USB Hard Drive Help!!?!

i have a simple drive 375GB USB hard drive that already has data from my xp computer. however, it is only compatible with my mac if i erase all of the data to make it into FAT32. is there a way i can do this without needing to erase the data that is on the drive?

Hi shultzie445, and a warm welcome to the forums!
I think there are better tools in Windows for doing that, like Partition Magic.
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/

Similar Messages

Lost write privileges to external USB hard drive- please help!

Hi,
I've got an external Western Digital 250GB USB hard drive that has been chugging along just fine until about a month ago, when somehow I seemed to have lost write privileges to the top level directory. I"m not sure if this happened when I installed an Mac OS update, or what, as I use the drive as backup and didn't notice it for a while.
The drive appears in the sidebar with a tiny lock icon, and when I try to copy a file from my internal HD to the external (top level directory, or drag the items right onto the icon), the following things happen:
Dialog box says "The item "foo" cannot be moved because "External HD" cannot be modified", with an authenticate button, which I then click.
After I authenticate, I get the error msg "The operation cannot be completed because you do not have sufficient privileges for some of the items."
But I *CAN** copy files directly into a folder that already exists on the external drive, but I cannot create new folders in the top level directory.
I have tried the following, to no avail:
1) "get info" on the external drive, checkign the permissions. In the Ownership and Permissions section, it says "You can Read & Write", and under details:
Owner: my account (dimmed) and access level is "read & write".
Group: my account (dimmed) Access: Read only
Others: No access
Ignore ownership on this volume (unchecked).
The fact that my account was named both as owner and group seemed odd, since in Group the access was "read only". I clicked on the little lock icon next to Owner, authenticated, and was allowed to change the Group settings. I changed the Group access to "read & Write", but it's not "sticking" -- when I close teh details field and reopen it, or close the get info window and reopen, the Group access settings go back to "read only".
2) I've also, of course, tried repairing permissions on my internal startup drive, which did not help the matter. Also in Disk Utility, I verified/repaired the offendin external USB drive (no problems), Verify/Repair permissions were dimmed for this drive (I assume becuase it doesn't have MacOS X installed on it?)
3) Searched the forums, Western Digital support, etc. and I cannot seem to figure out what has gone wrong.
4) When I connect the drive to another computer (my iBook) the situation is the same. Also, when I create a new admin user account and try to access the drive from that account, I still cannot write to the drive.
Thanks, I appreciate any tips or pointers.

The drive appears in the sidebar with a tiny lock icon, and when I try to copy a file from my internal HD to the external (top level directory, or drag the items right onto the icon), the following things happen:
Open the Terminal in the /Applications/Utilities/ folder and enter the following:
chflags nouchg
followed by a space; next, drag the disk into the Terminal window and press Enter. The lock should now be gone.
The fact that my account was named both as owner and group seemed odd, since in Group the access was "read only".
Recent versions of Mac OS X create a group with the same name whenever you create an account from the Setup Assistant or System Preferences. The Group permissions don't apply in this case.
I changed the Group access to "read & Write", but it's not "sticking" -- when I close teh details field and reopen it, or close the get info window and reopen, the Group access settings go back to "read only".
Did you get an error message after doing this?
Verify/Repair permissions were dimmed for this drive (I assume becuase it doesn't have MacOS X installed on it?)
That is correct. The Repair Permissions mechanism uses data from the /Library/Receipts/ folder on a disk to function, and this data is only present on disks which have Mac OS X installed.
(12377)

When i was installing bootcamp, it deleted my coursework on my 1TB usb hard drive?? why is this?? can someone help??

When i was installing bootcamp, it deleted my coursework on my 1TB usb hard drive?? why is this?? can someone help??

You did something wrong. Why was your usb hard drive connected? Did you somehow format the external hard drive? If so, your files are gone.

External USB hard drives working very slow and/or not recognized. Help!

This probably started after my Yosemite upgrade, but my external usb hard drives either aren't working well or not being recognized. It's taking forever to write files to my external Seagate Free Agent USB 2.0 through front ports and my thumb drives aren't mounting (they have shown up for a second or two, then nothing). Is there a fix? I'm on an early 2008 mac pro with Yosemite 10.10.2.
Thanks!

Do an SMC reset using this slightly-modified procedure:
Resetting the SMC for Mac Pro, Intel-based iMac, Intel-based Mac mini, or Intel-based Xserve
1.Shut down the computer.
2. Unplug the computer's power cord.
[2a. Press the power-on button to discharge the power capacitors.]
3. Wait fifteen seconds.
4. Attach the computer's power cord.
5. Wait five seconds, then press the power button to turn on the computer.
in all cases, the stated times are recommended minimums, and there are no maximums.
Intel-based Macs: Resetting the System Management Controller (SMC) - Apple Support

How to restore machine using a TM backup on a usb hard drive from older imac to a brand new iMac?

