How to format external hdd

i have purchased Toshiba CANVIO Basics 500GB external HDD.
Please help to format this enabling to use with my mac book

o to DISK UTILITY
Format (erase) it in "mac osx Extended journaled"
see from mine below, HD on left selected, .......ERASE tab highlighted.... and middle right roughly, it says "MAC OSX EXTENDED JOURNALED"
thats the format, but yours may be different of course
bottom right ERASE tab lets you erase/ FORMAT your external as you like (remember this erases all data ON THE HD!)
highlighted in RED Erase.......format (middle) ...........erase ACTION to Erase/Format (bottom)
After that:
To show HD on desktop
go into FINDER at top then PREFERENCES then GENERAL tab
then check "hard disks" and "external disks"

Similar Messages

Itunes library is on a mac formatted external hdd: can windows recognize it

subject pretty much says it all. can windows recognize my mac formatted external hdd? i know when i had my ipod formatted to windows, the mac recognized it, but will the mac formatted drive allow windows to see it, play the music, and possibly move it to my ipod?
thanks!!!

Default, Windows will not recognize Mac formatted disks.
A number of applications can enable Windows to read them.
Take a look at this page: http://www.macwindows.com/disks2.html
I don't have experience with any of the apps. mentioned on that page, so I can't tell you how they perform.
Maybe posting in the iTunes for Windows forum will result in specific information.
M

I had formatted external HDD as Mac OS Extended(journaled) earlier, but now i want to format the same as ExFAT so that i can copy files between PC and MAC. But it is giving 'Can't unmount' error while i try to run Erase

I had formatted external HDD as Mac OS Extended(journaled) earlier, but now i want to format the same as ExFAT so that i can copy files between PC and MAC. But it is giving 'Can't unmount' error while i try to run Erase

Use the PC to reformat the drive.

How to unmount external HDD automatically on USB 3.0 port ?

Hi All,
Could anybody help me? I use my MBP on battery power usually and have an external HDD. I gave 10 min. to go sleep. Sometimes I have to leave alone my mac e.g. for a long call or manage something. When I come back my machine is sleeping... after wake up I got an alert about unmounting, should formatting external HDD, because can't read it so on... Is any possibility (automator setting?) to unmount automatically before go sleep? I've read the community's discussion but haven't found a real solution. I think it is not lifelike to look at it very attentively during you do 1000 other things and if the unmounting is so important for OS. I trust there is a simple solution maybe you know it.
Thanks,
Zack

From my point of few its not HDD problem because the HDD works in connection with USB 2.0 port.
Im wondering if you already tried to update the USB 3.0 driver.
Did you try this HDD in connection with another computers / USB 3.0 ports?
I think its worth a check.
Furthermore I read about some USB 3.0 controller problems from different manufacturers.
Sometimes it could be possible that some compatibility problems between different devices may arise.

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

Don't know how to format external hard drive

dont know how to format my new external hard drive can anyboby help me not very good with computers thanx

http://osxdaily.com/2012/01/04/format-an-external-hard-drive-or-usb-flash-drive- for-mac-os-x/
http://reviews.cnet.com/8301-13727_7-57600320-263/using-external-drives-to-save- space-on-your-mac-format-them-first/
http://pondini.org/OSX/DU1.html

Formatting external hdd for PS3 and final cut.

I recently purchased a 1TB external hdd. I would like to partition this drive so I have 320gb to back up my PS3 and the rest to use to store my Final Cut express projects.
Does anyone know if this is possible? I know the PS3 only reads FAT32 and I am wondering if it will be able to pick up my external hard drive if part of it is not formatted FAT32.

Oskar,
This is the Final Cut Express Forum, not a PS3 forum. There's no reason to expect anyone in this forum to be able to answer questions about PlayStations. Tom was quite reasonable suggesting that you search elsewhere.

Formatting External HDD to FAT32

Hi,
I've got a La Cie 500GB external HDD that I want to format from NTSF to FAT32 so that I can read/write from OSX.
From Windows, I know that u can't format greater than 32GB to FAT32.
what is the best way to go about this?
is there anyway to do this from OSX?
I noticed a MS-DOS format option in the disk utility.
what does that do?
cheers

The information you want is provided in LaCie's own site.In case the link doesn't end up as I see it, here's what I did: From their Home page I chose Support > Technical Support > FAQ and completed the fields as FireWire Hard Drive > Mac OS > MS-DOS. Maybe you'll find more by specifically choosing your model.
http://www.lacie.com/support/faq/index.htm

How to reformat external HDD?

