Trying to find the best format for an external hard drive
I have a new iMac 20", and I am now converting an external hard drive I had on another computer to be compatible with this one. The ext. HD was formatted as NTFS, and I would like to make it much more easily read/write. I've tried using various tools to enable write support on the drive, but I'm giving up on that, instead opting that I just format the drive to something else.
Disk Utility doesn't really offer me a comprehensive comparison of UFS and Mac OS Extended (Journaled), or any of the OS Extended derivatives.
Since Everything is either:
a) Mac OS Extended
b) MS-DOS or
c) Unix File System
What are the differences between a) and c) and why would I choose UFS over the others? For the time being, I just want to set up the drive as a backup, but I may use it for more than that, since it has a Firewire connection to it, enabling much better performance than USB.
Thanks in advance,
Nick
File system formats and partition map schemes are two different things.
OS X requires the Mac OS Extended (HFS+) file system formatting scheme. Details on file format schemes are in http://developer.apple.com/documentation/Performance/Conceptual/FileSystem/Artic les/MacOSXAndFiles.html
ICBMs (Intel-chip-based Macs) require the GUID Partition Table scheme. Details on partition mapping schemes are in http://developer.apple.com/documentation/MacOSX/Conceptual/universalbinary/universal_binary_tips/chapter_5_section10.html and further information on GUID is in http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/GUIDPartitionTable.
Erasing. When you erase a volume, you delete the volume's file directory (when you erase a disk, you also destroy its partitions and directories); and, when you zero out the data, you write 0s and 1s to the disk and map out bad blocks.
So, I suggest using Disk Utility and erasing, zeroing out data, Mac OS X Extended, and the GUID partition scheme.
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One of the things I've found with OS X (at least with Snow Leopard, which is my first excursion into OS X), is that all too often the thumbnail displayed on a file, whether a file created or one downloaded, is a false thumbnail. That is, when you do a Get Info on the file the icon in the upper left is the generic icon for that file type, rather than the thumbnail displayed in Finder. Makes it a bit difficult to copy.
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This is not the forum for MacBook Pro owners.
You just need to reformat the drive in Disk Utility and erase the drive and have Mac HFS.
If you did need to use NTFS then you would not want -3G but Paragon NTFS for OS X x. 10.0
Or buy something that isn't pre-formatted to Windows NT file system.
First though make sure you have backups of your system. TimeMachine being used now?
http://macperformanceguide.com/Mac-TimeMachine-drive.html
http://www.apple.com/support/timemachine/
Maybe cleanout some files you don't need.
Install a larger notebook hard drive even.
http://www.macsales.com/firewire has a lot of choice in Mac compatible drives and enclosures so you don't need to worry about Fantom not working at some point.
https://discussions.apple.com/community/notebooks/macbook_pro
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I just bought a new Mac and I want to transfer some data (not all) from my old Mac. Basically, I want to move my itunes library, iphoto library, and a few documents. I have not even turned on my new Mac yet. Is the best way by an external hard drive?
If both have Firewire ports then you can accomplish your goal by using Target Disk Mode. If this is not possible then you can do using an external drive or if you have a local network connect both to your network and use filesharing between the two computers.
File Sharing on Macs
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Best format for an external hard disk
Hi
I need to re-formated my WD 1TB external hard drive and was wondering what is the best file format to use (MS DOS FAT-32, Mac OS Extended Journalled etc)
All I store on it are all my videos, tv shows, and back-ups of all my work, documents etc, but I don't use it with time machine
Is one format better than the other for my needs?
Thanks
AndyFrankless24 wrote:
How can I transfer something off of the drive that is over 4GB??
You don't transfer the file to a FAT(32) aka "MSDOS" formatted drive, partition or USB thumb drive.
The file is already on a drive that is formatted either exFAT, NTFS or HFS+ as it's over 4GB already or it wouldn't be there in the first place.
Drives, partitions, formatting w/Mac's + PC's -
Where can I find the files using up my external hard drive?
I have a 1TB iMac and have two external hard drives attached to keep the computer free of hard drive use for two reasons: Disk 1-is a 250GB hard drive I have dedicated to perform Time Machine backups of my home folder. Disk 2-is a smaller 120GB hard drive I keep my compete iTunes library of music in case the computer has a malfunction, so all the work I've done putting the library together will be secure. Here's the thing...the iMac's hard drive is hardly used, just as I want containing about 150GB total. Meanwhile, the Time Machine disk is nearly full with 225GB used, and just 25GB remainibg. The hard drive with the iTunes files looks pretty good too using about 70GB of it's 120GB. I believe Time Machine is in no way, backups the iTunes library just the iMac.
