How do I format and mount a hard drive?

I was successfully using Time Machine to back up my MacBook Pro to an iomega USB portable hard drive. I was doing it the low-tech way by simply plugging the HD into the USB port of my laptop and letting Time Machine run to its heart content. Then I decided to get smart, or dumb. I plugged the HD into a Netgear Router thinking I could use the wireless network to access the iomega for Time Machine backups. That didn't work as well as I expected so I tried to revert back to the old low tech system of plugging the HD into the USB port. Unfortunately, now the disk won't mount and all efforts using disk utility to verify and repair the disk have failed. How do I get back to where I was? Or, have I messed this up to the point where I shoud just buy a new HD at the Apple Store and start from scratch?

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.
The drive should now be properly partitioned and formatted for the Mac. You can now use it as you wish.
Note that you cannot us Time Machine to backup to an external drive connected to a router unless it's an 802.11ac AEBS model. Prior to that model Time Machine was not reliable when used to backup to a drive connected to the AEBS even though it seems to work. You could consider replacing the Netgear Router with a Time Capsule.

Similar Messages

How do I format a new external Hard drive for Mac?

Simple question I know for many of you out there but I could do with some advice as I have never done this before. I would like to buy a new external hard drive to store my music and photos on. I will get one with firewire and usb2 connectivity.Could someone walk me through the steps needed to format and prepare a hard drive for use with my Macbook (if it is not already Mac formatted). Will any brand of hard drive work with Mac or are some better than others?

In addition to what Templeto Peck said, make sure that you select the formating to be OSX Extended.
As far as the best esternal drive, type into the "Search Discussion" box: Best external hard drive. This will bring you to several previouslly posted threads that discuss quite thoroughly your question. The following is extracted from one thread:
The best drives are those that use the Oxford 911 chipset. I like the Mercury Elite Pro drives from OWC, but there are plenty of others that use the same chipset.

How do I backup and reformat my hard drive?

I have a gray loading bar during startup and it forces me to wait 5-10 minutes for my computer to start. This happens during every startup but does not happen when I start up using Windows 7 on my Bootcamp partition. I researched the problem and it told me to run Disk Utility. First, I verified and repaired the disk to see if that was the problem. Disk Utility fixed some errors, but the problem persisted. I verified disk and it said that my disk needed to be repaired. I booted up using my Mac OS X Snow Leopard disk and ran repair disk. It said that I should backup my data and reformat my disk. How do I do this? I've never done something like this before. I know that an external hard drive is required, so I'm prepared to order one. Additionally, how would I also backup my Bootcamp partition? I have researched that and found out about a program called WinClone that backups your partition somehow. I would appreciate it if someone could explain this to me as well. I have a Windows 7 partition. Lastly, how do you format an external FAT32 external hard drive into HFS+? And would you be able to use a HFS+ formatted hard drive on Windows 7 to store data? (Not necessarily backup)
Thanks!

Basic Backup
Get an external drive at least equal in size to the internal hard drive and make (and maintain) a bootable clone/backup. You can make a bootable clone using the Restore option of Disk Utility. You can also make and maintain clones with good backup software. My personal recommendations are (order is not significant):
Carbon Copy Cloner
Data Backup
Deja Vu
Silver Keeper
Retrospect
Super Flexible File Synchronizer
SuperDuper!
Synchronize Pro! X
Synk Pro
Synk Standard
Tri-Backup
Visit The XLab FAQs and read the FAQ on backup and restore. Also read How to Back Up and Restore Your Files.
Although you can buy a complete external drive system, you can also put one together if you are so inclined. It's relatively easy and only requires a Phillips head screwdriver (typically.) You can purchase hard drives separately. This gives you an opportunity to shop for the best prices on a hard drive of your choice. Reliable brands include Seagate, Hitachi, Western Digital, Toshiba, and Fujitsu. You can find reviews and benchmarks on many drives at Storage Review.
Enclosures for FireWire and USB are readily available. You can find only FireWire enclosures, only USB enclosures, and enclosures that feature multiple ports. I would stress getting enclosures that use the Oxford chipsets especially for Firewire drives (911, 921, 922, for example.) You can find enclosures at places such as;
Cool Drives
OWC
WiebeTech
Firewire Direct
California Drives
NewEgg
All you need do is remove a case cover, mount the hard drive in the enclosure and connect the cables, then re-attach the case cover. Usually the only tool required is a small or medium Phillips screwdriver.
Drive Preparation
1. 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 Utilities menu.
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. 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 (for Intel Macs) or APM (for PPC Macs) then click on the OK button. Click on the Partition 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 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.
When formatting has completed quit DU and return to the installer. Complete the OS X installation.