Hi,
I'm using a 1TB Hitachi external HDD. It has been working fine for a long time, but somehow it doesn't mount anymore. I opened Disk Utility and tried to repair it, but that didn't work. It showed me this message:
Error: Disk Utility can’t repair this disk. Back up as many of your files as possible, reformat the disk, and restore your backed-up files.
How do I back up the files on a disk I can't open and how do I reformat it?
Regards,
Chris Wijland

One of the misconceptions that circulate on ASC is the idea that a journaled HFS volume can be corrupted by a forced unmount, as for example in a system crash or a power failure. That idea is false.
With filesystem journaling, when the volume is remounted after a forced unmount, the directory is automatically repaired, and files are restored to their previous state, using redundant information (the journal) stored on the drive. This is very well established technology, and for all practical purposes, it always works—unless the journal itself is corrupt due to a hardware failure in the drive or elsewhere in the data path. So if the directory of a journaled volume is found to be corrupt, the storage device hosting the volume has thrown at least one unrecoverable hardware error.
People who don't understand journaling will tell you to repair the corrupt volume with Disk Utility (if possible), or with Disk Warrior otherwise, and then go on using the drive as if everything is fine. That might have been good advice years ago, before the introduction of HFS journaling, when it was common for volumes to be corrupted as the result of forced unmounting. Today, because forced unmounts no longer cause that kind of corruption, it's relatively rare—or should be—and when it does happen, the implications are different.
My opinion is that when a drive throws such a severe error that a volume directory not only can't be restored by journal replay, but also can't be repaired by Disk Utility, that drive should no longer be trusted with data. It should be taken to a recycling center.
Deric Horn, the head of filesystem engineering at Apple, gave a presentation at WWDC 2012 in which he stated, with regard to journaled HFS (starting at offset 3:18 in the recording):
The journal means that you can pull power at any time, and your filesystem is still intact. There shouldn't be any data corruption or any volume corruption on that disk.
You can hear the presentation by registering for a free developer account with Apple and going to this page. (Eventually the link will break; if that's already happened, you'll just have to take my word for it.) Look for "What's New In The Filesystem" near the bottom.
If a poster on this site knows more about HFS than the Apple software engineer in charge of it, then the latter should be fired, and the former should get his job. Until that happens, I suggest you believe what Horn says.

How to format external HD and install software on it? Help, please?

When install programs on my Mac there is only one option for installation - on the internal HD, the other drive plugged in the computer appear with exclamation mark - ie they are not available for installing anything on them.
I want to be able to install some small programs , or a web browsers on external drive , just to see how they works, etc.
How to format an external HD or USB flash drive (if its size is enough)
so it is possible for install a program on it instead on the internal hard drive?
Thanks to all!
Ema

That's the theory. Note that you'll wipe the external drive in the process, so if there's anything you want on it, get it copied elsewhere first. It’s always wise to back up any important stuff on your MacBook of course before doing anything like this (but not to the drive you’re about to use!)
With the drive connected, open Disk Utility, highlight the external drive in the sidebar (that's the drive itself, usually listed by the manufacturer's name and the size of the drive). Select 'partition' in the tab bar, ensure the drop-down on the right is set to 'Mac OS Extended (journaled)', give the partition a name in the box above that (like 'ext HD' or whatever). Click on the 'options' button below the diagram and select 'GUID Partition Table' (very important - it won't boot SL with any other setting). then click the 'apply' button.
Once that's done, close DU and insert the 10.6 install DVD in the MacBook (or whatever the Mac is). After the licence agreement there’ll be a picture of Macintosh HD, but underneath should be a button saying ‘show all disks’. click that and select the external drive, then click install and follow the instructions.
Note that if you do this with the grey install disk that came with the computer, you will only be able to boot that computer with it, as it’s model specific. If the install DVD is a black retail one, it should theoreticaly boot any Mac (but note the licence conditions).
Once the install is complete, boot from the external HD by either selecting it under ‘startup disk’ in Sys Prefs, or by holding down the alt key during restart and selecting the drive from that screen. You can then install any progs you want and try them out from there. (don’t forget to reset the startup disk when you want to reboot from the MacBook).
If you don’t have a DVD, or you want a duplicate of your existing system, go with the clone idea, using CCC (not because it’s better than SuperDuper, but because it’s free if you don’t mind putting up with a few ads while it’s working!)
Hope that does the trick for you.

Format external HDD for Macbook & Laptop

Apologies if this is not the best community for this query. Wasn't quite sure where to put this one.
I have a Western Digital Elements SE 1TB external HDD which I have been using to manually back-up files (mainly music, photos and documents) from a Dell Studio laptop running Windows Vista.
I now have a MacBook Pro and I would like to continue using my external HDD to back-up files from this too.
Can anyone tell me if there is a way to format my external HDD so that I can back-up files from both and also transfer files between the two?
If so, are there any risks associated with this?
Many thanks.