How can I figure out where the additional space is getting used up on that disk? I do have a couple of extra logins I use for alternate use such as a different iPhoto library I want kept seperate from mine, but I did not think the backup was saving those files as they are not even under the Time Machine setup.
Can anyone advise why the backup is larger than the use of the computer? I knew when I dedicated a smaller hard drive to back up a larger one that it was possible the backup drive would get too full, but I can figure out what's happening. I've erased the Time Machine disk and allowed it do a completlely new backup and again, it's always sigificantly larger.
Thanks!Okay...I have some more information and perhaps we are getting closer. On the 250GB, first I went into that disk and used Disk Utilty to re-format it once using Mac OS Extended (Journaled) then a second time, zeroing it out. I did a screen shot to review if needed, and both times it looked perfect...249GB available. Then I went into the Time Machine preferences to get ready to backup again, and it had not excluded the other external 120GB with iTunes so I excluded it. I may has previously, never noticed in that screen that it takes a bit of time for it to calculate the information to save. I may have just clicked on it quickly without reviewing it first. Today I did, and gave it time to calculate. At one point the actual 250GB itself, showed up and I excluded it too like the 120GB. After it finished, the calculations are still it wrong - claiming it has a 200GB backup when the iMac either contains 150GB (based on when I do Get Info) on it or from OmniDisk which calculated about 100GB. I have not allowed Time Machine to do a backup yet, until this discrepancy can be clear.
One thing that I thought I had seen or reviewed previous on the Time Machine settings was my home folder - I could be wrong but wanted to mention that. Another little tidbit to ponder an well is that I have a files of icons that I use for the Hard Disks, and a few folders where I Get Info on the Icon and on the destination and just cut and paste. I did that today to the 250GB after zeroing, but while I was in the Time Machine settings the change was deleted and neither the manufactures icon was there nor mine, and it has the default blue-green one the software uses. I know, because my sister's is that way on her system-unchanged.
Feedback? -
What format is best for an external hard drive for video editing on a mac?
What's the best format for an external hard drive for video editing to be use with a mac only? I need to format my new hard drive and want to be sure I choose the right format.
I concur with Kappy. His suggestion is correct.
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where to find the best application for cleaning out my MacBook Air with OS X 10.7.5? I've been using MacKeeper but believe it's slowing down my laptop considerable. Thank you.
How to maintain a Mac
1. Make redundant backups, keeping at least one off site at all times. One backup is not enough. Don’t back up your backups; make them independent of each other. Don’t rely completely on any single backup method, such as Time Machine. If you get an indication that a backup has failed, don't ignore it.
2. Keep your software up to date. In the Software Update preference pane, you can configure automatic notifications of updates to OS X and other Mac App Store products. Some third-party applications from other sources have a similar feature, if you don’t mind letting them phone home. Otherwise you have to check yourself on a regular basis. This is especially important for complex software that modifies the operating system, such as device drivers. Before installing any Apple update, you must check that all such modifications that you use are compatible.
3. Don't install crapware, such as “themes,” "haxies," “add-ons,” “toolbars,” “enhancers," “optimizers,” “accelerators,” "boosters," “extenders,” “cleaners,” "doctors," "tune-ups," “defragmenters,” “firewalls,” "barriers," “guardians,” “defenders,” “protectors,” most “plugins,” commercial "virus scanners,” "disk tools," or "utilities." With very few exceptions, this stuff is useless, or worse than useless. Above all, avoid any software that purports to change the look and feel of the user interface.
The more actively promoted the product, the more likely it is to be garbage. The most extreme example is the “MacKeeper” scam.
As a rule, the only software you should install is that which directly enables you to do the things you use a computer for — such as creating, communicating, and playing — and does not modify the way other software works. Use your computer; don't fuss with it.
Safari extensions, and perhaps the equivalent for other web browsers, are a partial exception to the above rule. Most are safe, and they're easy to get rid of if they don't work. Some may cause the browser to crash or otherwise malfunction. Some are malicious. Use with caution, and install only well-known extensions from relatively trustworthy sources, such as the Safari Extensions Gallery.
Never install any third-party software unless you know how to uninstall it. Otherwise you may create problems that are very hard to solve.
4. Beware of trojans. A trojan is malicious software (“malware”) that the user is duped into installing voluntarily. Such attacks were rare on the Mac platform until sometime in 2011, but are now increasingly common, and increasingly dangerous.