Format and clean off Hard Drive

Hi,
I want to totally clean off my HD on my G3, dual USB ibook. I want to format it (or whatever), so that anything that may be on there is gone. Once I do this, I want to re-load Tiger back on. Will everything work again or are there drivers, like with windows that I'll have to reload again?
My main question is:
How do I format and totally clean off the internal HD and how do I reload Tiger and make it a bare bones computer again? What is the best way of doing this and do I need other software to do this?

The only sure way to know that your data is unrecoverable is to remove the hard disk and destroy it.
Here is the link to Apple's Knowledge Base article on zeroing the hard drive using Tiger's Disk Utility:
http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?path=DiskUtility/10.5/en/duh1011.html
This should be good enough security for you unless you plan on turning it over to computer specialists who know how to do data recovery.
If you want to have the applications that came with the iBook back on it, you will need to use the Restore CDs that came with it before installing Tiger. Choose the appropriate link to the method of restoring you need from this article:
http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=61802
Once you have the iBook restored to its like-new condition, you can upgrade to Tiger and you will have all the original applications, too.
Good luck!

Need your guidance for format and mount the hard disk in linux

Hi All,
I presented 100GB in server (RHEL5.6) through SAN. Now I can able to see the hard disk,
Disk /dev/sda: 107.3 GB, 107374182400 bytes
255 heads, 63 sectors/track, 13054 cylinders
Units = cylinders of 16065 * 512 = 8225280 bytes
Disk /dev/sda doesn't contain a valid partition table
Disk /dev/sdb: 107.3 GB, 107374182400 bytes
255 heads, 63 sectors/track, 13054 cylinders
Units = cylinders of 16065 * 512 = 8225280 bytes
Disk /dev/sdb doesn't contain a valid partition table
Disk /dev/sdc: 107.3 GB, 107374182400 bytes
255 heads, 63 sectors/track, 13054 cylinders
Units = cylinders of 16065 * 512 = 8225280 bytes
Disk /dev/sdc doesn't contain a valid partition table
Disk /dev/sdd: 107.3 GB, 107374182400 bytes
255 heads, 63 sectors/track, 13054 cylinders
Units = cylinders of 16065 * 512 = 8225280 bytes
Disk /dev/sdd doesn't contain a valid partition table
Disk /dev/sde: 107.3 GB, 107374182400 bytes
255 heads, 63 sectors/track, 13054 cylinders
Units = cylinders of 16065 * 512 = 8225280 bytes
Disk /dev/sde doesn't contain a valid partition table
Disk /dev/sdf: 107.3 GB, 107374182400 bytes
255 heads, 63 sectors/track, 13054 cylinders
Units = cylinders of 16065 * 512 = 8225280 bytes
Disk /dev/sdf doesn't contain a valid partition table
Disk /dev/sdg: 107.3 GB, 107374182400 bytes
255 heads, 63 sectors/track, 13054 cylinders
Units = cylinders of 16065 * 512 = 8225280 bytes
Disk /dev/sdg doesn't contain a valid partition table
Now how to configure the multipath and how to use this allocated space.
Kindly guide me.
Thanks,
Muthu

Linux DM multipath determines whether or not discovered devices are individual devices or whether they are separate paths to one and the same device. This is accomplished by querying the device serial number. To install and configure multipath, please see the DM Multipath Guide available for your OS version installed: https://linux.oracle.com/documentation/.
If you need more help and examples, check the following thread: multipath -ll command doesn't give any output
I'm afraid no one can answer your question how to partition and mount your storage space without you giving any information about its purpose.

