Help needed with formatting an external drive

Like some of you exoerienced problems with my external drive on upgrade to 10.5.5. To cut a long story short, bought a Western Digital 500GB Studio already configured for mac. Backed up with time machine. The drive does not boot on startup of my Intel iMac as its the partition map is APM and not GUID. For some reason, when I access the drive in Disk Utility and select Partition, the Option button is greyed out i.e. read only and therefore I can't select GUID. Any ideas how to resolve this?

You cannot boot from a TM backup in case you did not know that.
In order to re-partition the drive for GUID you must:
Extended Hard Drive Preparation
1. Open Disk Utility in your Utilities folder. If you need to reformat your startup volume, then you must boot from your OS X Installer Disc. After the installer loads select your language and click on the Continue button. When the menu bar appears select Disk Utility from the Installer menu (Utilities menu for Tiger or Leopard.)
2. After DU loads select your 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.
3. Select the number of partitions from the drop down menu. Click on the Options button, set the partition scheme to GUID (only required for Intel Macs) then click on the OK button. Set the format type to Mac OS Extended (Journaled.) Click on the Partition button and wait until the volume(s) mount on the Desktop.
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 Options 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.
Steps 4-6 are optional but should be used on a drive that has never been formatted before, if the format type is not Mac OS Extended, if the partition scheme has been changed, or if a different operating system (not OS X) has been installed on the drive.
Be aware that this is a destructive process and all data currently on the drive will be lost.

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Help needed with Time Machine multiple drives set up

Hello, I need help in finding out if what I want to do is possible.
I upgraded to Mountain Lion today as I understood it can handle multiple back up drives. I see how to add a 2nd back up drive, however I do not see a way to put different folders onto different drives.
iMac - backed to a 3TB DRIVE A via the time machine
iPhoto Library original file - already on the 3TB DRIVE A - so no back up for now!
What I'd like to do is to also back up only the iPhotoLibrary file to a 2nd drive - lets call it 3TB DRIVE B
Can it be done with Mountain Lion or not really? I don't even seem to be able to exclude files from an External Disk actually.
Any other software I could use that would do the trick?
Or do I have to rearrange our already messy set up? I've put the iPhoto Library on the DRIVE A as its a faster drive. but I guess the solution would be to put the iPhoto Library original file onto the slower Drive B and only keep the iPhoto file on it?
Hmm any help or tips greatly appreciated.
Thank you in advance.
Marta

Sharlo wrote:
So here's my question: After reinstalling system TM started normal back-up procedure and I get message not enough space on external disk. I use 200Gb for around 100Gb that I have on my computer (I know not so much but works well for me). What I do not get is why does TM need around 30% more space compared to the space I'm using (wants to back-up 130Gb) and why is it not backing-up the system I've just installed but tries to back-up everything from scratch? Is there a procedure to back-up only changed files since the last version?
Ordinarily, that's exactly what TM does. But this situation isn't ordinary. Everything you restored is considered "*new to that disk"* and will be backed-up again. See #14 in the Frequently Asked Questions *User Tip* at the top of this forum, and http://support.apple.com/kb/TS1338
The 30% you ask about is actually 20%; the initial estimate of the space needed might be low, and TM needs workspace on the TM disk, so it adds 20% (see #7 in the FAQ Tip.)

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
Option: GUID
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

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.
Thanks!

In OS X, there's an app called Disk Utility that allows you to do whatever you want with hard drives and external drives.
In order to format an external drive, read > http://pondini.org/OSX/DU1.html The Pondini's site guides you through the steps, so you just have to follow them. Unfortunately, it's not as easy as right-clicking the external drive

I need to return a external drive to windows NTFS uncompressed but disc utility keep formatting in NTFS compressed

I need to return an external drive (Seagate GoFlex Satellite) to windows NTFS uncompressed format but disc utility keeps formatting in NTFS compressed.

OS X can only read NTFS partitions. I doubt it can create them. I only see MSDOS FAT and ExFAT as choices in Disk Utility and neither are NTFS. If you have MacFUSE installed and the NTFS-3G plugin you might be able to do it in Disk Utility. However, it will be very very slow.
It might be easier to connect the drive to a PC and format it that way. Use the quick format option unless you suspect the disk to have bad sectors. Or setup Boot Camp, install Windows and format the drive when you dual boot into Windows. Or you could setup a virtual machine using Oracle VirtualBox, Parallels, or VMWare Fusion to access Windows so you can format the disk.