My imac (the one that had a superdrive in it), had a broken superdrive and was sent for repair. Whilst being "repaired" the screen was broken. I now have a brand new imac albeit without a dvd drive. My question is how to I restore my the old TM back up which had been made to an external usb hard drive to the new imac. Help files say that I should not restore from a TM file to a different machine and that I should use migration assistant. Whilst I can see the external usb drive in TM it is not being recognised in Migration assistant when I click on back up from a TM backup on another machine or disk.
Any ideas?
Just noticed that this new machine is running OSX 10.8.4 the broken imac was on mavericks

This is very simple first run Software Update on the new machine and get your machine upgraded to the most recent version of Mountain Lion 10.8.5. Install all other software updates Apple recommends in Software Update. Then care fully read Pondini's guide on using Migration Assistant located at:
http://pondini.org/OSX/MigrateLion.html
Your migrated data will be in a new account, to access it log into the new account.
Also DO NOT repeat DO NOTuse Wi-Fi to migrate data, if your TM backup drive uses USB, then connect it via USB and follow the on-screen instructions as described in Pondini's guide.

External USB hard drive not being recognized

Hello! I'm sure this has been posted before, but excuse my naivety with this sort of thing...
I have a mac mini 10.5.6 (1.83 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo) and I run the Time Machine function to an external usb hard drive. The hard drive worked fine (plugged into the usb port on an older keyboard), but I went out and bought a new aluminum apple keyboard (because they look so cool ^_^ ) - I plugged the external usb drive into the keyboard and it wasn't recognized, so I tried plugging the external drive directly into the mac mini, but it is still not recognized. It is not showing up in Disk Utility or in System Profiler
Help? I'd hate to have to give up this fancy keyboard...
Thank you!
Dr. E

I believe I had my external drive plugged into the (old) keyboard because with the old mac that I had didn't have a free usb port for it - so when I got the mini I just plugged things back in where they were. But I have always had the Time Machine back up to this drive (connected to the keyboard) though it has been slow (another reason I thought the new keyboard was a good idea).
I tried restarting the computer without the alu keyboard plugged in, but same problem of no drive showing up.
Here is what System Profiler has to say about my drive:
USB2.0 Storage Device:
Capacity: 93.16 GB
Removable Media: Yes
Detachable Drive: Yes
BSD Name: disk1
Product ID: 0x6830
Vendor ID: 0x04b4 (Cypress Semiconductor)
Version: 0.01
Serial Number: DEF107920F07
Speed: Up to 12 Mb/sec
Manufacturer: Cypress Semiconductor
Location ID: 0x3d130000
Current Available (mA): 100
Current Required (mA): 0
Mac OS 9 Drivers: No
Partition Map Type: GPT (GUID Partition Table)
S.M.A.R.T. status: Not Supported
Volumes:
USB:
Capacity: 92.84 GB
Available: 53.14 GB
Writable: Yes
File System: Journaled HFS+
BSD Name: disk1s2
Mount Point: /Volumes/USB
I don't know the brand or model as it has 'always' been in the case that in which it currently resides and I didn't physically buy the thing :\ I do know that no software was installed with the drive as I assumed that when I put all the old info from the original mac to the mini that it was the sort of thing that would carry over.
Sorry I'm not terribly helpful - Thank you!
Dr. E

USB hard drive not detected on reboot

I am running Windows 7 Ulitmate 64-bit on my 2011 15" Macbook Pro. I have a USB Hard Drive (WD My Passport SE - USB 3.0/2.0 - 1 TB).
The hard drive is formatted for HFS+ and I am running Mac Drive 8 to detect it in Windows.
For some reason when I reboot (in Windows), the hard drive won't be there until I unplug it and plug it back in.
This is really annoying! Can anybody help me? I'm pretty good with things like this but I can't think of any reason this shouldn't be working right.
HELP =T
Message was edited by: PTHEOFYL
Message was edited by: PTHEOFYL

I am having the exact same problem. WD 1TB Passport. USB 3.0 drive. Running on Windows 7 Pro 64 via Bootcamp.
My 1TB Passport is formatted with FAT32 and works with Windows and Mac OS.
I was getting the same problem when I was running Windows XP Pro on the same MacBook Pro. I was hoping the upgrade to Windows 7 would remidy the issue but it did not.
The drive light is on in a steady state when I boot and I have the same symptoms as reported by everyone else above.
In my research, I am leaning towards thinking that it is a power issue related to the cable used to connect the USB 3.0 Drive or something to do with the USB driver for Bootcamp, but researching the WD site suggests it's a power issue, not a faulty or failing drive.
I have a 500GB WD Passport USB 2.0 also attached to my computer, also running FAT32 and it starts up no problem. It's just the USB 3.0 drive that is having this issue.
Also worth noting; the drive is detected properly when I boot in Mac OS X. It's only the Windows side I have to unplug and plug back in to access the drive.

