IPod as a hard drive on Mac and PC

Hi,
I'm going to be helping someone switch from PC to Mac this weekend. I was planning to use my iPod as a hard drive to move their files between the two machines, but I just want to verify something.
If I re-format my iPod to use FAT32 using Disk Utility, it will work as an external hard drive for both Mac and PC--right??
Thanks,
SS
iMac Core Duo 17", iBook G4 12" Mac OS X (10.4.7) 40 GB iPod Photo, Airport Express

Great thank you...
One more question... I'm on a PC at work right now and I don't see any place that I can "turn on sharing" on the hard drive. I googled it and found something that makes me think there should be a "sharing" tab in the properties window when I right click.
Is it possible that because I'm on an IT regulated machine (can't install/delete programs, etc.), this option is disabled? Or am I missing something?
thanks again for the help!
-SS

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Using iPod as a hard drive between Mac and PC

I'd like to use my Mac-formatted iPod to back up some personal files om my work PC laptop, and then transfer them to my Mac at home. I need to repeat this process every month or so.
I've enabled my iPod for disk use, but the PC wants to reformat in order to allow me to use it as a hard drive on the PC. However, all of my iTunes and photos and videos are on my Mac at home, and I'd like to keep the iPod Mac-formatted.
There appears to be some 3rd-party software trials out there, but I'm reluctant to download anything that is potentially sketchy.
Advice will be greatly appreciated.
MacBook Pro Mac OS X (10.4.5) Also a PC user (at work)

Probably the easiest way to use an iPod on both Mac and Windows computers is to format the iPod (using iPod Updater) using the PC. This will force your iPod to use the Windows file system (FAT32) which both the Mac and PC can read from and write to without the help of additional software. Of course then all your software updates for the iPod will have to be done on Windows.
If you need to use a Mac (HFS+) formatted iPod on a Windows PC, you'll need to install some 3rd party software such as XPlay 2.0 (which you can get from MediaFour Software). This will enable your Windows PC to read a Mac-formatted iPod.

External Hard Drive using MAC and PC

I recently formatted my 250gb hard drive to MS-DOS (FAT32) so I can use the drive with Mac and PC. When I came to plug in my external hard drive in the other day with another mac PC it said I could only read only under get info.
Why is this?
I couldnt save only open documents
Many thanks

kevin_ wrote:
Henry,
You should format the external drive as exFAT rather than FAT32. exFAT handles larger files than FAT32 would and is both Mac and Windows friendly.
And when he does, he should do it connected to the PC. There have been reports that while the Mac can format a drive in exFAT, it doesn't do as compatible a job as a PC will.

External Hard drive on mac and pc??

Hello,
Quick Question...sorry if this has already been discussed..
Set up my ipod as an external hard drive on my mac, but can't plug it into a pc without it asking me to format it....obviously I say no to this, but it won't let me open it without formatting it...
But when I plug a PC formatted ipod into my mac it see's it and it works fine...
Is this just stupid PC's not working properly, or does anyone know a way around using mac ipod's on pc's as external hard drive's????
Thanks in advance!
Mac OS X (10.4.9)

PC formatted iPod (FAT32) can be read by a Mac computer but not the other way round.
You can try this and install on your PC to read your Mac formatted iPod
http://www.mediafour.com/products/xplay/

I want to format a Seagate Expansion External Hard Drive for Mac and PC

I ordered a Seagate Expansion 2 TB USB 3.0 Desktop External Hard Drive to use with my new Mac and my old PC (or at least get my photos off of both and put them on the drive). I thought all HDs could be formatted to use by both, I was able to get a Mac HD to work with my PC in 2008 (but it died). I am reading that this drive is PC only. I have Parallels and Windows 8 on my Mac if worse comes to worse but I would like all of my computers, real, virtual old and new to be able to access the external drive. Has anyone encountered this issue before? What should I format it in? FAT32? If yes, how would I go about that on a Mac. Or should I just return it?
I'm kind of Mac clueless. I spent my childhood through college on a Mac but I graduated right when OSX came around and I don't know how to work with the Mac "under the hood" like I did with OS9 and with Windows. So please talk to me like I am an an adult idiot.
Thanks!!!!

The optimum choice is to format it ExFAT, but do so on the PC, not the Mac. Alternatively, you can make two partitions - one for the Mac; one for the PC. Partition the drive using GUID when you make the two partitions. Format one using Mac OS Extended, Journaled. Format the other on your PC using NTFS if you won't need to write to it from the OS X side or use ExFAT if you do.
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 two. 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) you will use for Windows from the left side list. Click on the Erase tab in the DU main window.
5. Set the format type to MSDOS.
6. Click on the Erase button.
When you connect the drive to your PC reformat the PC volume to either NTFS or ExFAT.

External hard drive for Mac and Windows?