sure no problem asking questions, thats the whole point of a forum.
NTFS is older Microsoft file system (I still use it for Windows 7 so it's not OLD old) it's built for Windows specific security and therefore not mac friendly out of the box. There are 3rd party NTFS readers/writers, but unless are networking to a Windows host you don't get any advantage to NTFS on Mac. My Windows PC and Mac(s) will transfer files to one another from NTFS (on Windows) to Journaled (on Mac) and from Journaled to NTFS without incident as long as I have credentials to log into either machine from the other. On a network it doesn't matter what format I use (no special software needed), but connected directly to a computer those formats suddenly will (NTFS reader/writer software needed for Mac or Journaled reader/writer software for PC).
FAT32 is from back-in-the-DOS-day (File Allocation Table 32 bit) that has a few restrictions:
https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/kb/314463
Use FAT32 for flash drives and you will be Mac/Win/Unix cross compatible (all restrictions still apply) but I would not day-to-day use it on my "OS" drive.
If you're going to use the system on Macs and exclusively macs I would go with Mac OS Extended (Journaled). If you need to share with Windows later (connect the drive with a USB cable to your Windows box) there are 3rd party packages to allow you to read Journaled drives but for the cost it would possibly make sense buying the adapter for the network and turning it into a NAS or hosting on the Mac and let the PC log into the mac.

Formatting external HDD for both OSX Lion and Windows 7

Heys guys,
Tomorrow I will have my first Apple computer delivered after using Windows for many years. What my question is, is that what would I need to format my Western Digital Elements external HDD to in order for me to use it on both my iMac and Windows computers.
Now at Uni I have access to both Microsoft based and Apple based computers but in this first semester we will be using the Microsoft more than the Macs. I want to be able to open and edit Microsoft word files, Adobe Suite files, and other files such as MP3 on both machines no matter where I am.
I have Google searched this but failed to find what I actually want.
In advance I thank you for your replies!

Assuming you'll be plugging it into all the computers directly, FAT32 or ExFAT.
If you'll be using it as a network share, any format writable by the computer it'll be connected directly to.
(60901)

How to format the HDD on my iMac before restoring it from Time Machine.

I need to re-format my HDD to enable enlarging the BOOTCAMP partition.
I had BOOTCAMP installed since day one and needed to enlarge that partition. As it was the only partition on the drive I had to delete it as increasing the size was not possible.
Having done that, the HDD showed it had less capacity available. I could not use the vacated space from BOOTCAMP.
I now need to reformat the HDD, restore all the "Apple" data and make a larger partition for BOOTCAMP.
I can not find the procedure to do this.
Anyone who is familiar with this procedure?
Thanks,
Kommer

Before you do anything: remember
- that formatting your startdisk can not be done from that disk itself, you can do it from the Restore Partition (if you have lion or higher).
- that the bootcamp partition should be deleted with the Bootcamp Assistant !!
- that when everything Mac is/was OK, you can make a new Bootcamp partition after the original Bootcamp Partition is gone, you do not necessarily reformat the start disk and no need to create partitions: Bootcamp Assistant does that for you !!

Format external hdd

I have been given 2 external usb hdd by my father, they where being used on a windows laptop.
How do I format them to work with my iMac and eventually with my TM?
Thank you.
Michael.

Connect them to your iMac. Open Disk Utility (in /Applications/Utilities) The dives will appear in the list on the left hand side of Disk Utility.
Select the disk then
Select the Partition tab.
Set the format to Mac OS Extended and press Apply.
NOTE any data on the disk will be erased so if there is anything you want copy it off before doing this.

How to format external drive as MS-DOS (FAT)

How do I format the external drive as MS-DOS (FAT)?
I followed the instructions and have Disk Utility open for the external drive. Then > Erase > changed format from Mac OS to ExFAT and did the same with the RAID tab. But this does not change the Format from Mac OS Extended (Journaled).
Thanks in advance for any advice..........It's never easy is it?

biddymon wrote:
Snip snip...........and I appreciate your sense of humor. Unfortunately mine is in the sleep mode at this stage of the game.
(3) Boot Camp 4. downloaded to 16-GB flash drive, which is recognized in Windows but will not install due to following prompt: "The version of this file is not compatible with the version of Windows you're running. Check your computer's system information to see whether you need an x86 (32-bit) or x-64 (64-bit) version of this program, and then contact the software publisher." This flash drive is formatted as MS-DOS (FAT), although ExFAT was an alternative.
OK, that does not suggest a disk format problem, but it does suggest that (as it says) you have the wrong Boot Camp version, or the wrong Windows version. ie, you have a 32bit version of Windows installed and you may have a 64bit version of Boot Camp on your Flashdrive.
I'll be back shortly, I'll get links for the various versions of Boot Camp, if there is no 32bit version for your Mac a reinstall of Windows is indicated, the 64bit version though.
OK
Even better, here is a link to a page with all the versions, if you click the version name a description will be displayed, find the correct one for your Mac and version of Windows.
Finally this page contains a model by model breakdown of which version of Windows will run on which model of Mac.

How to format external hdd

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