External Drive, MAC & PC

hey everyone!
so i purchased an external drive (Western Digital Passport 320gb to be exact) for use of backup and data storage. My problem is this. I was a dumb idiot and didn't do enough research before formatting the drive. i than proceeded to wipe out the (wd320) drive and partition it into 2 partitions using disk utility in OSX. ( i made one partition for general use and one as a backup clone (bootable). this is where the problem lies. when i plug my (wd320) into a mac it's fine; however, windows pc's cannot read this drive. I read some online posts and it is to my new understanding that it needs to be a fat32 partition? is this correct? If so, is there a way for me to add an extra partition to my already partitioned (wd320) without deleting everything?
hope i laid out enough information to be helped..
THANKS IN ADVANCE!

Hi Jeremy,
It takes a bit of work in Terminal but you can have one partition FAT32 and one HFS+. Another option is to format the entire drive FAT32 but you couldn't backup System files to it, only data.
John

Similar Messages

  • ITunes Media Folder Renameable on External Drive (mac)

    I have a 1TB collection of music in a folder on an external drive within a folder that is NOT called iTunes Media, but which until now had behaved as if it were.
    I just switched to a clone of my old 1TB drive on a 1.5TB drive. After 11 hours of locating my 157000 tracks, I was able to find and use every track. However, when I added a new track, apparently I lost the ability to add new music tracks within the Music folder. Instead, a new iTunes Media folder was created within the folder which SHOULD have been called iTunes Media.
    In the (new) iTunes Media folder there are a few folders containing the music I added after the switch. In the Music folder (below, but higher hierarchy) there is 1TB of music, which means it cannot be copied into the (new) iTunes Media file on the 1.5TB drive (not enough space).
    Even though it would entail 100+ hours of new clone-backup time, the most logical solution would be to discard the embedded iTunes Media folder, rename the top-level folder iTunes Media, then let iTunes relocate the tracks again (over another 11 hours) and reload the few tracks loaded since the switch.
    However I do not know if iTunes will allow this to work, and if so, what needs to be done in order to make it work.
    Can the top-level folder be renamed? Do I need to untick and tick the Keep iTunes Media Folder Organized button?
    Thanks
    Mac OSX 10.6.8, iTunes 11.4

    I am getting a bit lost on what was done and exactly why you did it that way.  It looks to me like you use iTunes with standard preferences settings and you didn't so much move your media folder to the external drive as your whole iTunes library (everything in the top level folder including all the media files).  This should have been done simply by copying the iTunes folder from the old drive to the new one, renaming the AllMyiTunesMusic folder if you so desire, then starting iTunes while holding down the option/alt key and selecting that folder as the iTunes library to now start using.  Apart from the copy time when you could go away and drink a pot of coffee the actual labor time would be about 2 minutes.  I think you must have done something different which has kind of messed up your library and resulted in duplication of files.  Some of those folders such as Movies and the neighboring Music folder should be in the media folder, but don't move things about in Finder or iTunes may lose track of them and things will get worse.  If you can go back and do things properly then I recommend you do so, otherwise we can see what we can work with here.
    What are the iTunes library files? - http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1660
    More on iTunes library files and what they do - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ITunes#Media_management
    What are all those iTunes files? - http://www.macworld.com/article/139974/2009/04/itunes_files.html
    Where are my iTunes files located? - http://support.apple.com/kb/ht1391
    iTunes 9 [and later]: Understanding iTunes Media Organization - http://support.apple.com/kb/ht3847 - plus supplemental information about organizing to new structure https://discussions.apple.com/message/26404702#26404702
    Image of folder structure and explanation of different iTunes versions (turingtest2 post) - https://discussions.apple.com/docs/DOC-7392 and making an iTunes library portable.