How to restore playlists and ratings after hard drive format

Several people have reported problems restoring paylists and ratings after reformating a hard drive. Here is what worked for me and what did not.
I had to reformat my hard drive. Before doing that I exported my playlists from itunes to another hard drive as an xml file. I also copied the folder with all my songs to another drive. (Also of course had it backed up on DVDs.)Then I copied the itunes library files (see url http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=93732) to anoher drive.
After reformating my hard drive and installing the lastest verion of ITunes, I copied the actual songs back into a subfolder in my music folder. I then told iTunes to import the subfolder with the actual music. That resulted in a restored library that lacked playlists and ratings.
Don't do this
I purchased Anapod ($30.00) because its web page said (http://www.redchairsoftware.com/anapod/):
"Anapod CopyGear is an easy-to-use, compact utility for copying music tracks, playlists, podcasts, photos, and videos from your iPod back to your PC."
Well, I did transfer 104 playlists back to my iTunes library through the Anapod backup function. However, the transfer also put more than 20 gigs of duplicate songs into the library. All of the songs listed in the playlists were duplicated in iTunes. I could find no way in Anapod to simply copy the ratings and the playlists. Anapod documentation was outdated. For example the online help pages said that playlists could not be backed up. This was confusing because I had just done that.
"In a future release we will be adding the ability to backup your iPod playlists. This will allow you to generate backup files of your iPod playlists on the computer. These files will not be usable on your computer though. They can only be used to restore playlists at a later time on your iPod (assuming it still carries all the audio files referred to in that playlist)." This text is from url http://www.redchairsoftware.com/anapod/support/tome/tx2pc.php#5.1.2
I sent requests to Anapod for help today, but they have not been answered yet. Docs truly did not seem to help. Would have been good if there was a pdf file rather than just an online help html file that seemed outdated.
This worked for me:
I ended up having iTunes wipe out the entire library because of all the dups Anapod made. (Made sure that iTunes only wiped out library and did not delete actual songs from hard drive. Then I had iTunes import my subfolder with songs again. That brought me back to where I was before wasting money and much time on Anapod.
After I had my iTunes library up (without ratings and playlists and after finding Anapod did not meet my needs.
1. I imported the xml file to which I had exported playlists before reformating hard drive. That gave me the playlists back although an error message said some items not copied because the music tracks listed in playlists were not in my iTunes library. --Possibly I deleted songs after playlists were downloaded some time ago to iPod. Importing the xml file is probably not necessary because of what I did below.
2. Quit iTunes
3. Because my song ratings were still missing, I then moved the iTunes library files made by the new version of iTunes into a different folder.
4. Then I put my old version 4 library files into the place where the library files should be.
5. Then I crossed my fingers and restarted iTunes. It took awhile to start and said it was updating my library files. Now I have back most or all of my playlists and ratings.
If problems develop, I will probably wipe out iTunes library and use Anapod to move everything from my iPod into a folder and tell iTunes to import that folder. That approach might avoid the dups that Anapod makes when restoring playlists to iTunes.
So my message is keep your actual songs backed up somewhere (such as DVD's and anotehr hard drive) and keep a duplicate copy of your library files somewhere not on your hard drive. With these items you should be able to restore iTunes library to its former status.
Sorry for the length of this message. Hope it helps someone.

