages

  • Formatted External drive for Mac OS extended

    Hi,
    I actually change from windows to Mac (no comparison...!!) but trying to transfer my photos (Pictures in finder) to an external hard disk i can`t drag and drop and i do not know why....i read in one forume that i have to formatted the external drive for Mac OS extended. First question: how could i do that? if my hard disk was originally formatted for windows, do i lose the info when i formatted?
    Thanks!!

    You will lose the files on the HD when you reformat it.  So copy what you want off the drive to a folder on your Mac temporarily. 
    select the HD on the Desktop and launch Disk Utility.
    select the HD in the left hand page of DU.
    click on the Partiton button
    select 1 Partition
    select OS X Extended (journaled) in the drop down Format menu.
    click on the Apply button
    drag the folder of files onto the EHD to copy back and then delete from your Mac's drive after verifying that they all copied back successfully.
    OT

  • How to format external drive for mac AND pc use

    hi
    i want to format my external drive so i can use it on my mac and on pc's as well. i've gathered that the MS-DOS format is the way to go. my question is this: would this create any problems for my mac then?
    can i partion one part for ms-dos and part for macos extended?
    cheers
    -j-

    There are a couple of disadvantages with formatting a
    disk as FAT32. Firstly, there is a limit on the file
    size for FAT32. I think it like 2 GB so if you
    capturing video the results will probably not fit
    into this file limit. Secondly FAT32 will not be
    bootable. I alway clone my system to a backup disk as
    bootable. That way if anything goes wrong with my
    system, I can just boot from my backup disk and fix
    it.
    The problem with doing this though is that the drive will not be usable with Windows (which was in the original posting) unless you use the third party MacDrive software on the PC.
    iFelix

  • Format external drive for Mac and PC?

    Can I format an external Drive to have 1 partition for OS X and another for my wife to use with her PC?
    thanks!
    ray

    Yes, just use Disk Utility under OS X to create two volumes on it, one Mac OS Ext, the other FAT. Use a Master Boot Record partition scheme (also known as “fdisk”).

  • How to format an external drive for mac AND pc use

    i want to format my external drive so i can use it on my mac and on pc's as well. i've gathered that the MS-DOS format is the way to go. my question is this: would this create any problems for my mac then?
    can i partion one part for ms-dos and part for macos extended?
    cheers
    -j-

    MS-DOS format (or FAT32) will be fine for both Mac and PC. However there is a 4GB file size limit with FAT32.
    You could use a dual partition, however the HFS+ partition would not be readable by the PC unless you installed the third party MacDrive.
    Look at this page for more information on a dual partition drive for Mac and Windows.
    http://macosxhints.com/article.php?story=20030613121738812
    iFelix

  • External drive for Mac & WIndows?

    I hope this is the correct forum for this question.
    I need to format an external hard drive on a Mac, so that it can be read on a Windows PC. The drive will contain QT movie files, specifically media from FCP, which need to be referred to on a PC outside of FCP. Is it possible to format a drive this way? I looked at Disk Utility, where it seems I can choose the FAT32 format, but I understand this has a file size limit of 4GB, which may be a significant limitation with video files. If I can format a drive to to be read on a PC, will I still be able to read that drive on a Mac?
    I have successfully accessed on my Mac, without a problem, media files which were written onto a PC formatted external drive. Can I do the same in reverse?
    John

    Mac OS X can read NTFS drives, but not write to them without third-party software.
    Windows can't do anything with a Mac formatted drive without additional software.
    These don't apply to drives shared over a network; in this case, treat all computers as if they had the filesystem capabilities of the computer the drive is directly connected to. If plugged into an AirPort base station's USB port, the drive can be either Mac OS Extended or FAT32.
    (52258)

  • Formatting external drive for storage/backup/video files

    Hi,
    I just purchased a 500mb My Book Pro external drive for use with my imac duo which runs Windows XP via bootcamp. This computer is shared by three family with very different skills and needs. My dilemma. I want to format the drive so that the imac can be backed up easily three users. It is formated Fat32 and is supplied with Restrospect Express 7.5 backup software. It would be nice to backup the modestly used windows sector, but that's a secondary consideration. My problem is that one user has a lot of larger than 4 gb video files which are too large the Fat 32 format. My notion is to segment the backup drive so that I leave 300 mb in fat 32 to facilitate backup with supplied software, and segment a second 200 gb drive using mac os extended so that the user can manually move her video files for storage/backup on the backup drive. Is there a simpler solution? For example, if I formatted the entire 500gb as mac os extended, could I still run the retrospect backup software? If not, is there a reasonably priced alternative software? And finally, with either Fat32 or Mac OS extended, can I move files from the Windows platform? Would I be better off just biting the bullet and telling my daughter to make her own arrangements to compress and backup her video files or get her own hard drive, thus leaving the backup drive to the simple factory supplied software solution?
    G-4 and iMac core duo   Mac OS X (10.4.9)   use emacs and imacs at work location

