Share external drive between PC and Mac

Hello, I apologize if i posted this in the wrong section. I have been trying to find the answer to a problem I have in the search feature, but didn't come up with anything. I just bought a 160GB external harddrive (Western Digital Passport) and I was going to use it to save my film footage. The drive was formatted as FAT32 so I could not move more than 4gb at a time. I didn't see where I could format it on my macbook so I took it to my pc to format it to NTFS. After that though I was not able to move anything over to the drive once connected to the macbook and now I am really confused. I will just be using it to transfer large files from one computer to the next. If anyone could help me I would appreciate it.

Hi dante99208;
May I welcome you to the Apple Discussion Forums.
If you have the external disk formatted as NTFS, the Mac will be able to read it but not write.
Personally I think that doing the transfers over the LAN would be much simpler way to go then using the disk.
But if you still want to try, if you open Disk Utility that is where you can format the disk. I would suggest that you format it MacOS Extended+. With disk formated that way it will connect to the Mac without any problems. In order to move it over to the PC you will need to install MacDrive on it for $49.95.
Allan

Similar Messages

  • Using external drive between PC and mac

    My mp3 files are all in an external drive used on a windows computer, connected by USB. If I were to get a mac, would I be able to copy those files into the hard drive of the mac?

    If I were to get a mac, would I be able to copy those files into the hard drive of the mac?
    Yes.
    (47757)

  • Share iTunes libraries between Windows and MAC

    Hi all i've an wifi via "Base AirPort" i've an HD shared between MAC and Windows sistem via the BASE, the iTunes library that i've stored in the HD is non redable for iTunes on Windows because it need an *.itl file...
    How can i share an iTunes library between Windows and MAC???

    I would like to report back that after struggling for months to get Tune Ranger to work that it is complete rubbish. The first time I tried to sync my libraries (between an empty iTunes library and my existing one) it created duplicates all over the place in my library and generally made a huge mess of everything. The support person (who I suspect is the only person over there) gave me some guff about my id3 tags being corrupt but it was clear that every song that appeared in a playlist was getting duped. Once I fixed this (many weeks later) I tried a one way sync after fiddling with the preferences of Tune Ranger to try to make it work, but it simply wouldn't.
    I don't know if anyway has had success using TR where they are also trying to sync playlists, but if you have, I would certainly like to know what you settings are.

  • Use external drive for windows and mac

    Hello,
    I just bought a external 320Gb Western Digital Drive. I would like to use
    the drive for windows and mac.I will not like to make partation on the drive
    to use it on both operating systems. Is there any formating system with which i can use in both operating systems? I would like to use time machine feature on that drive also.
    Thanx.

    If you want to use a disk for both PC/Mac file storage and Time Machine, you will have to create two partitions. Partitioning is sort of like creating multiple virtual disks on the same physical disk. One partition should be formatted for PC (which the Mac can also use) and the other should be formatted for HFS+ (Mac only) which is what Time Machine requires. The Disk Utility application makes partitioning and formatting very easy.

  • Switching external hard drive between pc and mac

    I'm planning on buying about a 160-200g external hard drive. I have a pc with windows xp that I use, and I also have an iBook G4. It's becoming an annoyance moving files that I want on both computers, not to mention I am running out of hard drive space on my iBook. So I figured the best solution was an external drive...however I've been reading some posts and it seems as though you can only format them for a mac or a pc, not both. Can I use an external drive on both my computers with out having to partition the drive? Any other info on this would be appreciated. Also, if I can use it on both, can I hook them up simultaneously? Thanks!

    yeah the auotplay search on the windows machine on a
    large external can take ages but it only did this the
    first time with me, but it still does take a lot
    longer for it to recognise the drive.
    just hit "cancel" button when autoplay starts up - once autoplay starts mean windows has recognized it anyways - it just is doing that to see if it should start up like windows media player or whatever :-P

  • Sharing external hard drive between PowerMac and Mac Pro

    I have a western digital external hard drive connected to a PowerMac and one connected to a Mac Pro. The PowerMac can see the Mac Pro external, but not vise versa. Can someone tell me what could possibly be wrong? Both computers have the sharing setup and we have partitioned the hard drives.
    Thanks

    I'm assuming that you have Leopard on both Macs? When you say that you "see" the Mac Pro's external drive, are you seeing it in the sidebar? And if so is that showing up as the Mac Pro, or as the drive? It seems to me that if you're seeing the one, then what you've done is to "connect as" with the user login, but haven't yet done that with the MacPro to the PowerMac. Have you from the PowerMac clicked Add at the bottom of the User's list to add the right username, or clicked New Person to enter a name and password?

