Seagate external hard drive -- should I format and partition?

Hi all,
Sorry, three weeks into owning my MacBook Pro, I'm still a newbie.
I got rid of PCs because they just kept grinding to a halt, and so I want to do everything EXACTLY right as I start out in Macworld.
I need to get an external drive for Time Machine and other back-ups. Is it generally accepted by you all that the drive should be formatted (to get rid of whatever Seagate puts on it) and then partitioned along the lines of Answer #5 in the Time Machine FAQ? Is that what most people do -- with good results?
Thank you.

MarkPek wrote:
I need to get an external drive for Time Machine and other back-ups. Is it generally accepted by you all that the drive should be formatted (to get rid of whatever Seagate puts on it) and then partitioned along the lines of Answer #5 in the Time Machine FAQ? Is that what most people do -- with good results?
If the Time Machine FAQ recommends something, I'd do it.
By the way, if you're going to use that drive for Time Machine and "other back-ups", I'd create separate partitions for each of those two uses.

Similar Messages

Using Seagate External Hard Drive with both PC and Mac

So I bought this hard drive knowing that it can be used back and forth between Macs and PCs. I currently have a PC, but it's pretty old and I figure I will be getting a Mac after it dies. But currently I want to use it to get files from a Mac computer and when I connect it, it says "read only". How do I configure it to be able to transfer files with a Mac?
Seagate - FreeAgent GoFlex 1.5TB External USB 2.0/3.0 Portable Hard Drive - Black

Here you go:
http://hints.macworld.com/article.php?story=20090913140023382
If you find my post useful or informative, please click the icon below with the plus sign and star to give kudos. Thank you!

Seagate external hard drive

I just bought a seagate external hard drive with 1 terrabyte and when I first plugged it into my macbook it said 'the disk was not readable by this computer'. I want to know does thois mean my drive is broken and how do I use my drive like a usb? I am new to this and need to know if it is broken and How to use it like a normal usb I would just plug into my mac

Try partitioning and erasing it.
Run Disk Utility.
Plug in the drive you are about to erase.
          Select that volume. (The one that is NOT your system disk.)
          Click on Partition.
          Pull down under Partition Layout to 1 Partition.
          Click on Options…
          Select GUID Partition Table.
          Name: Emergency Backup
          Format: Select Mac OS Extended (journaled)
          Click Apply.

Time Machine and Seagate External hard drive

I connected my Seagate External Hard Drive (300GB) to my MacBook pro for the first time. I got a prompt asking if I would like to use this as a backup disk with Time Machine. Absent-mindedly, I hit "NO".
Now the Hard drive is not showing up in the list of disks in Time Machine and I can't figure out a way to search for new disks or change the settings. I would like to use the hard drive to back up my Mac.
(Also, my Mac has a Windows partition) and I have used Norton to backup the Windows side on the same hard drive.)
Any suggestions?

MG1373 wrote:
(Also, my Mac has a Windows partition) and I have used Norton to backup the Windows side on the same hard drive.)
Hi, and welcome to the forums.
Do you mean there's already Windoze data on the external you want to use for Time Machine? If so, this probably isn't going to work. The external is almost certainly set up with the MBR (Master Boot Record) partition scheme, which will not work for TM backups. To check this, use Disk Utility (in your Applications/Utilities folder). Click the top line of the drive (with the make and size), then look at the bottom of the display for *Partition Map Scheme.*
If it is MBR, the only way you can put a partition for Time Machine on this drive is to erase it completely and reformat it with the GUID partition map scheme (unless it's a PPC Mac, which needs the +Apple Partition Map+ scheme), then make 2 (or more) partitions, one formatted +Mac OS Extended (Journaled)+ for TM.
If you do that, you may not be able to set up a partition that you can use for the Windoze data. I don't do Windoze, so can't be sure about that.

I have an external hard drive that was formatted by a PC and has files and directories etc. I want to format it and use it on my IMAC for backup but I can't seem to write to it nor can I delete current content. How do I initialize it for use with the MAC?

I have an external hard drive that was formatted by a PC and has files and directories copied to it etc. I want to use it on my IMAC for backup. I see it on my my IMAC . I can open files etc. But I can't seem to write to it nor can I delete current content. I don't care if I lose current content. How do I initialize it for use with the MAC?

You can't write to it because it's formatted as NTFS which OS X will read but not write to. If you want to continue using the drive with both a PC and OS X you will need to download and install NTFS-3G so you can then write to it from your Mac. You can get NTFS-3G at:
http://www.macupdate.com/app/mac/24481/ntfs-3g
If you want to use the drive exclusively with your Mac then move the data off it and reformat it in Disk Utility (Applications - Utilities - Disk Utilities) as Mac OS Extended (Journaled.)