    Hi,
    I just purchased a 500mb My Book Pro external drive
    for use with my imac duo which runs Windows XP via
    bootcamp. This computer is shared by three family
    with very different skills and needs. My dilemma. I
    want to format the drive so that the imac can be
    backed up easily three users. It is formated Fat32
    and is supplied with Restrospect Express 7.5 backup
    software. It would be nice to backup the modestly
    used windows sector, but that's a secondary
    consideration. My problem is that one user has a lot
    of larger than 4 gb video files which are too large
    the Fat 32 format. My notion is to segment the backup
    drive so that I leave 300 mb in fat 32 to facilitate
    backup with supplied software, and segment a second
    200 gb drive using mac os extended so that the user
    can manually move her video files for storage/backup
    on the backup drive. Is there a simpler solution? For
    example, if I formatted the entire 500gb as mac os
    extended, could I still run the retrospect backup
    software? If not, is there a reasonably priced
    alternative software? And finally, with either Fat32
    or Mac OS extended, can I move files from the Windows
    platform? Would I be better off just biting the
    bullet and telling my daughter to make her own
    arrangements to compress and backup her video files
    or get her own hard drive, thus leaving the backup
    drive to the simple factory supplied software
    solution?
    G-4 and iMac
    core duo   Mac OS X (10.4.9)   use emacs
    and imacs at work location
    Hello,
    You're indeed in a pickle. If you use Bootcamp and want the HD accessible via the Mac and WinXP, then you don't want to format it as Mac HFS because WInXP wouldn't be able to access it. If you go FAT32 then both WInXP and Mac OS can access it, but you face the dilemma of the 4GB threshold.
    If you format as NTFS, then you eliminate the 4GB threshold but then Mac OS cannot access it.
    I have a similar dilemma, which is why i use Parallels more than Bootcamp. I have 2 external FW HD's (160GB/250GB), both formatted to Mac HFS. The 160GB i have partitioned as 50GB and 100GB. I have a bootable backup of Mac OS residing on the 100GB partition (yay to SuperDuper!) and some other stuff on the remaining 50GB. The 250GB is exclusive for movies (cough..cough..bittorrent) and for streaming via Orb 2.0 to my Treo. I have WinXP running in Parallels, and Vista Ultimate via Bootcamp. In Parallels, i can access my external HD's via Parallel's Shared Folders but in Vista (Bootcamp) since the HD's are in a non-Windows recognised formatting, they're not accessible (which is a bummer, as i'm loving Win media center).
    What you can do is partition the HD the way you're thinking and format (one part Mac HFS and the other NTFS), but my best recommendation is that with the falling prices of HD's nowadays, why not just get a seperate HD do what you want with it. I spied a WD MyBook 500GB USB HD at CompUSA for $129.99 (no mail-in rebate nonsense) and similar good prices at Bestbuy and Newegg.com.
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  • Formatting External drive for Mac05

    I am trying to format a Western Digital external drive for Mac05 Extended (journaled) in order to transfer photos from my I photo program to free up space on my hard drive, as per suggestions received in this support site. I have downloaded information from Western digital, but it is coupled with 'How to partition and format an internal slave drive or an external drive in a Mac OS X." Once I select Disk utility, the drives are not displayed. Anyone have any suggestions how to format the external drive for Mac05 Extended (journaled)??

    I am trying to format a Western Digital external drive for Mac05 Extended (journaled) in order to transfer photos from my I photo program to free up space on my hard drive, as per suggestions received in this support site. I have downloaded information from Western digital, but it is coupled with 'How to partition and format an internal slave drive or an external drive in a Mac OS X." Once I select Disk utility, the drives are not displayed. Anyone have any suggestions how to format the external drive for Mac05 Extended (journaled)??

  • Format External Drive - From Mac for Windows

    I have a Maxtor One-touch that I need to back up a bunch of data for a Windows XP user. After some research, I thought that formatting the drive in the MS-DOS (FAT) format would do it, however, after doing so and moving all of the data, I have tried the Harddrive on a PC running Windows XP. The drive doesn't mount.
    The external drive is a PC/MAC compatible version. Am I overlooking anything? Is there something I need to do in windows to access the drive.... because it's not obvious.