USB Hard Drive Permissions Issue

Hi,
I just attached a new USB hard drive to my iMac. I would like to make it so only I can have write access to the drive; I want my kids to be able to see the files but not modify or delete.
I tried by unchecking 'Ignore permissions', and setting permissions where I have read/write, and others have read, but when I switch to one of my kids' accounts, they have full control, and in fact they are shown as owner.
Thanks for any help you can provide,
Andy

Hello Asopos,
I have difficulty in reading the screenshots, you can post in the corresponding forum or add some comments.
Set your Country/Region and Language Preferences
http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/SelectLocale?fromPage=http%253a%252f%252ftechnet.microsoft.com%252fen-us%252f
If my understanding is right, in the USB-hard-drive(NTFS), all folders in the USB drive have the unknown account and the root of the drive don’t have the account.
It is a SID. Possible that this account was removed and permission has not been removed.
Please take ownership of the folder and check if we can normally deleted the account.
http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/cc753659.aspx
Best regards,
Fangzhou CHEN
Fangzhou CHEN
TechNet Community Support

I have received an error message from an attached USB hard drive (not Time Capsule) stating "Disk Name" cannot be repaired. Back up your data and reformat. I opened the Disk Utility in an attempt to repair the disk but am advised that the disk "could not

I have received an error message relating to an attached USB hard drive (not a back up and not Time Capsule) advising that "disk name" cannot be repaired. Back up your data and reformat. When I attempted to verify the disk with Disk Utility, I was advised that the disk could not be unmounted. What can I do to repair the disk?
Write Status is Read/Write
SMART Status is Not Supported
Partition Map Scheme is Master Boot Record
HELP!
timothy7712

You need something stronger, such as DiskWarrior, TechTools Pro, or Data Rescue.

External USB Hard Drive not showing up on Time Capsule

Hi all,
I have a 500 Gb Time Capsule that used to be able to detect my external USB hard drives. I had to store my things for a while and have just started using the Time Capsule again. The TC works fine, however, the same USB external hard drives I used to connect to the TC are not showing up anymore :s They show up on the desktop when I connect them directly to my MacBook via USB. I have been through most of the file sharing options in Airport Utility and System Preferences but have not been able to solve this. I can't think of any settings that would have changed from when they were showing up in the past. Any help would be greatly appreciated. Thx

yosemite won't work with ntfs drives for some reason, i've had the same issue with my toshiba. i thought ok lemme buy another one, and transfer it over maybe it's a driver issue which i've tried over and over, apple support can't figure it out.
here's a simple fix, but the problem is i have an external where all my photography and video files are stored, so i can't access them right now and it's making my life ****.
http://guides.macrumors.com/Formatting_an_External_Device
that does work and make the drive mountable now, but problem being i can't obviously reformat the old drive and lose everything. once the new drive is formatted for mac i can't plug it into a pc to transfer the files from. which is the only problem now. but formatting the drive for mac only DOES work. but you're just screwed and not able to use it ntfs. hope the link helps SOME people.

How do I view a file from a usb hard drive connected to my airport extreme base station on my ipad 2?

Hi,
I just purchased the airport extreme base station. I have a usb hard drive connected to the base station. Is it possible to view this hard drive on my ipad 2? I have been unable to do it. Any help would be appreciated.

You can't, not natively. An app like FileBrowser:
http://www.stratospherix.com/products/filebrowser/
may make this possible, though.
Regards.

Setup of USB Hard Drive on Airport Extreme for Time Machine

Hi all,
I upgraded to Mountain Lion a while back and am running the latest Airport Utility. Here's the problem: I can't get Time Machine to work anymore with my USB Hard Drive attached to my Airport Extreme. Is this setup no longer possible under Mountain Lion? Do I have to buy a Time Capsule? For the last couple of years I've had two MacBooks backing up with no problem to the USB drive connected to the Airport Extreme. Any advice would be appreciated!
Thanks,
Chris

While you can do this as Kappy points out, there a few details that you might want to consider before you make the move.
1) Time Machine backups to a drive at the USB port of the AirPort Extreme are not supported by Apple. While this does seem to work for some users, others (like me) have difficulty with corruption issues. The bottom line is that this is not a reliable method to back up your important data....and, no support or help from Apple if you do have difficulties.
Reference this Apple Support Document to confirm:
"Time Machine can’t back up to an external disk connected to an AirPort Extreme......"
http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?path=Mac/10.6/en/15139.html
2) If you move the iPhoto library to the hard drive attached to the AirPort Extreme....your original or master library now resides on that disk.....and you have no backup for the library.....when, not if.....the drive has a problem.
3) You might want to post in the iPhoto forum to ask if it is still an iPhoto requirement that only one user at a time can have iPhoto open with the shared library arrangement.