There is some built-in protection against downloading malware, but you can’t rely on it — the attackers are always at least one day ahead of the defense. You can’t rely on third-party protection either. What you can rely on is common-sense awareness — not paranoia, which only makes you more vulnerable.
Never install software from an untrustworthy or unknown source. If in doubt, do some research. Any website that prompts you to install a “codec” or “plugin” that comes from the same site, or an unknown site, is untrustworthy. Software with a corporate brand, such as Adobe Flash Player, must be acquired directly from the developer. No intermediary is acceptable, and don’t trust links unless you know how to parse them. Any file that is automatically downloaded from a web page without your having requested it should go straight into the Trash. A website that claims you have a “virus,” or that anything else is wrong with your computer, is rogue.
In OS X 10.7.5 or later, downloaded applications and Installer packages that have not been digitally signed by a developer registered with Apple are blocked from loading by default. The block can be overridden, but think carefully before you do so.
Because of recurring security issues in Java, it’s best to disable it in your web browsers, if it’s installed. Few websites have Java content nowadays, so you won’t be missing much. This action is mandatory if you’re running any version of OS X older than 10.6.8 with the latest Java update. Note: Java has nothing to do with JavaScript, despite the similar names. Don't install Java unless you're sure you need it. Most people don't.
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If storage space is running low, use a tool such as the free application OmniDiskSweeper to explore your volume and find out what's taking up the most space. Move rarely-used large files to secondary storage.
6. Relax, don’t do it. Besides the above, no routine maintenance is necessary or beneficial for the vast majority of users; specifically not “cleaning caches,” “zapping the PRAM,” "resetting the SMC," “rebuilding the directory,” "defragmenting the drive," “running periodic scripts,” “dumping logs,” "deleting temp files," “scanning for viruses,” "purging memory," "checking for bad blocks," "testing the hardware," or “repairing permissions.” Such measures are either completely pointless or are useful only for solving problems, not for prevention.
The very height of futility is running an expensive third-party application called “Disk Warrior” when nothing is wrong, or even when something is wrong and you have backups, which you must have. Disk Warrior is a data-salvage tool, not a maintenance tool, and you will never need it if your backups are adequate. Don’t waste money on it or anything like it. -
Hi All,
working in animation project to be broadcasted on a TV channel as HD1080 50i,
1- all the animation layers was rendered from TOONBOOM as .SWF to keep it in vector for compositing issue.
Dose SWF lose any quality? we always use TGA sequence with alpha in our past SD projects but now we found SWF is a smaller file size and allows zooming Because it keeps all vector lines.
2- compositing each scene in after effects cs6 and then render them.
What is the best format for output to deal with premiere cs6 as a real time playback ( my editing pc includes gtx680 4gb., many HGST 3tb with raid controller,64g ram, aja kona 3g) so do I go with TGA sequence (I think it will destroy the raid Because of the large number of small-sized files in read and write ) or MOV uncompressed (I'm afraid of the space size and don’t know it will play in real time ) or what is the best compressed format Maintaining video image quality as its now will be my only master source?
Many thanks,
sherifThanks Rick for your reply,
Regarding the SWF i moved to flash pro forums and they are supporting me now,
My system is a pc, win.64, I7-3930K, 64G RAM, EVGA GTX680 4G, Many HGST 3TB with raid controler,
Some advised me to go with Quicktime Prores HQ or DNXHD or DPX ,
In this year project my client's requirement for delivery is :
DNxHD 120 Codec, wrapped with QuickTime rapper, which means a file with MOV extension and the codec used is DNxHD 120 ( 1080@50i HD)
So do i work with dnxhd 120 from the beginning to the delivery? (and it will be my only master source) or another format encode it at the end to dnxhd 120? ( i will distribut this project to many channels after the first run exclusivity period end with different requirements).
Thanks,
Sherif -
What is the best USB powered portable 1TB hard drive for a macbook pro that allows Time machine to work, windows (thru Parallels software) and mac storage and is available in Australia?
I agree with teh OWC sggestion above, but why must it be USB powered? I find that far more unreliable, and the low power devices slow.
I'd frankly get a good external enclosure and buy a bare drive. But the OWC stuff is quite good - vastly better than some of the majors (WD being aprime example of stuff that's boderline quality and often not compatible)
Grant -
Hi All,
I am currently trying to backup my iTunes library onto an external hard drive so that I can copy it onto my new Macbook Pro. I have been following the steps posted on the Apple website however each time I get a dialogue box stating:
'The operation cannot be completed because you do not have sufficient privileges for some of the items'.