    Hi Christopher,
    follow either Templetons advise or (if not possible) use Disk Utility and set the partition scheme (behind the Options button) to MBR (Master Boot Record) and use MS-DOS (= FAT32) as file system.
    That should also do the trick.
    The 'standard' partition scheme on Intel Macs is GPT (GUID Partition Table) which can sometimes lead to the effect with Windows PC that you observed.
    Hope it helps
    Stefan

  • How to format external drive for use against windows and mac

    Hi.
    Please bear with me, a possible MAC newbie here
    I'm about to buy the 13" Mac Book Pro (after ditching the Lenovo X301 because of a super slow processor, slow FSB, slow intel graphics).
    But I have a couple of questions before I buy this Mac Book Pro.
    NOTE:
    My main OS (stationary pc) is Windows, and will probably be so for a long time.
    But I need a lightweight laptop while on the run, and could not actually find any other one than the Mac Book Pro that met my requirements.
    I'm using Adobe Lightroom for indexing and managing images on my windows stationary computer and will also use Lightroom on my Mac Book Pro.
    I'm to use an external HDD for this purpose and will need to be able to both write and read to/from that HDD from both MAC and Windows.
    Export lightroom library to External HDD from Windows (thumbnails + keywords).
    Import new images and edit keywords etc from mac book pro in lightroom.
    Import changes into my windows library version after been edited from library in mac book pro.
    What options do I have when it comes to formatting that HDD?
    What will the PROS and CONS be for the different options?
    Note (I'm not to switch to Aperture (my main computer is still Windows))
    Regards

    Hi.. and thanks for that answer... another related here:
    I'm to buy this external drive:
    http://www.lacie.com/no/products/product.htm?pid=11038
    This page:
    http://pc.wikia.com/wiki/FAT32
    tells me that windows XP will only format FAT32 to max 32GB,
    will my upcoming MAC book PRO be able to format that whole disk using FAT32?
    Or do I have to use something else to format it with?
    Regards

  • Apple physically replaced the HD on my Imac.  I backed up everything on a Seagate Go Flex Desk for Mac external drive for Mac.  I went through the motions to restore my Iphoto Library back to my computer. Can't find them!!!!!

    Apple replaced my hard drive on my Imac.  I'm lucky I backed up everything on a Seagate Go Flex Desk for Mac external drive via Time Machine .  I followed directions in order to restore my iphoto library , but I can't seem to find it on my computer.  Are the files locked?

    No reason to assume they are locked. The library will be restored to the location it was backed up from, unless you specified somewhere else. Have you looked in your Pictures Folder?

  • How to format WD external drive for Mac

    Just got the WD MyBook 2TB.  It's not the one specifically for Mac.  It says it is compatible, needs to reformat.  How easy is it to reformat?  It is for Time Machine.  Thanks.

    Connect it, power it up, go to Disk Utility (in Applications/Utilities), select the WD disk on the left, go to the Erase tab, and choose "Mac OS Extended". Click Erase. That should do it.
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    Matt

  • Formatting external drive for read/write PC/Mac & files greater than 4GB

    I'm on Snow Leopard and deliver an external drive off-site to a video editor who needs to read/write to the drive and return the edited files and then I need to read/write all over again. All video files are greater than 4GB. How would I go about this? Third party applications like MacDrive create too much overhead when processing video files. FAT32 limits file sizes to 4GB.

    Hi WillDuffy;
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    In your case since you don't have access to the PC, I am afraid you are forced to use the NTFS. This will require you to use the reverse engineered effort called NTFS-3G to be able to write to the disk from your Mac. Sorry.
    Allan
    Message was edited by: Allan Eckert

  • New external drive for mac and windows

    Hello,
    I am looking to buy a 500gb maxtor external drive. Partition it 250gb for winxp and 250gb for my imac. I am really looking to make these drives as backup drives. I currently have an old 250gb (not all used) formatted as os x entended. I use it for all my itunes, photos, movies... photoshop, you get the picture... I just want to drag and drop to that drive. The same for my windows.
    Does this sound correct? Has anyone done it this way?
    Another way, would be to have it formatted for windows and drop and drag into two different folders : win and imac. But then I will be losing the naming conventions from the os x? isn't that why and want to use os x extended?
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    Charlie

    Piece of cake!
    For those who want to know:
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    usb connection to windows. I started computer management and saw that the usb disk had two partitions: the first was healthy but unknown. That was ok, I wanted the second partition to be NTFS and formated. Then copied my directories to that drive as well.
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    Very cool and easy. Maxtor drives are very reliable and easy to use.
    Thanks,
    Charlie Cooperman
    If anyone wants more detail info, you can email me at [email protected]

  • Tricky stuff: formating hard drive for Mac and Windows

    Don't know how to format an external USB hard drive for these purposes:
    #1. Store a bootable backup for my MacBook (Intel)
    #2. Must be readable and writeable by both Mac OS 10.4 and WinXP (mainly for file storage)
    Can I do 2 partitions, with Mac OS Extended (journal) + GUID to serve purpose #1, and MS-DOS + Master Boot Record to serve purpose #2? My research suggests no, it seems both volumes must use either GUID or MBR? Thanks

    Hi,
    I have two Western Digital external HDs with nearly exactly these specs.
    Partitioned them with GUID partition scheme and have Partition 1 as bootable OSX clone and partition 2 with FAT32 for file storage/sharing between OSX and Windows.
    So, what you want is what I have/use right now.
    Regards
    Stefan

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