How to i get my usb hard drive to auto show on desk top

Hi
I have a small business and so multiple macs with 1 single external hard drive for storage
One of the Macs automatically connects to the USB hard drive when the mac starts up in a morning, whereas with the others you have to search for the shared drive and manually connect to it.
We have now changed to a new hard drive and would like all the Macs to automatically link in the morning and so wondered how this is done. Also the older mac is now still looking for the old drive and I cant stop it!
Hope this makes sense?
Hope someone can help
Cheers
Michael

You need to find the IP of that drive.
If they in fact do show up on the Desktop, then create a new Folder maybe named Shares on/in the Desktop, drag all those Shares shown on the Desktop to that Folder, drag that Folder to the right side of the Dock between Applications & Trash, this should give you a popup menu to select from.:-)
Mount that Share once, then once the Globe Icon shows up on the Desktop, drag that Globe Icon to the right side of the Dock between Applications & Trash. You now have a Dynamic Mount, a quick click on the Icon in the Dock will connect you.

CPU is very hot when using Thunderbolt display and mac attached USB hard drive for TimeMachine

Hello,
i've bought the new MacBook Pro 15" and a Thunderbolt display. Everything works fine for me due to the latest updates, but i experience an issue which i really don't understand. When i connect an usb hard drive for TimeMachine to my display it works like expected (CPU has a temperature of 64°C), but when i connect it to an usb port of the mac while using my display the CPU temperature goes crazy (spikes about 80°C) and it gets very noisy. Has anyone else experienced this behaviour?
May this has something to do with the dual graphics adapter and how the system handles the data stream to thunderbold ports and usb devices? Which graphics card is used for the external display, the internal gpu or the adapter from ati? I've googled a lot but haven't found appropriet answers about these questions.

Hi there ulairi9!
I understand how this would be a frustrating issue! I have an article here that can provide some troubleshooting steps for you, and can hopefully help you resolve the issue. That article specifically addresses the issue you are experiencing, and can be found here:
AirPort Extreme and Time Capsule: External USB drive becomes inaccessible
http://support.apple.com/kb/TS3271
Thanks for using the Apple Support Communities!
Cheers,
Braden

MAC Mini & 2.5 USB Hard Drive Issue

Strange thing happening with a new MAC Mini:
For Christmas, I bought my wife a brand new MAC mini. Everything has been working fine. So, for our anniversary, I bought her a 120 gig USB hard drive (I know, I'm such a romantic
Anyway, ever since I hooked up the hard drive (USB Drive) to her system, it seems that when I first turn the MINI on, the keyboard and mouse completely stop working. once, I had to hold the power button in to hard boot it, then, when it restarted, everything was working fine again.
Tonight, when I turned the MINI on, it did the same thing. No keyboard or mouse. Then, after I hard booted it, the mini never booted up. Black screen. USB hard drive light was on, but, no MAC power light and screen was black.
Now, I just unplugged the USB drive and all is working fine again.
It seems that the USB hard drive being plugged in while powering the MINI up is giving me some grief.
Does anyone have any ideas as to what can be happening here? It is a brand new MINI with Leopard installed. I highly doubt I have a defective MAC because everything was fine until I plugged a USB HDD into it. With the drive unplugged, it seems that it works fine.
No Operating System(s) are on the USB drive. Just pictures and movie files.
Here is the drive I got her:
http://www.walmart.com/catalog/product.do?product_id=8110750
Any ideas will be greatly appreciated.
Gary

I'm sorry. I should have been more detailed in my description. It is a Toshiba drive. here are the specs:
The Toshiba HDDR120E02X 120GB Hard Drive is USB-powered and includes an internal shock sensor and ramp loading technology. Ready to go out of the box and certified to work with Windows XP and Vista as well as Mac OS 10.3.9 or later.
Technical Information
Storage Capacity
120GB
Drive Performance
Data Transfer Rate
480Mbps External Maximum USB 2.0
Interfaces/Ports
Interfaces/Ports
USB 2.0 USB
Physical Characteristics
Form Factor
External Hot-swappable Portable
Miscellaneous
Compatibility
USB 1.1
Plug n Play
I didnt have it hooked to the keyboard though. I have had some trouble trying that in the past, so, other than my mouse, nothing else is plugged into the keyboard.
Thanks again for your help.

USB Hard Drive Help!!?!

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