How to format external harddrive for mac use!

Should I use My new external hard drive right out of the box for back-ups, or re-format it? Its a 1 (TB) drive?

Unless the drive is specifically intended for usage with Macs, use the Disk Utility in the /Applications/Utilities/ folder to reformat it as Mac OS Extended (Journaled). If you’ll be using it with Time Machine, Time Machine will do that itself if needed.
(117075)

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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

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 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

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.

WD External Harddrive for Mac

I just bought a WD mac external harddrive.
I have a pc desktop.
I just got a macbook pro.
I want to move my files from the pc to the external harddrive, and be able to access them from the macbook.
will i be able to easily do this?
also, can I have an itunes library saved on the harddrive and be able to listen on the macbook and sync from the macbook?

There are two ways to do this ...
1 - format the external drive as FAT32. Then it can be used on both your PC and Mac. The only limitation will be that the maximum file size on a FAT32 drive is 4GB. That will be a problem if you are saving video files, as they are often larger than 4GB.
2 - format the external drive as +Mac OS Extended+ and install MacDrive on your PC. You will then be able to use the drive on both your PC and your Mac, no file size limit.
Regarding your iTunes library, yes you can move it to your external drive and use it from there. Just keep in mind that if the drive is FAT32 then you are facing a 4GB file size limit. And, of course if you disconnect your drive the iTunes library will not be available on your laptop

External harddrive for Mac G5

Hi
I would like to get an external firewire harddrive for my mac G5 any sugestions out there.
Kindest Regards
Joe

This reply may not be very popular, but here goes...
I usually watch the Sunday paper for circulars from places like CompUSA, Staples, Office Max, ect. If you look at the sale section, you can normally find Firewire external cases. I have built five of these and the cost has been minimal. The nicest cases, in my opinion, are two Acom Data cases I found at CompUSA for $29.99. They came with Firewire (400) cables too! In these two cases, I mounted a Maxtor Diamondmax 10 300GB drive and a Maxtor Diamondmax 9 200GB drive. So, with these two drives I have almost 500GB of storage. I believe I paid $79.99 (after instant savings and mail-in rebates) for the 300GB drive (at Staples, I believe). So, for $110 I have a 300GB external Firewire drive. The drive is fast and I can boot my machine from it.
My daughter needed a drive for her iMac about 6 months ago. I bought a 40GB Maxtor mechanism for $20 on eBay. I found a Firewird case for $20, also on eBay. I think it cost me less than $5 to ship each item to me. So, for less than $50, she has a 40GB external Firewird drive.
Just last week, my son needed a new drive. Office Depot had a special in their circular on a 100GB Maxtor Diamondmax 10 drive. After all of the rebates, the drive mechanism's cost is $19.95. I found an old Firewire case in the garage and now he has a 100GB external Firewire drive.
If you don't forsee the need to boot from the drive, you could buy a case that only has a USB 2.0 interface. These are actually more readibly available and usually less expensive.
I don't know why more people don't put their own drives together. It's really easy and saves lots of money.

Is there is common format for an external harddrive for Mac and a PC?

I'm planning to have some 8mm film digitized, and would like the result to go on an external drive that could be used on both a PC and a Mac.
I think that FAT 32 would work, but that it has a file size limitation that might be a problem with video files.
My questions are:
First, is there a way of formatting an external hard drive which that it would work both both a Mac and a PC for transferring/working with video files?
And two, what codex should the film to video be saved in, to work with iMovie?
And three, does it matter now is the hard drive is USB, or must it be FW?
Thanks,
Hal

First, is there a way of formatting an external hard drive which that it would work both both a Mac and a PC for transferring/working with video files?
FAT32, unless the drive needs to contain files which are 4GB or larger, in which case, no.
And two, what codex should the film to video be saved in, to work with iMovie?
DV.
And three, does it matter now is the hard drive is USB, or must it be FW?
It doesn't matter.
(55447)

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 external drive to MAC OS Extended w/ MBR scheme?