The simple version of above:
iTunes Files to Backup (anytime you make additions or changes to the Music or Library that you want to retain)
1) All music files in their current folder structure (usually located in and under the ‘iTunes Music’ folder)
2) The Library database file: ‘iTunes Library.itl’ located in the ‘iTunes’ folder
3) The Library XML file: ‘iTunes Music Library.xml’ located in the ‘iTunes’ folder
4) Any XML playlist files created for Playlist retention
5) The two iTunes.pref files (optional)
-- C:\Documents and Settings\<your username>\Application Data\Apple Computer\iTunes\iTunes.pref
-- C:\Documents and Settings\<your username>\Local Settings\Application Data\Apple Computer Inc\iTunes.pref
6) The XML file of Ratings, Play Counts and Last Played attributes saved from the main Library and created by Otto’s SaveRatings script (also optional, but recommended):
“Download this: http://ottodestruct.com/itunes/SaveRatings.zip . It's a program, just run it like any other program. Run it on the machine where you're copying the info from BEFORE you move the files to the new machine. Click the "Save Ratings" button and it'll create a ratings.xml file. Now when you move the files, move the program and this file as well. Then after you make your new iTunes library, run it again and click the "Restore Ratings" button. Voila, all your information is back in the Library. Well, most of it anyway, it's not perfect. It'll tell you what songs it couldn't figure out though, and there's usually not very many.”

How do you format an NTSF external hard drive for use with Mountain Lion

I'm switching over to Mac from PC, and have an external NTSF formated hard drive I regularly use. I understand from the forum the initial file transfer should be no issue, but for ongoing use of the HD, does it need to be formated to something other than NTSF... and if so, to what and how.

Do this when you're ready:
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.

How do i format a USB attached Hard drive?

Hi
I want to use a Lacie USB hard drive I have for Time Machine backup. This HD has been used on Windows XP and has some data on it which I do not need to keep. How do I reformat the disk so it can be used as a clean empty disk for MAC Time Machine?
Thanks

Can't speak from experience as I don't use TM but I'd open Utilities and run Disk Utility. Open the Erase tab. That will give allow you to erase any attached drive. Make sure you choose the Mac Extended (Journaled) format. Finally, start TM and use the Set Up button to point to the drive you wish to use.

How do I format a stand alone hard drive for my imac

I have a Toshiba 2 gb hard drive that needs formating to the iMac, how do I do this.

Run Disk Utility, select the drive in the sidebar, and go to the Erase tab. Set the format to Mac OS X Extended (Journaled) if it doesn't default to that selection and click the Erase button.
Regards.

Can I format and use a Hard Drive for my mac if removed from a Desk Top PC

Hi All,
I wondered if you can help with some advise. I have a mackbook and love it, will never go back to pc. But, I have a desk top pc with a fairly sizable Hard Drive in it. Even though I also have a WD external Hard Drive for my macbook back up, would I be able to use my old desk top hard drive if I found a case for it to make it an 2nd external hard drive?
Would I be able to format it for use with my mac? Or is it the bin for all the hardware?
Thanking you in advance.
Matt

It'd work just fine. Apple uses pretty much the exact same parts every other computer maker does. The one exception is now they have a temp sensor cable connection built onto drives. Before they just stuck a little plastic clip on them at a specific spot. Other than that, it's no different from any other SATA drive you might buy at the likes of Best Buy or NewEgg. So as long as you partition the drive into a format readable by Mac OS X, there shouldn't be any problems.

How do you erase and reinstall a hard drive without a disc? I bought this mac book pro under a year ago and am pretty sure i downloaded mountain lion from the app store. Basically Im having startup issues and this is the final step Ive reached

when I start my laptop it loads a third of the way and shuts down automaticallyI've tried to safe boot, repairing discs and clearing RAM but nothing has worked. basically I've come to the final step of having to a erase my hard drive and reinstall mountain lion however Apple support suggest that I install from a disc however I installed mountain lion from the App Store. can anyone help me go about this?

