Portable External HD

I have tried a Western Digital external HD and an IO Gear External HD. Neither will run on my new PowerBook, but both work on my iMac and the WD will work on an iBook. I am attempting to use one of these drives without a seperate power source. The PowerBook claims 500mA of bus power but I am thinking that it actually might output less, and therefore will not run an external drive without seperate power. Is anyone using an exteranl drive without seperate power. I need a portable drive that is truly portable. Thanks. Eric Vahlbusch

Eric, even though it shouldn't matter it does, What Operating System. When you downloaded it originaly to your Hard drive (Drivers) to recognise and communicate, from your computer to your External.
Always check with the manufactures site for new and updated drivers for your externals.
There are several good externals that are compatible for both Mac and PC.
Lacie...I-Omega...there are several out there I suggest you check with your Mac Store... You will get several opinions, I personaly have an I-Omega Zip drive that I use, that is USB, and works well with Powerbook 133' 17" and an older iMac 350 Blue, make sure you get the latest drivers for your Operating System... Good Luck...Don

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Is it possible to create recovery data with a portable external hard drive?

Hi,
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I like my Acomdata too. It's 320GB and in this aluminum case...I call it "the ingot" because it's big and heavy and metal. However, it's not a treat to take places because it's so big and heavy. I'm thinking about getting an OWC Firewire drive based on a 2.5" drive because of the need for an external drive that's highly portable.
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Message was edited by: S. Michelle Klein-Hass

I have an iMac running OX 10.5.8 I need a portable external harddrive to back it up before updating the software to Yosemite but I can't find anything that doesn't require you to be running at least OX 10.6. Is there a suitable hard drive?

I have an iMac running OX 10.5.8
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Correct. When you purchase devices, they would have stated the OS they needed to work, on the box. This can be overlooked, but it is very important to check when purchasing.
You current OS, is so old, that they technology build into the new devices, is not something your OS understands. It didn't exist when your OS was created, and therefore you need to upgrade the OS to work with the newer technology of these devices.
10.6 software is not downloadable. You must purchase a DVD disc. You can order it from the on-line apple store
- http://store.apple.com/us/product/MC573/mac-os-x-106-snow-leopard.

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Thanks, Clinton and Alberto.
The below link is the Seagate FreeAgent GoFlex portable external hard drive (product code STAA750302) that I have. It states that it features USB 2.0 or 3.0 plug–and–play connectivity and easily upgradeable to USB 3.0, FireWire 800 or eSATA. It only comes with a 18-inch USB 3.0 / 2.0 backward compatible cable.
http://www.seagate.com/au/en/external-hard-drives/portable-hard-drives/standard/ goflex/
Based on the above, my understanding is that I need to buy a FireWire 800 adapter to connect to the portable external hard drive so that I can use FireWire 800 with my MacBook Pro. Is this correct ? Do I need to get a separate cable as well or can I just use the 18-inch USB 3.0 / 2.0 backward compatible cable that was provided in the box ? If so, what sort of FireWire 800 cable do I need to get ? 9 pin to 9 pin ? 6 pin to 9 pin ? Or 4 pin to 9 pin ?
https://www.lindy.com.au/online/arrshop.exe?anonymous=true&cat=b1

Portable External Hard Drive / Steroids for MacBook Pro

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You would need to go to the computer containing the book.
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huge storage, low cost, high quality, very small and portable.
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http://www.amazon.com/Toshiba-Canvio-Connect-Portable-HDTC720XK3C1/dp/B00CGUMS48    /ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1390020791&sr=8-3&keywords=toshiba+2tb
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Perfect 1TB for $68
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http://www.amazon.com/Toshiba-Canvio-Portable-External-Drive/dp/B009F1CXI2/ref=s    r_1_1?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1377642728&sr=1-1&keywords=toshiba+slim+500gb
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Most storage experts agree on the Hitachi 2.5"
Hitachi is the winner in hard drive reliability survey:
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Thanks for the response.
To clarify my question though -
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Best Portable External Hard Drive Interface?

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See the formatting guide here
https://discussions.apple.com/docs/DOC-3044
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I buy memory and mass storage from OWC at
http://eshop.macsales.com/shop/firewire/.
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Why don't you have a look at the G-Technology G-Drive mini…
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Hi,
If you are going to use it in MAC, what i know is you need to format it to MAC extended journaled
try this link .
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*********Click on Kudos if it helped you. Thanks! ***********

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