Hey all,
Is it possible to set up an external hard drive with a partition that has one side compatible with Mac and the other with Windows, similar to a Boot Camp setup on an internal drive? If so, how do I do that? Thanks for any advice you can give.

Rekishika:
Yes it is possible. Use Disk Utility from Leopard and partition the external drive to the desired space for each. Format one side with Mac HFS+ Journaled and the other with FAT32 (You can reformat the FAT32). You can also format both external partitions to FAT32 if you want Leopard and Windows to access (read and write)either one of them.
Axel F.

External hard drive between mac and pc

i got a "my passport" external hard drive to load all my stuff onto it from my mac, to be used on our pc. i have to reformat the hard drive for a mac before i can even copy my items on it. but my stupid question is, will it all open up fine on the pc? and i had to search for how to even reformat the external hard drive and found this answer, http://wdc.custhelp.com/app/answers/detail/a_id/3865/p/228/session/L3RpbWUvMTMxN jMxNjgwNC9zaWQvUi0zeURtRWs%3D, but it is completely over my head. is it even the right thing?

With the drive plugged in, open Disk Utility. It's in the Utililities folder in your Applications folder. You should see the new drive in the left hand column along with your other drives. Click on the external drive and select the Erase tab. Set the format value to MS-DOS (FAT) and click on the Erase button. After that has finished select the Partition tab. Type in a Name for your hard drive and select how many partitions you want from the Volume Scheme. The usual settingis one partition. Click on the Options button after you've selected a partition to make sure it's set for Master Boot Record. Then click the Apply button and after the Partitioning is done quit Disk Utility. Your external drive should now appear on your desktop and be readable on a PC.

Hard drive for mac and pc

so mac doesn't have write capabilities on ntfs? and pc can't read something more than 2gb on fat32? how do i get a 15gb file from my mac onto my pc? should i just buy a big enough thumb drive? i've got a usb 150gb hard drive, so i'd like to use that instead. does macdrive solve this issue?

Hi Jeremy,
A few options...
You could format that HDD as Fat32/MS-DOS, but you'd be limited to 4 GB Filesizes.
NTFS-3G Stable Read/Write Driver...
http://www.ntfs-3g.org/
MacFUSE: Full Read-Write NTFS for Mac OS X, Among Others...
http://www.osnews.com/story/16930
MacDrive for the PCs... allows them to Read/Write HFS+...
http://www.mediafour.com/products/macdrive/
should i just buy a big enough thumb drive?
Wouldn't change anything.

Formatting LaCie External Hard Drive for MAC and PC

Hi,
I just recently purchased a LaCie 500 GB Hard Drive from the Apple Store in order to back up and store most of my PC (Window) files. Most of my files that I need to back up are on CD, DVD, and USB mini drives. I was thinking of transferring the files through my MacBook Pro but I'm not sure how to partition the hard drive, since most of my files are generated from PC's and I would need to connect the hard drive to a PC in the future anyway.
From what I understand, the files that I save in the Windows partition will only be recognized when on a PC, and the same for the MAC. But what about simple compatible files that are read cross platform, such as Word documents? Would I still only be able to access each file depending on the platform and the partition?
Is there a way that I can just partition it into a single storage space – as how servers store data, regardless of whether it’s a PC or MAC file? I’m also wondering what would happen if I were to plug it into my laptop first? If it doesn’t ask me to partition the drive on my PC, will it ask me when I plug it back into the MAC afterwards? And if I partition it then, what would happen to my data?
Any help would be greatly appreciated!
Thank you

Hi, njoay
I just moved to Mac from Windows last week onto a new MBP. I purchased a Lacie 500GB ruggedized drive. Here is what I know and tried:
1) If you format the Lacie in Mac format, then you can't use it on a Windows machine without software eg MacDrive.
2) If you format the Lacie in NTFS, you can only read from it when connected to Mac without other software.
I work a lot with VMWare, so I need the LACIE to be able to connect to both PC and MAC. I found a solution from another MAC user: "Paragon NTFS for Mac OS" (see http://www.paragon-software.com/home/ntfs-mac/) which you can purchase for US$39.
This is what I did:
1) connect my Lacie to my PC and formatted it in NTFS format.
2) Installed Paragon NTFS onto my MAC
3) Connected LACIE to Mac.
Here are the results:
1) Connection with USB2.0 from Lacie to Mac - it works (can read and write to LAcie formatted in NTFS)
2) Connection with Firewire 800 from Lacie to Mac - it does NOT work. The disk gets ejected. I have logged a support call with Paragon on this issue and am waiting a reply.
3) Connection with Firewire 400 from Lacie to Mac - have not tried it yet.
Hope the above helps.

Partitioning an external hard drive for Mac and PC

I want to partition an external hard drive (3TB) into 3 even partitions. I want to use one for PC storage, one for Mac storage and the last for Mac backup. Is this possible and how do I do it?