  • Can i use external drive with pc and mac??? files be recognised by both??

    hi
    i have two external hard drives, with stuff from my pc on them.
    can i plug them into my macbook? and just copy files?
    usb hard drives.
    one i think is one or the other, mac or pc, not both at same time, unless i partition and format i think. maybe the other one too.
    i have a 8gb file on my pc, im trying to get into my macbook.
    how can i???
    i have a 160gb ipod, its only 30gb full, and pc says not enough space on it.
    why is this???? the file is only 8gb......and theres over 100gb free on my ipod.
    anyone help?
    cheers

    If your iPod is formatted FAT32 there is a 4 GB file size limit. Obviously an 8 GB file exceeds the limit.
    In order to use any drive on both a Mac and a PC with full read/write capability the drive must be formatted MS-DOS (FAT16 or FAT32.) A drive formatted NTFS is read-only on a Mac unless you use third-party software such as MacFuse with NTFS-3G or Paragon NTFS.

  • Sharing external drive between PC & 2 mac laptops - ntfs VS fat32 WARs

    and I am having issues with file format.
    my goal: to use one of my external drives as an easily sharable storage place through the airport extreme for media, and basic work dosc for me and my wife.
    we have a PC desktop and each have mac laptops - me a macbook pro and her a mac pro.
    I have an external 380 gig drive that I'd like to use thru the airport extreme. it is currently formatted ntfs and of course airport will only properly work with drives formatted as Fat32.
    PROBLEM - command line in windows will not reformat this as a FAT32 drive as WIN XP only supports FAT32 drives up to 32 gig - at least through the format command.
    questionm - how do I format this drive so a all or at least a large portion of it is accessible through my wireless network? ? (also why won't airport extreme work with ntfs drives?)
    again:
    pc desktop running xp pro
    mac book pro
    mac pro

    ps: thanks in advance for any suggestions here

  • Share bluetooth headset between iPhone and Mac

    Just got a Sennheiser MM100 headset (love it).
    I'd like to use it with both my iPhone and Mac. But if I've paired it with both, I can't seem to control which device will use the headset for audio when I turn it on.
    In other words, I'd like to be able to turn on the headset in the presence of both the Mac and iPhone, and decide which device I want the headset paired with on the fly, without having to pair/unpair the device or deactivate bluetooth on one of the devices.
    Any way to do this?
    Thanks,
    Dave

    Any way to do this?
    None that I'm aware of.

  • How to use an external drive for windows and mac

    I recently got an external hard drive (2 TB seagate expansion) and I need to be able to use it with both my mac and my windows computer. I have read numerous forums and tried downloading various third party programs but nothing seems to work! One of the things i have read was to create a partition on the drive, this is easy enough and i did try it so i do have one side i can add stuff from from windows and one side i can add stuff to from my mac but then i cant access the other side. So say i need to get a file from my mac to my windows. I add a file to the mac side of the partition from my mac but then when i plug it into windows i cant retrieve that because its on the mac side of the partition (and vis versa). Is there some sort of easy way around this? or some way in which i can format the drive where i can move files back and forth from windows to mac without any expensive third party programs?
    Thanks!
    Bryan
    PS. I did notice when i originally got the hard drive i had a bunch of files on it that were added from windows. When i plugged it into my mac i could see and copy these files but i could not add new files. Is there anyway to get around this "read only" type formate if i were to reset my drive back to its factory settings?

    Three ways to go;
    Repartiton the drive (1 partition) as MBR and with FAT32 file system. This is readable and writable by both Mac and Windows, but has a file size limit (which I think is 4GB).
    The alternative is to leave the drive formatted as NTFS for Windows (this is not normally writeable from Mac) and employ a third-party software application which can write to NTFS. NTFS-3G, Paragons NTFS for Mac and Tuxera NTFS have all been recommended elsewhere.
    Or you can repartition as GUID with HFS+ (Mac OS Extended Journalled) file system. This would not normally be accesible to the Windows machine, but once again there is 3rd-party softwsre available to enable Windows to read and write to it. MacDrive is the only one I'm aware of, but there are probably others.

  • Using iPod as a flash drive between PC and Mac help!

    Hey guys,
    I have no idea how can I make my iPod a flash drive. Well, it was fine when my school used G4 iMacs last week. But now it's all HP pcs. And I cannot transfer my files to those computers anymore. When I plug my iPod via USB to one of them computer, it says that I will need to format the disk drive (iPod) because it cannot read the file system.
    I guess it is because of my iPod is always connected to Macs (including mine) so that the file format on the iPod is unreadable to PCs. So I have no idea what to do because I am scared of that PC is going to ruin my iPod hard drive and its OS. I tried plugging it to a PC at my house, same thing happened. I am too scared to try.
    Do you guys have any idea?
    Thank you in advance,
    Ton

    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.

  • Sharing External Hardrive Between Macbook and PC.

