How do I use my new External Hard Drive on my Macbook?!?

I recently bought an external hard drive for my PC/Macbooks and have run into a little problem. To make a long story short, I reformatted the external hard drive in Window's XP (NFIT Format, not FAT) because that's the only way it would recognize the drive. After doing so, i tried hooking up the drive to my macbook. The macbook recognizes it, however, it won't allow me to modify the drive at all (add or remove files to/from the macbook). Does anybody know how I can use the harddrive on my macbook?!?! Any help is appreciated.

You need to use FAT or install this driver on the MacBook.
(41717)

Similar Messages

  • How do I a setup an external hard drive on my Macbook Pro?

    How do I a setup an external hard drive on my Macbook Pro to my primary hard drive for my iTunes library?
    I ask this because every time I try to do this it my Mac book pro always wants to use the external hard drive I plug in as a time machine back up rather than my primary hard drive. I figured it would be cheaper and more efficient to use an external hard drive rather than have apple charge me an arm and a leg to replace and upgrade my current hard drive in my Mac book pro.

    I responded to this in your duplicate posting at: http://discussions.apple.com/thread.jspa?threadID=2690347
    I recommend giving a first post a chance before posting a second time, especially since it may result in a lot of duplication in effort from the people volunteering their time here.

  • Can this device be used as an external hard drive with a macbook pro laptop to use files on the airport?

    can this device be used as an external hard drive with a macbook pro laptop and use files on the airport time capsule?

    If you mean an AirPort base station other than the Time Capsule, it doesn't have internal storage.
    If you mean a Time Capsule, its internal drive can be used for regular file storage but shouldn't be; as with all drives, it'll eventually fail. You're better off using a standalone drive and setting Time Machine to back it up as well.
    (112309)

  • 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 use a seagate external hard drive with airport extreme?

    I have a 1tb Seagate external hard drive and I connected it to the USB port at the back of my Airport Extreme. I opened Airport Utility and am now lost. How do I access the hard drive?
    (I have a Macbook Pro running os x version 10.8.2)

    The external hard drive must be formatted either in Apple's HFS+ or in Microsofts FAT32 in order for it to be recognized. You can format the drive by connecting it to your Mac and bringing up "Disk Utility".

  • How to set up a Toshiba external hard drive on my Macbook Pro?

    Hi there,
    I just bought a Toshiba external hard drive that says on the package it is compatible with Macs. I plugged it in, installed the Pogoplug PC for Mac (no idea what this is) and Tuxera NTFS for Mac (it was in the "Mac Driver" folder). Now what? Is my data now automatically going onto the hard drive? Do I need to install anything else? This seems too easy! What am I missing here?
    Thanks!

    New hard drives out of box should be formatted for your Mac
    go to DISK UTILITY and verify what it says your HD is formatted as under the "ERASE" tab
    HFS+ above is the "mac format"
    Format (erase) it in "mac osx Extended journaled"
    AFTER THIS YOU CAN DRAG AND DROP FILES AS YOU LIKE 
    To show HD on desktop
    go into FINDER at top then PREFERENCES  then GENERAL tab
    then check "hard disks" and "external disks"
    There is no such thing as a MAC or PC hard drive,.....they can all be formatted as you wish for either PC or Mac (or both)
    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.

  • Can I use a Usb external hard drive on my macbook pro?

    I have a new macbook pro and have tried to connect my usb external hard drive , it shows up on the home screen and i can view and read only i cannot save anything into the external hard drive can anyone help.

    Yes. You have to prep it for your Mac. Currently it's setup for Windows.
    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 boot from an external hard drive if my MacBook Pro only recognizes the internal drive?

    Hi there, I recently got the white screen of death (w/ circle slash) on my 13" 2009 MacBook Pro. Most people are saying that it is hard drive failure, so I am trying to boot it from an external hard drive to save some of my data before having it repaired. Unfortunately, every time I press "option" while it boots, it only shows the internal drive on the grey screen. I have my external drive connected, but it won't recognize it. What should I do?
    Thanks!

    Welcome to the Apple Support Communities
    You can only start from an external drive if OS X is installed there. If not, it won't appear as a bootable volume because there isn't any operating system inside it.
    As you have a Mid 2009 MacBook Pro, it's better to start from the Mac OS X disc that came with your Mac. Insert it and hold the C key while your Mac is starting. After starting, go to Utilities menu > Disk Utility, select "Macintosh HD" in the sidebar and repair it. If you can't get it repaired, take the computer to an Apple Store.
    If the hard drive can't be repaired, the only option to recover your files is to use an application as DiskWarrior, but it's expensive and it's not sure that it will work, because it may fail

  • HT201250 Do you need to use a new external hard drive or an erased one to back up once you upgrade to OSX Lion?  My time capsule fails ever since I upgraded the new program to my old mac.

    I have not been able to back up in Time capsule since I upgraded my mac to MAC OSX Lion 10.7.5.
    Do I need a new external drive or an erased drive to get it to work with the lion software?