I want to take files from my PC (using a Seagate external hard drive) then plug this Seagate External hard drive into my Mac Book Pro and move the files from the Seagate External Hard drive onto my Time Capsule. I do not want to put these files on my Mac

I want to take files from my PC (using a Seagate external hard drive) then plug this Seagate External hard drive into my Mac Book Pro and move the files from the Seagate External Hard drive onto my Time Capsule. I do not want to put these files on my Mac. How do I do this? Where do I put these files on my Time Capsule? Will it affect the functioning of my Time Capsule?

Mixing files with data is not always great idea.
See info here.
Q3 http://pondini.org/TM/Time_Capsule.html
Why not just connect the PC directly to the TC by ethernet and copy the files over?
It is hugely faster and much less mucking around.
In windows load the airport utility for windows.. if you have not already as this will help you access the drive.
There is more info here.
http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1331

I am running my first backup on Time Machine using a Seagate external hard drive with a thunderbolt adapter and cable. I have a MacBook Pro 2011. It is backing up 11GB, and is telling me it will take approx two days. Is this normal?

I am running my first backup on Time Machine using a Seagate external hard drive with a thunderbolt adapter and cable. I have a MacBook Pro 2011. It is backing up 11GB, and is telling me it will take approx two days. Is this normal?

Download the supplemental fix to 10.7.5
http://support.apple.com/kb/DL1599

I downloaded several cds to my external hard drive in .mp3 format. Later, I copied them to iTunes. The songs only play when the external hard drive is plugged in. I tried to load the songs from iTunes to my iPhone and the songs don't play.

I downloaded several cds to my external hard drive in .mp3 format. Later, I copied them to iTunes. The songs only play when the external hard drive is plugged in. I tried to load the songs from iTunes to my iPhone and the songs don't play. I thought iTunes allowed me to transfer music to my iPhone and play it. What am I doing wrong?

Hi skoorb1,
When adding music to iTunes, you can set it to either make a local copy of the file, or simply point to the original location of the file (for example, on an external hard drive). If it is set to do the latter, it will not be able to play or transfer those files when the external hard drive is not plugged in. You may find the following article helpful:
iTunes: About the Add to Library, Import, and Convert functions
http://support.apple.com/kb/ht1347
Regards,
- Brenden

I'm currently backing up using Time Machine and a Seagate external hard drive, how to do I restore on a new computer?

I hate to say it.. But I have never backed up!! I have thousands of pics of my son on this mac book, it got wet and NOW I'm backing up (as i type) to a Seagate external hard drive- I plugged it in, and then Time MAchine launched automatically. It looks like it's backing up my whole computer, is it backing up everything? photos, address book, documents etc? If my computer crashes tomorrow, how would I restore all of this information on a new computer?
Help, I'm computer iliterate- hence the reason I got a Mac (so easy to use). I need reasurance that it will back up! How do I continue to back up? Leave the external hard drive plugged in? I'm telling you I'm below the knowledge of "Backing Up a Mac for Dummies"

Time Machine makes a backup of the whole OS.X volume automatically, so you will have an exact copy of your hard disk in your Time Machine external disk. Also, Time Machine will make backups every hour, always that your Time Machine disk is connected. If you want more information, visit this site > http://pondini.org
To restore this in a new Mac, you have to use Migration Assistant. Just connect the Time Machine drive into the new computer, open Migration Assistant (it's in /Applications/Utilities) and follow the steps. You will be able to select what you want to transfer.
Also, if you have a brand-new Mac, you can do this during the initial setup. Setup Assistant will ask you to restore a backup, so connect the Time Machine disk and follow the steps

Seagate External hard drive ask for permission from admin when moving files in and to the drive, but I am the admin?

Today I plugged in my seagate 1TB hard drive and every time I want to move my files to the hard drive or in the hard drive itself, I have to give my admin password. The pop up box says: Finder ask for permission, click on Identity control. I never had this before.. This happened today. The settings are set to System - Read and Write, Users - Read and Write and Everyone - Read
This is very confusing. I can still copy and move files but I have to give my password every single time.
Thank you so much!

Thanks a lot! I have already downloaded Paragon Driver and it works well with seagate external hard drive. I am copying as of now my important files from my mac to it. However, I have only the trial version which will expire in 10 days. I don't have credit card to buy for it.

One Format External Hard Drive for Your Mac and PC...