I am about to replace my hard drive with Apple. Do I need to format my existing drive to clear my data?

I am about to replace my hard drive with Apple. Do I need to format my existing drive to clear my data?

In my view, definitely. Make sure you have reliable and tested backup of all your important data by way of TIme Machine or a clone (preferably both) so that you can restore once the drive is replaced and then erase the internal drive.

Help needed with itunes

help needed with itunes please tryed to move my itunes libary to my external hard drive itunes move ok and runs fin but i have none of my music or apps or anything all my stuff is in the itunes folder on my external hard drive but there is nothing on ituns how do i get it back help,please

(Make sure the Music (top left) library is selected before beginning this.)
If you have bad song links in your library, hilite them and hit the delete button. Then locate the folder(s) where your music is located and drag and drop into the large library window in iTunes ( where your tracks show up). This will force the tunes into iTunes. Before you start, check your preferences in iTunes specifically under the"Advanced" tab, general settings. I prefer that the 1st 2 boxes are unchecked. (Keep iTunes Music folder organized & Copy files to iTunes Music folder when adding to library). They are designed to let iTunes manage your library. I prefer to manage it myself. Suit yourself. If there is a way for iTunes to restore broken links other than locating one song at a time I haven't found it yet. (I wish Apple would fix this, as I have used that feature in other apps.) This is the way I do it and I have approx. 25,000 songs and podcasts and videos at present. Hope this helps.

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?

kwnola wrote:
How do I format an external drive (My Passport) from mac to pc (iOS Snow Leopard) without losing my data?
1: Remove the data off the drive
You can do this by installing MacDrive on the Windows PC to access the Mac HTFS+ format
Or you can use a Mac to remove the data.
2: Format the drive on the PC (preferably) by right clicking on the drive and choosing format
A: If data on the drive will have larger than 4GB sized files, then the format you want is exFAT
(if your using Windows XP, you can download exFAT from Microsoft)
B: If the data on the drive will always have less than 4GB sized files, then you should choose FAT32 for most compatibility with all other machines.
3: If you can only format the drive on the Mac then open Apple's Disk Utility in the Utilities folder
Select the drive on the far left, it should have the makers name and a size, then click Partition.
Now select the box and click Options: MBR Then select Format: exFAT or MSDOS (FAT32) and click Apply.
4: If any chance you need to secure delete any data remaining on the drive form being recovered, use the Erase with Zero (or 7x for very secure) before formatting.
Note: Formatting a drive on the PC there will be a option for NTFS, this is for access by Windows only, but software can be installed on the Mac to read/write this format.
If you use exFAT or FAT32, the Mac can read and write this format just like Windows can, no need for extra software.
Linux can read/write just about any format.

Is it safe to format ANY external drive to Mac OS Extended?

Some Seagate tech told me a while back that Seagate drives should ONLY be formatted with their proprietary formatting and that my data is vulnerable if I use something else. (I may have misunderstood this, but I'm 98% certain that's what he said.) I do remember him saying not to use the Mac's Disk Utility to format the drive.
I want to reformat this drive so that it's 100% compatible with my new Mavericks iMac.
Is there any concern about formatting ANY external drive to Mac OS Extended (Journaled). Or are there some hard drives that should not be formatted to Mac using Disk Utility?
I'm under the impression that all external drives are basically the same and I can format them however I want. No drive is "made" to be formatted with a certain OS or a certain format.
Is that correct?

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.
To use a hard drive properly with any computer it needs to be formatted with the tool that is required for the operating system with which it will be used. For the Mac you use Disk Utility (the tool) and you format the drive using Mac OS Extended, Journaled (the format.)
Your impression is correct.

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

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.

I have 1TB hard drive i cant drag or sent to it although i can view it on my desk top do i need to format the hard drive ? please advise

i have 1TB hard drive i cant drag or sent to it although i can view it on my desk top do i need to format the hard drive ? please advise

If the format is NTFS, which it likely is, then follow Ralph's advice, but youmay also want to partition it with GUID partition table.
In Disk Utility, select the drive, then Partiiton tab.
Choose 1-partition from the popup menu.
Click the Options button (it is only enabled if you change the partition layout, above).
Select GUID partition table.
Then, give the drive a Name and format of Mac OS Extended (Journaled).
If you wish to use the drive with Windows, use MSDOS or exFAT. MSDOS will limit files sizes to 2GB. Some think exFAT is flakey.