Is this because I have items that were bought under another persons iTunes account? If so, is there a solution to this problem? Or am I doing something completely wrong?
Thanks in advance,
Sbrooks19Go through the below forum with similar issue and follow the process mentioned by "Macjack" in the beginning.
https://discussions.apple.com/thread/4499820 -
Once I upgraded to ML, I'm now finding that my Seagate Free Agent external hard drive is no longer being backed up by Time machine. Do I have to wait for Seagate to update their drivers for this hard drive?
I tried your suggestion, and it's been giving me the message "Preparing for Backup" for the past 8 hours. Does this mean TM is backing up my hard drive? I'll give it a few more hours, but if nothing else happens, I'm not sure what else to do. I'm not sure if there are any new external hard drives that are compatible with ML yet.
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I got a Model Number: A1181, My hard drive burned out. I bouhgt a new hard drive Wd Blue Scorpio 500 GB. When i tried to install the MAC OS, it identifies a hard drive with 3.6 TB and i'm not able to do the installation. I touhgt the new ard drive was bad but i was able to install windows XP. Any ideas what do i have to do?
Well, let's hope that nothing was jiggled out of place when you were installing the new hard drive. Your optical drive may just be out of alignment or the disc you have is "dirty." Get a lint-free cloth and some rubbing alcohol, then clean the disc as thoroughly as you can starting from the center and working outward in a concentric circlular motion. See if that helps. In particular clean the inner portion well.
If this does not help, then you have a problem. You have opened the computer yourself. That action voids all support from Apple. If you take the computer in for service the store may refuse to service the computer. This is not related to your now expired warranty. -
I was trying to move my photos from the iPhoto library to an external hard drive. I now have a desktop display of thousands of cascading photos. How do I remove them from my desktop screen?
Strangely enough we can not see you so it really helps if you share with use exactly what you have, exactly what you did and details about the problem
what version of iPhoto and of the OS? What exact steps did you do? where are you seeing these "thousands of cascading photos" now and using what software and what exactly did you want to accomplish
The correct way to move your iphoto library to an external drive is to verify the drive is formatted Mac OS extended (journal) and then drag the iphotl library intact as a single entity to is
The correct way to move some or all of your photos is to select them in iphoto and export 9file menu ==> export -- https://discussions.apple.com/docs/DOC-4921 ) to the external drive
LN -
I have an imac 2009 the disk drive is damaged and I have lost the passwords I need to reset passwords I tried booting with a macosx disk from an external hard drive but did not read the drive how else can I reset password ?
I have a 2012 mac book pro can I use that to connect with firewire and load osx that way? and how woudl I do that?
Thanks so much!To what password are you referring? Do you mean your user account's admin password? Or do you mean the master password for File Vault or do you mean a Firmware Password?
For an admin password:
Forgot Your Account Password
For Snow Leopard and earlier
Mac OS X 10.6- If you forget your administrator password
For Lion/Mountain Lion
Boot to the Recovery HD:
Restart the computer and after the chime press and hold down the COMMAND and R keys until the menu screen appears. Alternatively, restart the computer and after the chime press and hold down the OPTION key until the boot manager screen appears. Select the Recovery HD and click on the downward pointing arrow button.
When the menubar appears select Terminal from the Utilities menu.
Enter resetpassword at the prompt and press RETURN. Follow
instructions in the dialog window that will appear.
Or see Reset a Mac OS X 10.7 Lion Password and
OS X Lion- Apple ID can be used to reset your user account password.
If you cannot do the above then try this:
1. Boot to Safe Mode by restarting and after the chime press and hold down the COMMAND-S keys until a black screen with white type appears.
2. At the prompt, type the following commands pressing return after each command line:
/sbin/fsck -yf
If you do not receive a "Filesystem OK" message then repeat this command until
you do. If after seven tries you still do not receive a "Filesystem OK" message,
then the system is corrupted and needs to be reinstalled.
mount -uw /
cd /private/var/db/netinfo
mv local.nidb local.old
rm ../.AppleSetupDone
shutdown -r now
The second-to-last command above will cause OS X to think that the operating system is newly installed, and when the new owner starts up the computer it will send him/her to the startup wizard where he/she can start a new user without reinstalling.
This last method does not actually change a password. It simply removes the user accounts and lets you create an initial admin account as if the computer were new out of the box.
How to reset the OS X password without a startup CD:
Reboot into Single-user Mode. Enter the following and press RETURN after each command line
1. Type fsck -fy
2. Type mount -uw /
3. Type passwd <username>
I have never tried this method myself.
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