    I bought a Western digital 120Gb hardrive. It seems to work perfectly well, but I have an issue.
    I have loaded photos and movies on to it and I have attempted to connect it to a regular (non-Mac)PC to display them.
    My problem is that the PC does not seem to know it is there. There is no sign that I have plugged it in.
    Is this a feature of Macs or am I doing something wrong.
    Any Input will be gratefully received.
    Brad

    the best way I've found to share external drives between them both is to make sure you format them using Fat32... then both Macs and PCs can access... I have 2 externals actually my old Macbook 120gb (Mac Formatted) for just time machine and Mac stuff, then a second smaller 40gb (Fat32) for Windows/Mac stuff... works out well.
    noit

  • How to share files between pc and mac via external hard drive

    how can i share my files(mp3,mp4,documents) from my harddisk with mac. i am a new mac user and i have a harddisk of NTFS format(as i was a pc user).I learned that mac supports FAT32 format and therefore i can't write data on my external hard drive.
    but, reading a section of OSX yosemite(under compatibility) it is said that now we can easily share files between pc and mac.
    So please suggest me easier way that how can i share files between macs and pc as my friends uses pc and in future i really want to share my data with them without any hustle and i dont wanna loose my data in future

    You can format the HDD to a common one like ExFAT or Fat32 but a reformat will delete all data off of the HDD.
    Your other option is to use a third party software such as Paragon or Tuxera that will allow you to write to a NFTS formatted HDD.
    Ciao.

  • Does anyone know if there is a way to share files between Mavericks and Mac OS 9.1 operating system?

    Does anyone know if there is a way to share files between Mavericks and Mac OS 9.1 operating system? When I try to connect from my iMac I get a window that says "The version of the server you are trying to connect to is not supported." Is there a work-around to this problem or is it just not possible? It would be largly appriciated for a solutin beings my business is a small town newspaper, and we have some important files on the older computer that need to be acessed daily.

    Actually to share files between OS 8-9 and OS X, all versions, is quite easy from what I read. Look here for some details.
    http://reviews.cnet.com/8301-13727_7-20003464-263.html
    And here.
    https://www.google.com/search?q=file+sharing+Mac+OS+9.x&oq=file+sharing+Mac+OS+9 .x&aqs=chrome..69i57.20706j0j1&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8
    Or since both OS 9 and OS X can do SMB Windows sharing you could use that protocol to share files from one to the other.
    Doesn't really matter what OS you are using. Mac OS/OS X shar files with Windows computers of all types and versions of Windows so the same applies for the different versions of Mac OS/OS X.
    Each Operating System takes care of reading and writing files to there respective file formats of the hard drives so that does not have to be the same. They both just have to be able to do Ethernet with the same files sharing protocol.

  • Drive letters and Volume label - How to associate with each other so i do not have to find my library everytime i move my external drive between my PC and MacBook Pro.

    Hi, i'm having issues within the folders area of the library module.
    My setup is the following. My home PC has Windows 8.1. My work laptop is a 17" MacBook Pro. The library file as well as the smart previews are all located on a dropbox drive.
    My issue is that when i would like to sync changes with the original files located on a 3TB external drive i share with both the PC and Mac, the drive name changes due to Windows using a Drive letter and OSX using a Volume Label. Is there a way to associate; for example H:  drive under the folders section with the External Drives Volume label so that i do not have to locate the missing files everytime i wish to synchronise?
    Any help in the matter would be greatly appreciated as i have switched from Aperture so i can edit my photos easily on both my Home PC and my Laptop.

    Nope. You can't change operating system mechanics. They simply work differently. For such a scenario in fact a NAS connected via network interface would be more suitable and avoid the issue...
    Mylenium

Maybe you are looking for

  • Transferring iTunes Purchases Between Accounts

    I have two Apple IDs, one iTunes ID and one Mobile Me ID. I don't want to have to move between the two. That is, use one for iTunes and another as my Mobile Me, but if I just use my Mobile Me one all my old purchases won't work or I'll have to consta

  • Problem with windows Vista 64bit

    Hello! I have core 2 quad processor, MSI p7n diamond nvidia 780i motherboard. At the end of instalation windows Vista 64bit, it has show blue screen and I dont know why? Can somebody help me? And I have 4GB ram.

  • Does anyone know how to remove IOS 7.0.2 Firmware and restore IOS 7.0.1?

    I recently downloaded IOS 7.0.2 believing it to be a fix to a vulerablity as Apple's update notice stated.  It infact proved to be a complete revison of IOS 7.0.1 and now I find myself stuck using what I consider a less than stearling Graphic/Human i

  • How to Add the business scenario for BPC by Using BPR

    Hi All, We want to Use Solution Manager BPR for Mapping of Business Processes for BPC and for this we checked and tried the same consisting of Solution Manager 7.0, "SAP Business Objects Business Planning and Consolidation" but it shows an  product v

  • HT4168 audio or video files in ePub document?

    I'd like to know if we can insert audio or video files to Pages that will export to ePub format? Thanks!