Help needed with java

Hello everyone
I'm a Student and new to java and I have been given a question which I have to go through. I have come across a problem with one of the questions and am stuck, so I was wondering if you guys could help me out.
here is my code so far:
A Class that maintains Information about a book
This might form part of a larger application such
as a library system, for example.
@author (your name)
*@version (a version number or a date)*
public class Book
// instance variables or fields
private String author;
private String title;
Set the author and title when the book object is constructed
public Book(String bookAuthor, String bookTitle)
author = bookAuthor;
title = bookTitle;
Return The name of the author.
public String getAuthor()
return author;
Return The name of the title.
public String getTitle()
return title;
and below are the questions that I need to complete. they just want me to add codes to my current one, but the problem is I don't know where to put them and how I should word them, if that makes sense.
Add a further instance variable/field pages to the Book class to store the number of pages in the book.
This should be of type int and should be set to 0 in the Constructor.
Add a second Constructor with signature
public Book(String bookAuthor, String bookTitle, int noPages) so it has a third parameter passed to it as well as the author and title;
this parameter is used - obviously?? - to initialise the number of pages.
Note: This is easiest done by making a copy of the existing Constructor and adding the parameter.
Add a getPages() accessor method that returns the number of pages in the book.
Add a method printDetails() to your Book class. This should print out the Author title and number of pages to the Terminal Window. It is your choice as to how the data is formatted, perhaps all on one line, perhaps on three, and with or without explanatory text. For instance you could print out in the format:
Title: Robinson Crusoe, Author: Daniel Defoe, Pages:226
Add a further instance variable/field refNumber() to your Book class. This stores the Library's reference number. It should be of type String and be initialised to the empty String "" in the constructor, as its initial value is not passed in as a parameter. Instead a public mutator method with the signature:
public void setRefNumber(String ref) should be created. The body of this method should assign the value of the method parameter ref to the refNumber.
Add a corresponding getRefNumber() accessor method to your class so you can check that the mutator works correctly
Modify your printDetails() method to include printing the reference number of the book.
However the method should print the reference number only if it has been set - that is the refNumber has a non-zero length.
If it has not been set, print "ZZZ" instead.
Hint Use a conditional statement whose test calls the length() method of the refNumber String and gives a result like:
Title: Jane Eyre, Author: Charlotte Bronte, Pages:226, RefNo: CB479 or, if the reference number is not set:
Title: Robinson Crusoe, Author: Daniel Defoe, Pages:347, RefNo: ZZZ
Modify your setRefNumber() method so that it sets the refNumber field only if the parameter is a string of at least three characters. If it is less than three, then print an error message (which must contain the word error) and leave the field unchanged
Add a further integer variable/field borrowed to the Book class, to keep a count of the number of times a book has been borrowed. It should (obviously??) be set to 0 in the constructor.
Add a mutator method borrow() to the class. This should increment (add 1 to) the value of borrowed each time it is called.
Include an accessor method getBorrowed() that returns the value of borrowed
Modify Print Details so that it includes the value of the borrowed field along with some explanatory text
PS. sorry it looks so messey

1. In the future, please use a more meaningful subject. "Help needed with java" contains no information. The very fact that you're posting here tells us you need help with Java. The point of the subject is to give the forum an idea of what kind of problem you're having, so that individuals can decide if they're interested and qualified to help.
2. You need to ask a specific question. If you have no idea where to start, then start here: [http://home.earthlink.net/~patricia_shanahan/beginner.html]
3. When you post code, use code tags. Copy the code from the original source in your editor (NOT from an earlier post here, where it will already have lost all formatting), paste it in here, highlight it, and click the CODE button.

Formatting an external drive for both 10.4 & windows?

I just installed windows xp on my macbook pro.
What is the safest/most reliable way to format an external drive so I can use it with both windows and 10.4?
Thanks in advance

'FAT32'
But it has file size limitations.
Better to partition the external drive with Mac Extended on one, and Windows on the other.

Help needed with formatting an external drive

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