Hello all,
I have a Maxtor 1TB drive that I would like to format to MAC OS Extended (Journaled) but also using a Master Boot Record partition map scheme.
Every time I try using the Disk Utility, I get a partition error. It will only let me partition using a GUID scheme, however the XBox360 that I also connect my drive to requires a MBR scheme.
I have another another Maxtor drive formatted in this manor, so I can't quite understand why I keep receiving this error!
Any help would be much appreciated. Thanks
Message was edited by: Gio_vanni

Not doable. AFAIK, your choices are APM, GPT, and MBR. Additionally, HFS+ isn't available for windoze's MBR; only MS-DOS or FAT-32.

How to conversion .wmf files for Mac use?

We have Broderbund's ClickArt package from the days when the user used Windows. Now, on the Mac, the .wmf files won't open in Preview, Pages, etc. (We don't have MS Office.) How can we either use these .wmf files with Mac or find a good conversion program?
Thanks in advance

Wow! How brilliant!
I never would have thought of searching the Internet for an answer before asking people what worked for them.
Your answer is useless.
I can and did google my question before posting.
I am looking for people with experience which isn't included in the results of a google search.
I see you post non-answers all the time. It would be nice if your answers were helpful. In other forums, you are a Troll.
Please don't try to "help" me if I post questions again.

I have an external hardrive for MAC, I needed to save something from my work computer so I can pass it on to my MAC, it requiered me to re-format my external HD and now when I connected to my MAC I only have "read only rights". How do I fix it?

I have an external hardrive for MAC, I needed to save something from my work computer so I can pass it on to my MAC, it requiered me to re-format my external HD and now when I connected to my MAC I only have "read only rights". How do I fix it? I run my Itnues from this external and now my library is gone. Luckily I have it saved somewhere else, which is not a problem, but I won't be able to write to this HD for right now. I can't see an option to give those permission back.

cptjuanjvarona wrote:
I have an external hardrive for MAC, I needed to save something from my work computer so I can pass it on to my MAC, it requiered me to re-format my external HD and now when I connected to my MAC I only have "read only rights". How do I fix it?...
Unless what you have to transfer is enormous, skip the external HD altogether and use a USB flash drive; you can get them with capacities to 128GB. Format the flash drive as FAT32 or ExFAT as LowLuster suggests so it can be read and written to on both PC's and your Mac.

How do I format a WD 4TB Red HD for mac using ML?

I bought a 4TB WD Red internal drive and placed it into a OWC enclosure with firewire 800 ports to use as storage for my 2011 Macbook Pro. I've read about and tried various ways to format the drive for Mac. WD and Apple online support/forum pages tell me to partition the drive as 1 using Apple Partition Map. Doing that, I was able to format the drive...it seemed until I tried to copy files. It only allowed me to copy certain files. For instance, it wouldn't allow me to copy over any .wav files. So basically, I am asking how can I reformat the drive properly? WD page states that if an error occurs its not the drive but the operating system. They suggest turning off wi-fi, security, etc. to prevent the error. But it just isn't working. Anybody formatted a 4TB WD RED as an external for/with Mountain Lion? I think the idea of creating a cheaper super reliable external drive myself was naive, maybe...

Information.
Disk Utility - Format, Erase, or Reformat a Drive

Should I necessarily use an external hard "for mac" to get a backup from my macbook?

I want to get a backup from my macbook pro using the time machine. Should I necessarily use an external hard "for mac" to get a backup from my macbook? Because I have an external hard, but its not for mac. Is there any way I can use this one?

You can use the external drive you want with your Mac. However, the "for Mac" external drives come prepared to connect them and start using them, and probably you will have to do some additional steps with your external drive.
First, you will have to format the external drive with "Mac OS Extended (Journaled)", the only filesystem compatible with OS X. If you have got files on the external drive, you have to copy them to your Mac before erasing the drive. Then, follow these steps to format the external drive with "Mac OS Extended (Journaled)" > http://pondini.org/TM/5.html
Then, to use Time Machine, open System Preferences > Time Machine > Select Disk, and choose your external drive, so your Mac will start making backups to your external drive

Can I back up my photos on my iphone directly to an external harddrive for safekeeping?My Mac laptop is full.

can I back up my photos on my iphone directly to an external harddrive for safekeeping?My iPhone is full and my Mac laptop is full. What is the best solution besides buying a new laptop?

Not "directly" but you can use the MacBook to send the backup to the external HD.
iTunes > preverences > advanced
Use the function buttons to change the location of the Media Folder Location.

How to format external harddrive for mac use!

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