Which external hard drive can I use with my Macbook (2009)?

I'm looking to purchase an external hard drive for my 2009 Macbook os x 10.6.8 (the heavier, white laptop). It looks like most hard drives are compatible for Macbook Pro and newer.

If your MB is an early model 2009 you can use either Firewire or USB 2 drives, late model 2009's don't have firewire so you're limited to USB. I'd stay away from WD and Seagate externals, their enclosures aren't very reliable. The Toshiba Canvio drives work well. Pretty much any drive from OWC is top shelf http://eshop.macsales.com

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What is the type of portable hard disk that can be used with the macbook air

rickii wrote:
What is the type of portable hard disk that can be used with the macbook air
As long as it's USB, any one will work (If you're only using it for your Mac, then use Disk Utility to Partition it as GUID/HFS+).
Tony

On imac 10.6.8 using current version of Aperture. How can I access the Aperture Library on my external hard drive that I use with time machine for backup? I can only access the application but not the library..

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Go into Time Machine (the program not the bundle on the extrnal disk) and using Time Machine's browser go to the Folder where the library lives. You could look in the library bundle in Time Machine but that won't really tell you much,
If you want to make sure it truely has backed up your library you will need to restore it and open the restored library with Aperture.
If all this still has you confused you need to read up on Time Machine in order to get a feel for how it works, for what it is doing and for how to restore files from it.

I am new to a MAC. I have an external hard drive that I used with my Windows XP computer. Can I reformat it

I am new to MAC. I have an external hard drive that I used with my former computer running Windows XP. Can I reformat it to use with my new MAC? If so, how do I do it?

Yes you can. See the following:
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. Click on the Options button, set the partition scheme to GUID then click on the OK button. Set the format type to Mac OS Extended (Journaled.) Click on the Partition button and wait until the process has completed.
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5. Set the format type to Mac OS Extended (Journaled.) Click on the Security button, check the button for Zero Data and click on OK to return to the Erase window.
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Which external hard drive should I use to save my iTunes library?

Hi,
So I have collected so much music and movies in iTunes that my internal HD is practically full. (Library is over 500GB of 1TB and the rest is taken up with my apps and programs.) It's time to purchase an external hard drive to transfer my library to. Furthermore, I currently have a 2TB WD My Book for Mac that I am currently using for backup. The My Book is also full and Time Machine is deleting the oldest backups to make room for the current ones.
Here is where I need everyones advice. I am planning on purchasing a 3TB WD My Book for Mac. I am planning on purchasing more movies for iTunes. Which external hard drive should I use for what? Option A or B
Option A: Put my iTunes library on the 2TB external hard drive and use the 3TB for backup
Option B: Put my iTunes library on the 3TB external hard drive and continue to use the 2TB for backup
Also please give me your reasoning.
Thanks everyone for your responses!

Limnos,
So, let's go one step further with this. I read your reply to moving iTunes library to an external hard drive: https://discussions.apple.com/thread/4594518?tstart=0 However, if I move the iTunes library, will this include all the movies and apps that I have purchased?
Thanks!!!!

I have a Seagate Slim Portable 500 GB USB 3.0 external hard drive that worked great with my Macbook Pro 13" Retina but gets ejected and won't show files on any iMac.

I have a Seagate Slim Portable 500 GB USB 3.0 external hard drive that worked great with my Macbook Pro 13" Retina but gets ejected and won't show files on any iMac. My Macbook Pro and the two different iMacs I tried it on were all using Mountain Lion, so the only difference was the iMac versus Macbook Pro.

I just tried this, no luck...
I connected a different USB cable, still the same problem. Tried both cables with the problematic hard drive on two different computers, still the same problem.
At this point I assume I'll probably need professional help in saving the files, thanks for the assistance.

Best external hard drive format for use with mac and windows?