    Either new or an erased drive is fine, as long as it is formated Mac OS Extended (Journaled).
    By the way: I find that Carbon Copy Cloner is a much simpler and efficient "clone"(backup) solution, especially if you're using an external drive.
    http://www.bombich.com/

  • I have been storing my Aperture and IMovie Libraries on an external hard drive that recently died.  Fortunately I've been using Time Machine to back up to a 2nd external drive.  How do I restore my libraries to a new external hard drive?

    I have been storing my Aperture and IMovie Libraries on an external hard drive that recently died.  Fortunately I've been using Time Machine to back up to a 2nd external drive.  How do I restore my libraries to a new external hard drive?

    This is a tricky one.
    Open up Time Machine and go back to a date using the timeline on the right side of the window when you know the drive was working and was backing up as part of Time Machine backups.
    Click on the name of your Mac under the Devices heading on the left side of the window in Time Machine, and if things are working correctly you will see Macintosh HD (or whatever you have named it) and the name of the external hard drive that was backing up in the past.
    Right-Click on the name of the external hard drive and then click on "Restore (name of drive) to....."  You may be asked for your adminstrator password at this point.
    It might be easier to restore the drive contents to your desktop if you have room on your Mac, and then copy things over to the new external drive where you want to store the Aperture and iMovie Libraries.
    Once the libraries have been moved over the new external hard drive, you will likely need to "point" Aperture and iMovie to the location of the libraries on the new external hard drive.

  • I have a new mini mac and i want to use my existing external hard drive but it needs to be reformated how do i do this without loosing all my old photos?

    i have a new mini mac and i want to use my existing external hard drive but it needs to be reformated how do i do this without loosing all my old photos?

    Formatting will erase the drive.
    You need to copy the photo's to either your old computer, the Mac Mini or to a new external drive and then decide what to do with your existing external drive.
    For example: You could use one External drive for Photo's and one external drive for Time Machine to backup both your Mac Mini and the Photo drive.

  • How to run itunes off an external hard drive using the new itunes

    I have windows 8.  I installed the new itunes and I want to know how to run itunes off an external hard drive. 
    thank you for your help.

    Same way as before, hold down shift as you start iTunes, Choose or Create a library.
    tt2

  • I move all photos to a new external hard drive.  Now all folders have a question mark in them.  How do I find ALL PHOTOS at one time instead of having to find each picture. I have about 30,000 photos. Using  Mac. LR5

    I have set up a new external hard drive and Im trying redirect LR to the new hard drive. I have over 30,000 photos and Im trying to see to see if there is a way to all photos located without having to go thru each folder at a time

    http://www.computer-darkroom.com/lr2_find_folder/find-folder.htm
    See Figure 4

  • I bought a new external hard drive for backups, but time machine won't do a full back up.  I think it is remembering backing up onto previous external hard drives, which I don't own anymore.  How do I do a new full backup?

    I bought a new external hard drive for backups, but time machine won't do a full back up. 
    I think it is remembering backing up onto previous external hard drives, which I don't own anymore.  How do I do a new full backup?
    When I bought the new (used) iMac, I also bought an external hard drive for backups.  It worked fine, but my husband stole it.
    Then I bought a new external hard drive (Seagate) and it worked fine for three weeks, then died.
    So I just got a new external hard drive, which was put together from an internal hard drive and a hard drive enclosure. 
    Time machine did the first backup today, and it should have taken 9 hours like it did on the previous first time full back up.  Instead, it took 30 minutes.  That can't be right.  I want to start over and do a full backup to make sure everything gets onto my new external hard drive, but I can't figure out how to do that.  Please help.

    Triple-click anywhere in the line below to select it:
    tmutil compare -E
    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).
    The command will take at least a few minutes to run. Eventually some lines of output will appear below what you entered.
    Each line that begins with a plus sign (“+”) represents a file that has been added to the source volume since the last snapshot was taken. These files have not been backed up yet.
    Each line that begins with an exclamation point (“!”) represents a file that has changed on the source volume. These files have been backed up, but not in their present state.
    Each line that begins with a minus sign (“-“) represents a file that has been removed from the source volume.
    At the end of the output, you’ll get some lines like the following:
    Added:
    Removed:
    Changed:
    These lines show the total amount of data added, removed, or changed on the source(s) since the last snapshot.

  • How do I transfer an existing Aperture library to a new external hard drive

    I have a new external hard drive where I want to store my pictures to free up room on my iMac
    How do I take an existing Aperture library and move it to the external hard drive so that Aperature can find and use it?  Once it is moved can I delete the library from my iMac without causing problems with my new hard drive library?
    thanks

    Hello Barty,
    is your library referenced or managed?
    If your Aperture Library is managed, then you can simply copy it to your new external drive using the Finder. Make a backup of your old library and convince yourself that the backup is working.
    If your library is referenced, then use Aperture to relocate your master image files to the external drive (select all images, then File -> Relocate Master), then copy your Library to the external drive using the Finder.
    To point Aperture to the new library location, double click the new Aperture Library to open Aperture with it. Test it thoroughly, before you delete the original library.
    You might consider only to relocate the master images to your external drive and to leave the then much smaller Aperure Library on your system drive. That way Aperture will work faster, and you will be able to browse and share your images, even when our external drive is not connected.
    Regards
    Léonie

Maybe you are looking for