  • Mac mini core2 duo 10.7.2 not seeing files on usb external drives - mac formatted - ownership ignored-  until finder refresh - any idea

    finder has problems showing folders& files on external drives on mac mini with 10.7.2
    this is affecting 2 external usb drives both mac formatted - ownership ignored
    i click on the drive and see nothing
    a refresh of the finder window will make the files appear
    if i click on a disclosure arrow, the arrow turns down but no files are displayed
    if i double click on the folder it opens that folder in an empty view - a refresh will bring the files visible
    interestingly if i eject the drive and plug back it , it will usually display the contents of folders already visited last time but not folders i hadn't looked at - they require a refresh
    programs such as iTunes can link to those files when they are not visible in finder
    anyone else run into this - any suggestions
    oh and drives seem to be working fine on my macbook pro with 10.7.3
    cheers folks
    Simon

    John -I'm pretty sure it the mac mini thats having the issue
    the two drives - each with their own cable - seem to work perfectly with my other mac
    the mac mini is having no problem reading the files itunes and other programs access the files on the drives without a problem
    its just the finder is not displaying the files without a refresh of the view
    but thanks anyway

  • Acomdata external drive MAC using SecureHD LogIn.

    Has anyone figured out how to update Acomdata external drive to use on MAC using SecureHD LogIn?
    The only way now is to launch the PC side of MAC, sign in then suspend the PC side, then the drive appears on the MAC desktop and can be used. This is a pain!

    Hi pealo86
    If your going to be using the External HD strictly for backing up the iMac, ie Time Machine or Cloning with SuperDuper or CarbonCloner, then you will want to reset the Partition Map Scheme to *GUID Partition Table* and the Format to *Mac OS Extended* (Journaled).
    adding these DU instructions > http://www.kenstone.net/fcphomepage/partitioningtiger.html
    If however you wish to use the External Drive for sharing files between OS X and Windows then you will either need the Mac software that JGG has suggested or need to reset the Drive Format to MS-DOS FAT-32, which unfortunately has a file size limit of 4GB.
    See Sharing Drives > http://www.macworld.com/article/51972/2006/07/ww_drives.html
    Dennis

  • CC2014 install on external drive? (mac)

    Can [any/all] Creative Cloud apps be installed on an external drive (Mac)?  If so, how could I do that?  ie:  NOT on the system drive.
    thanks.

    No. All Adobe apps must be installed on persistent drives.
    Mylenium

  • Can I configure an external drive to be password protected or do I need to buy an external hard drive already password enabled

    I asked at a Hong Kong apple shop if they had password protected external drives.  They didn't, I bought one anyway.
    I'm wondering can I configure this drive.  If yes, what do I need to do?

    This looks like the easiest and most direct method and since it uses Disk Utility it would work on any OS.
    http://osxdaily.com/2012/01/25/password-protect-external-drive-mac-encrypted-par tition/

  • HOW TO FIX MOUNT ISSUE ON OSX 10.8.3 AND ENCRYPTED EXTERNAL DRIVES

    OSX version 10.8.3 doesn't mount my encrypted external drive (MAC OSX extended journalled encrypted). When I enter my password the window greys out and stays there forever without mounting the drive. I have two seperate drives on this HDD ( one Fat and the other one journaled encrypted) the Fat one mounts without any roblem. The only option in the first aid tab is verify disk and everything else is greyed out. Resault of verify is "Error: This disk needs to be repaired. Click Repair Disk." but I can't run repair since it is greyout.

    If the volume won't mount, you can't repair it.
    Triple-click anywhere in the line below to select it:
    diskutil list; echo; diskutil cs list
    Copy the selected text to the Clipboard (command-C).
    Launch the Terminal application in any of the following ways:
    ☞ Enter the first few letters of its name into a Spotlight search. Select it in the results (it should be at the top.)
    ☞ In the Finder, select Go ▹ Utilities from the menu bar, or press the key combination shift-command-U. The application is in the folder that opens.
    ☞ Open LaunchPad. Click Utilities, then Terminal in the icon grid.
    Paste into the Terminal window (command-V).
    Post any lines of output that appear below what you entered — the text, please, not a screenshot.
    If any personal information appears in the output, anonymize before posting, but don’t remove the context.