Install or Reinstall Lion/Mountain Lion from Scratch
Be sure you backup your files to an external drive or second internal drive because the following procedure will remove everything from the hard drive.
Boot to the Recovery HD:
Restart the computer and after the chime press and hold down the COMMAND and R keys until the menu screen appears. Alternatively, restart the computer and after the chime press and hold down the OPTION key until the boot manager screen appears. Select the Recovery HD and click on the downward pointing arrow button.
Erase the hard drive:
1. Select Disk Utility from the main menu and click on the Continue button.
2. After DU loads select your startup volume (usually Macintosh HD) from the
      left side list. Click on the Erase tab in the DU main window.
3. Set the format type to Mac OS Extended (Journaled.) Optionally, click on
        the Security button and set the Zero Data option to one-pass. Click on
      the Erase button and wait until the process has completed.
4. Quit DU and return to the main menu.
Reinstall Lion: Select Reinstall Lion/Mountain Lion and click on the Install button.
Note: You will need an active Internet connection. I suggest using Ethernet if possible
            because it is three times faster than wireless.

How do I format an old Windows hard drive for my 13in MacBook Pro?

My hard drive died and I am trying to replace it with my friend's old Windows hard drive. For some reason, the drive is not being recognized by my Mac, even though it is operational on his computer. Do I need to reformat it? If so, how?
Thanks!

launch Disk Utility.
erase with Option GUID partition Map.
[If re-purposing a drive, I always prefer to Security Erase, Write Zeroes, one pass. This takes several hours to complete, but if it completes without error, assures that the drive has 100 percent good blocks.]
create a Mac OS X Extended (jounaled) partition with a snappy name or the typical "Macintosh HD".
You need about 30GB to install and run Mac OS X 10.6.8, possibly a little more for later versions.

Solaris 10, Format and Mount 300GB and 36GB hard disk.

Hi,
I have some help to Install Solaris on x86, format and mount 300GB and 36GB hard disk.
I tried to install Sun Solaris 10 and FAILED to format.
I have an Intel�� Xeon�� Processor and a 300GB and 36GB hard disk.
I appreciate all the help!!!!!
-John

Hi Jon,
I saw something similar on SPARC when people used s2 (entire disk on non EFI disks) as ASM devices. The workaround we use is to create a new partition, and start it at cylinder 1. This protects the disk label from being overwritten by ASM.
mel

How do I download videos in different formats from an external hard drive?

How do I download videos in MPEG and other formats from an external hard drive to a MacBook?

If the external hard drive is the source, then "download" is a confusing term. To "download", refers to the action of transfering by internet protocol from the internet to a device.
To "copy" those files, it is simply a matter of plugging in the external hard drive via the USB cable provided with that drive to a corresponding port on your Air. The drive should automatically mount, and either be visible by an icon on your desktop, or in a Finder window.
You simply click on the icon, or do similarly within a finder widow to examine the contents of the drive. You would open an additional Finder window and naviagte to your desired flder destination.
Then, simply "drag and drop" the files you wish to copy from the source (the external hard drive), to the destination fold on your Air.

I have an alias of one of my external hard drives in my trash. When I click on "show original" all my external H D 's and my Mac hard drive show up. How do I delete this icon from the trash without loosing all my files?

I have an alias of one of my external hard drives in my trash. When I tried to delete it, it showed that I was deleting 80,000 files and counting. I stopped the delete process and when I clicked on "show original" all my external H.D.'s and my Mac hard drive show up. How do I delete this alias from the trash without loosing all my files? When I tried to drag it back to the desk top, it just made a duplicate and remained in the trash. When I turned off the external H.D., the trash was then empty. Tried rebooting the computer and then turning the external hard drive back on and the alias shows up in the trash again. Much help appreciated.
Rich

In Finder's Menu, select Go menu>Go to Folder, and go to "/volumes". (no quotes)
Volumes is where an alias to your hard drive ("/" at boot) is placed at startup, and where all the "mount points" for auxiliary drives are created for you to access them. This folder is normally hidden from view.
Drives with an extra 1 on the end have a side-effect of mounting a drive with the same name as the system already think exists. Try trashing the duplicates with a 1 or 2 if there are no real files in them, and reboot.
If it does contain data...
http://support.apple.com/kb/TS2474

How do I format and mount a hard drive?

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