I have Formatted my External HD Passport 500GB = (465.8) and split it in two partition Mac OS Extended (Journal = 232GB) and FAT32 (Ms-Dos-FAT = 232GB) and reformat to NTFS using Windows...
How to use one External HUD for your Mac and PC you have a PC and how to have two Partition in Mac OS Extended (Journal) and FAT (Ms-Dos-FAT)as you desire the size of your partition under application, Utilities and Disk Utility and covert the (FAT32) to (NTFS)using Windows Control Panel or just search by Start, search Computer Management or just right my Computer and format the second partition to (NTFS)
Tips for Mac OS Extended (Journaled) FAT32 vs NTFS, what works and don't work...
(1)Mac OS Extended (Journaled) Partition can't be use in Windows to transfer files but NTFS Partition can be use in Mac by transferring file from Windows to Mac and NTFS support for files over 4G in size...
(2)FAT32 can be use in Mac and Windows but with a limitation that a file cannot be transferred to a FAT32 partition if the file is larger than 4GB such as a video file and FAT32 file system performs more slowly than NTFS...
(2)Mac OS Extended (Journaled) can be use in Windows when you Reformat your HD to HFS+ by third-party app such as http://www.macdrive.com/ MacDrive for $50.or http://www.paragon-software.com/home/ntfs-mac/ NTFS For Mac 6.0 for $30...
Reference link 1 External Hard Drive for Your Mac and PC...
http://www.myfirstmac.com/index.php/mac/articles/1-external-hard-drive-for-your- mac-and-pc
Best regards...
JamesUFOs...
http://www.youtube.com/user/JamesEBEs

I have many external drives I use between my MacBook Pro and my Windows PC's. I use a free NTFS driver for Mac OS-X to give me full read/write access to any NTFS formatted partitions when running Mac OS. I also use MediaFour's MacDrive v8 on some of my Windows PC's to access any HFS+ formatted partitions.
Most of my drives are formatted NTFS because I have more Windows machines than I have MacDrive licenses, and with the driver for Mac OS, they are fully accessible. I have a few drives I do keep formatted as HFS+ because I have encountered an app or two that don't work quite right when they don't get to write to files on an HFS+ partition (one of my backup programs is picky about this).
As said before, FAT32 is fully accessible between the two OS'es but it also has it's own limitations.

Want to partition a new External Hard drive for both pc and mac

Hello!
I am going to partition a new Seagate external hard drive for both my pc and mac. What format do I choose for the PC partition? MS-DOS (FAT), ExFAT, or Free Space.
Thank you!
Nikki

If I may suggest:
Drive Preparation
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. Set the format type to Mac OS Extended (Journaled.) Click on the Options button, set the partition scheme to GUID then click on the OK button. Click on the Partition 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 Options 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. After formatting has completed select the main entry for the new drive (mfgr.'s ID) then click on the Partition tab in the DU main window. Click on the large partition rectangle then click on the Add [+] button. The partition should divide into two equal volumes. Resize as you prefer. Select the second or bottom volume to use on the PC. Set the format type to ExFat, then click on the Apply button. Wait for the two volumes to finish mounting on the Desktop.

Partitioning 1.2T External Hard Drive for Time Machine and PC backup?

We have a 1.2T Seagate external hard drive. I partitioned it so that I could use part of it for my Time Machine backups and want to be able to use the rest of it for the PCs in the house. I formatted the rest of the space using the Disc Utility and the MS-DOS option. Was this the wrong choice? I can't use the PC space on the hard drive on my PC. It says there are 0 bytes available.
Help?

Fred Elmendorf wrote:
We have a 1.2T Seagate external hard drive. I partitioned it so that I could use part of it for my Time Machine backups and want to be able to use the rest of it for the PCs in the house. I formatted the rest of the space using the Disc Utility and the MS-DOS option. Was this the wrong choice?
no, that was the right choice. I don't know what's going on there. you just might need to reformat the whole drive. also check the partition scheme for the drive. it should be GUID. if it's not GUID repartition the drive with GUID partition scheme.
I can't use the PC space on the hard drive on my PC. It says there are 0 bytes available.
Help?

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".

I am having trouble on transferring photos from iPhoto to my Seagate External Hard Drive

Im new to Mac and I was doing fine with my new laptop but somewhere along the way I have reach to a point where I cant continue my work. I am having trouble on transferring photos from iPhotos to my Seagate External Hard Drive, even when the hard drive is compatable with my MacBook Air. Some how I have trouble trying to drag my photos to my drive and it is not letting me to do so. Pls. help me in my sistuation or derect me to a website that will answer my questions. I am getting really upset and frustrated; so I'm out of ideas.

even when the hard drive is compatable with my MacBook Air.
What is the file system on that drive? Is it formatted MacOS Extended (Journaled)?
And what is your iPhoto version? iPhoto 9.5.1?
Some how I have trouble trying to drag my photos to my drive and it is not letting me to do so
What exactly happens when you try to drag photos to your drive? Are you dragging from iPhoto's window to the drive?
Can you export your photos, when you select the photos on iPhoto and use the command "File > Export"?

Seagate external hard drive -- should I format and partition?

Similar Messages

Maybe you are looking for