  • I wish to move movies/tv shows to external drive

    I have less than 10% of my internal 2T drive available, and wish to move my movies and TV shows to an external drobo, I don't care if my music collection moves or not.
    What is the best way to do this and keep iTunes happy? I tried copying the entire folder to the Drobo, but the software did not seem to like that approach.
    Thanks

    The following article(s) may help you.
    Moving your iTunes library to an external drive (Mac)

  • Buslink External Drive 300 GB Firewire Problem

    I purchased a Buslink 300 GB external drive that has both USB 2.0 and Firewire 400 connection. I use the drive to hold dv files that I have downloaded from my video camera. I formatted the drive for mac because the dv files are larger than the 4gb limit for FAT32. Everthing was fine using the firewire connection until I got to about 140 gb of data on the drive. No further files would copy to the drive. I now have to use the USB connection, and have gone up to 250GB without problem. I like the performance of the firewire connection better than the USB connection.
    I formatted the external drive Mac OS Extended into one 279 GB partition. I found nothing on BUSLINK's web site about a driver, is there a fix for this? Is anyone using another external drive with firewire that will work properly to the limit of the drive?
    Thank you
    G5 Dual 2.3   Mac OS X (10.4.9)   3.5GB ram

    I have 2 external firewire HDs - both worked prefectly until recently... I am getting Error -36... I have used the Disk Utility - no errors founds. Despite this conclusion, I decided to reformat them both.... and still getting the same error -36... any suggestions?

  • -10810 Finder error with FW 400 external drive

    I have an external drive with USB 2 and FW 400 connections. For years I've used it without any problems with the USB connection. Recently I've connected it using FW 400 and have repeatedly had the following problem:
    I am using files on an external drive (Mac OS Extended, Journaled) with a FW 400 connection when suddenly both the application I'm using and the Finder hang. I pick Force Quit from the Apple menu and in the list the app and the Finder both show up as not responding. I can force quit the app at that point but when I try to force relaunch the Finder it kills the finder rather than relaunching it. If I try to launch it from the Dock I get an error saying "The application Finder can't be opened -10810." After about 5 minutes I get an error message saying that I'd improperly disconnected my FW drive without ejecting it first (even though I neither ejected it nor disconnected it). At that point, the Finder relaunches and everything seems fine, though the FW drive (still plugged in and turned on) is now gone and doesn't appear in Disk Utility. If I unplug and turn off the FW drive and then plug it in again and turn it on again it will mount. Then the app that I was originally using relaunches on its own. At that point I can quit everything, eject everything, and restart without difficulty. Disk Utility finds nothing wrong with the external drive.
    Any idea what's going on and how to fix it?
    Obviously I could just go back to USB but I want to know what's going on.
    Thanks!
    Danny
    MacBook 4,1
    Mac OS X 10.6.8

    Firewire 800 is fully backwards compatible with Firewire 400. You need a "bilingual" firewire cable or adapter to plug the Firewire 400 drive in your Firewire 800 port.

  • I can't move my finished .mov to an external drive, why?

    My finished .mov is 5.83 GB and I can't move it anywhere off my mbp. Not to a flashdrive, external drive.

    Mac OS X can't write NTFS, it can only read it.
    If you want to write NTFS on a Mac, you need a 3rd-party tool like MacFUSE.

  • Format and partition external drive if you want dual use Mac / PC

    I had purchased from the Apple store in France a portable hard drive Iomega eGO USB 2.0/FireWire ov 250 Go capacity (P/N 31713900; Model: RPHD-C; S/N: FEAJ02011V)
    Originally formatted HFS+, it would mount on any of my Mac desktops with Firewire, easily on the iMac using USB and with great difficulty on the iBook with the two USB plugs (together). It did not mount on any windows PC I had used for tests (so reformatting it FAT(32) or NTFS was *not an option).
    I had reformatted it FAT32 using the iMac under mac OS 10.5 for use on multiple computers including Windows PC's. The drive would now accept to:
    Mount on the iMac and iBook using Firewire
    Mount on the iMac using USB, but it will NOT:
    1 - Mount on the iBook using USB, nor
    2 - Mount on any Windows PC using USB
    The solution was found at the office with our IT helpdesk.
    Whether I format it FAT 32 or NTFS (using the Paragon NTFS for mac OS X 10.5) on my iMac under OS 10.5, including when I do the same on another external drive than the Iomega, the PC would not recognise it while it would always mount on a Mac and it was even impossible on the PC to reformat it. The solution is (at least in windows world), you need to (1) format the drive, AND (2) partition the drive, even if this involves creating a single partition. Using Disk Utility of the Mac, I had only formatted the drive and not partitioned it into a single partition and Disk utility did not request that from me. The drive as prepared was perfectly usable on any Mac anyway.
    The cure was to go back to the imac which had formatted it, mount it (it mounts), (1) reformat and (2) partition, using a single partition.
    Then, the drive would instantly be recognised on the PC as a F drive, whether under FAT 32 or under NTFS.
    The blame is in me and on the Apple Drive utility which did not help me (trust it would have been worse in windows world, but this is a bad mark on disk utility)
    My suggestion to Apple would be that Disk Utilisty should tell us, once we have formatted a drive (HFS+, FAT 32 or NTFS using Parangon) that we are not done yet and still must create the partition(s), even if we only need one partition.
    HTH