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.
7. Re-partition the drive to create the three partitions. The one you wish to use on a PC you should format MSDOS (FAT).
When you connect the drive to your PC it should have no problem reading the partition set up for a PC. Now while on the PC you may wish to consider reformatting that partition using ExFAT (if supported on your PC.) This format is more compatible with both OS X and NTSF supporting long file names and other FAT filesystem irregularities.

Same External Hard Drive for Mac and PC?

Hello,
I just bought an iMac and a Lacie external hard drive. I plan to format the Lacie for the Mac. However I'd like to use it to tranfer my files from the PC. Will the Mac formatted Lacie External Drive work with both the iMac and the PC?
Thanks!
Jim

Another alternative is to get a Lacie drive and use it native to MAC. To acess read/ write capacity to your NTFS partitions refer to my post in:
http://discussions.apple.com/thread.jspa?threadID=1425010&tstart=0
regards,

External Hard Drive for Mac AND PC

I need to purchase an external Hard Drive to be able to back up both my iMac and my partner's PC. I am currently looking at buying either:
Iomega UltraMax Hard Drive 500GB FireWire 400/USB 2.0
OR
Iomega 500GB Minimax Hard Drive with Dual Interface + USB/FireWire Hub
Can anyone tell me is it possible to format either of these Drives to be able to accept both Mac and PC, and if so, do either of these drives let you have a permanent connection to both at the same time, so they can be set up and left to do their backups automatically without always swapping cables over etc.
Does anyone have a preference between these drives?
(Oh, and for info, I won't be using Time Capsule as I only have 10.3.9!)
Thanks

I think there is a decent amount of BS in there...
I have a USB HD that came out of the box formatted as FAT32- both my MacBook Pro and PC laptop can read & write to it just fine. I haven't had it long enough to comment on stability, but haven't had any issues yet. I don't have any special software on the PC, either- I think the info from the Seagate forums sounds like people remembering the "old days" of Windows 98 and pre-OS X systems, when you did need software like that for true cross-platform drive access.
As for the drive not working on a LAN- well, the hardware doesn't know the difference, so as long as it's connected via USB to the AEBS, it's fine. What could cause an issue would be your PC OS version. I have found WinXP to be really good (well, for a Win OS, anyway) at playing nice with others. Vista is a train wreck for many, many reasons, but may be OK for this too. Anything earlier than XP may be a bit more troublesome.
Hope my 2 cents helps...

How to use a eksternal hard drive on Mac and Pc?

i have a eksternal hard drive i used with time machine, and now i can not use it on my other windows based computer.
do anyone have any solution for me?
i would like to be able to uke it on my mac and PC

If the drive or partition is used for Time Machine backups(or as a Mac OS X boot volume), you need to install MacDrive on the PC. Otherwise, format it as MS-DOS or exFAT.
(62040)

How can i use external hard drive with mac and pc!

I've been using a Lacie external hard drive with my mac to keep the itunes library and other things since day one. Since i have a dvd with files for windows and an old pc without a dvd drive, i decided to copy and paste the content of the dvd to the external hard drive. The only problem now is that when i plug the external hard drive to pc, it won't open. I know it has to be formatted in a different way, but i need to find out the best solution!
Any idea?

You can format the external drive in Fat32 (which I don't recommend but is the most compatible between both platforms), or NTFS (which requires some work to get your Mac to recognize), or HFS+ (which requires special software on your PC so your PC can use it).
If you use this drive mostly with your Mac, get MacDrive for your PC:
http://www.mediafour.com/products/macdrive
If you use this drive mostly with your PC, here's some software for you Mac. I haven't tried this myself, but the professional reviews have been good:
http://www.paragon-software.com/home/ntfs-mac/

Formatting external hard drive for MAC and Windows

I have an external hard drive that I would like to make compatible with BOTH Mac and Windows. I don't want to split it but is there any way that I can make it compatible to where I can use it back and forth between both? I have classes and use Photoshop on both systems and need to be able to read and write to the hard drive from each system. Please let me know if this is possible and how? Thanks

I have a 500GB external HDD which I had to format o Fat32 a while ago. I don't remember exactly how I did it, but I remember it was a pain in the *** and took forever (I was under Windows XP).
So short answer to your question is yes. It is possible and as the above person said, you need to format to Fat32. Long answer is it will take some time and effort. Here are a few links to help you get started:
http://www.ridgecrop.demon.co.uk/index.htm?fat32format.htm
http://macosx.com/forums/mac-os-x-system-mac-software/270038-format-new-hard-dis k-into-fat32.html
http://en.kioskea.net/faq/sujet-676-formatting-your-drive-with-fat32
I haven't tried any of these (I believe I formatted mine downloading a third party app), but you might be lucky. Good luck.

IPod as a hard drive on Mac and PC

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