    Hi Michel-Ange
    You are talking to other user like yourself here and not Apple. If you wish to make a suggestion to Apple, I suggest you do it at this site - http://www.apple.com/feedback/macosx.html
    Allan

  • Using a seagate external drive with multiple macs

    i got a 1TB seagate external hard drive for backup and transfer purposes... it had a little program to help set it up and i set it up for use with mac and pc ( only onther option was stricty this computer.) it works on my computer and a pc but when i tried transfering files from another older mac i have it showed that i could only read on that computer...
    how can i get it to work with multiple macs...?

    I have the oldest macbook (1.83. 2 gigs ram, 60 gig internal hard drive)
    I have all my logic content on my external maxtor firewire 400 drive (usb 2.0 is actually faster than firewire 400) and everything is fine. the good thing is if your external drive has 7200rpm, but the ones with 5600rpm should do as well.
    Once you drag your apple loops to logic from your external drive, logic will remember for the next visit. And when you are opening a project which is on the external drive , just find it with logic finder and all should be fine.

  • External Drive Files Not Showing Up on Mac but files do shows Up on PC

    External Drive Files Not Showing Up on Mac but files do shows Up on PC
    i had the Ex HD for about 3 years running smoothly on my mac but recently everything disappeared. plunged it into a pc to see if it read my files and it did. what can i do? to make it work on mac again. i don't want to reformat that drive because i have important applications (DMG) and other zip photo video files in the drive.

    yes. i did.
    ...i have tried "verify" & "repair" but they didn't pass the san test. and when i "unmounted/mount" a error message popped up say that there is a application running off the drive but there nothing (i see) running, to close all activity

  • I'm using Time Machine and a LaCie external drive to backup. I also have a 8 GB LaCie flash drive I want to use for small jobs. If I plug the LaCie flash drive in, is my Mac going to think it is the LaCie external drive and start trying to backup?

    I'm using Time Machine and a LaCie external drive to backup. I also have a 8 GB LaCie flash drive I want to use for small jobs. If I plug the LaCie flash drive in, is my Mac going to think it is the LaCie external drive and start trying to backup?

    no.

Maybe you are looking for

  • Resolution keeps getting reset by sleep mode

    This is on an older Mac Mini. I bought my latest right before Yosimite came out. I tried Yosimite on the older Mac Mini to see if I liked it and so far I'm torn between Yosimite and Mavericks. I've been running Yosimite on this Mac Mini almost since

  • Burning iDVD project

    I usually burn before I go to bed, and then it is done in the morning. I did this last night, but it wasn't finished in the morning. Th eencoding seemed to be in the same spot. What did I do wrong here? Thanks Gerry

  • 2 MP4 Videos one plays one does not

    I have two MP4 Videos one playes and one does not. Both are h.264 Baseline profile,  Level 3,  AAC 2 channel audio Every transcode of the movie that will not play fails also. Any help on h.264 setting that Media Manager will take.

  • Java Webservice Falut handling

    I have one java class which I am exposing as webservice by using webservice annotation. I am able to pass the input and get the output normally, but incase of any error I need to pass two strings:faultdetails,faultmessage through the fault calss. So

  • CoverFlow Shows Icons Only

    I have deleted the thumbnails and now all I have are icon thumbnails. (.jpg) Help? Thanks!!