This is more of an apple operating system combined with windows operating system question, but being that my OS will upgrade an fluctuate there is not option to choose in the operating system section.
Anyways to the question(s)
This whole prbolem came about when my computer started having issues, I want to back it up and whether I can continue to use my laptop or not I will still be owning an apple in the future. I went to buy a hard for back up and got told that it is not as easy as one would think to transfer files from mac OS to windows OS and vice versa. I have a mac, my boyfriend has a windows computer; we share files. Mostly I just copy his files, but once in a while I give him files too. I have read up and talked to people and only found one solution so far to format the external drive to fat 32 or exfat. I think only mac has the exfat option, but works well between both OSs, correct me if I am wrong.
What is the difference between fat 32 and exfat?
A user posted some good info about formatting. More specifically .Drives, partitions, formatting w/Mac's + PC's
https://discussions.apple.com/docs/DOC-3044
If I do not want to use fat32 or exfat is there a format type that works great for mac saving that I can still at least save files to that were originally on a windows computer? Such as I copy his files from his external drive to my computer and then save them to my external drive.
Is there a better format for file sharing between mac and windows that does not set a 4GB limit?
And a silly question, Can you dual format a hard drive?
Note: This format is for an external hard drive.

I still do not know which format would be the best. That is so that I can use it easily between mac OSX and windows. Is FAT32 the only true option? How limited is it? I heard it is limited to 4GB file size for windows and 32 GB for Mac. Are there other sources I have not found with more concrete information on the limitations of this format?
I really do still need this information and I need to back up my drive before I can take the computer in for service.

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Basically I have an intel mini with 60gb hard drive, which I have now allocated 20 to xp via boot camp. I'm quickly using up the 20gb with a few games so I want to purchase an external storage device that will work with both osx and windows - is this possible?
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I still do not know which format would be the best. That is so that I can use it easily between mac OSX and windows. Is FAT32 the only true option? How limited is it? I heard it is limited to 4GB file size for windows and 32 GB for Mac. Are there other sources I have not found with more concrete information on the limitations of this format?
I really do still need this information and I need to back up my drive before I can take the computer in for service.

What should I format my wd external hard drive to to use with my new Mac Pro?

What format should my wd external hard drive be in order to use with my new Mac Pro?

If you're going to use it only with Macs, use Mac OS Extended (Journaled). It's the fastest filesystem to use on Macs.
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I'm looking for the best way (most bang for the buck) to go on an external hard drive. I'm on a budget, but am a photographer and need as much storage as possible. I want two hard drives,(one as a back up), 500gb each, but would prefer 1TB each. I found a good price on a 1TB drive but it only had USB 2.0. Last I remember I had to use Firewire but maybe this isn't true. Advice/suggestions?

Only if user manual allows so.
I don't know about Seagate, but LaCie for example has many FW models that use FW power directly from the Mac. They also have an optional power cable with a brick, in case user prefers USB connection.
Some other models won't work without own power, even on FW.

What external web cam can i use with my macbook pro?

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External Hard Drive to be used with windows and Mac

I shall paint the picture;
I have a very nice mobile hard drive on it's way to me, and I shall be upgrading to leopard at some point soon after receiving it, my MBP has a 120gb internal HDD and the external on it's way is 160gb .
I will be using it as a time machine HD , but will also be using it to transfer from my mac to college/university PCs.
So, do any of ya'l out there know a good way of going about it? My thoughts are along the lines of creating a separate windows/mac partition because Time Machine I assume uses HFS+ and as far as I am aware, windows is unable to use this.
I am not 100% sure on this so any help or corrections or indeed alternate solutions are welcome.
Only requirements are that it's with my MBP and G-Tech G-Drive mini only, no extra bits and bobs.
Thank you in advance

A 160 GB drive may be a bit small to use to back up a 120GB drive with TimeMachine... and have a separate partition to use for Windows files. While your MacBook Pro's 120GB drive may not be close to full yet... it will likely continue to grow in time. TimeMachine keeps multiple copies of files that you change allowing you to go "back in time" to various points. It will use as much space as is available on the drive. You may want to keep a larger external desktop drive for your TimeMachine backup... or dedicate your entire 160GB to it.

What type of internal hard drive can I use for my Macbook pro?

HI,
My macbook pro stopped working and I took it to Apple store to find out what was wrong with it. I have been told that the hard disk i snot working anymore.
Since I cannot afford to pay Apple's fees, I was told that I can order it online and pput the disk myself.
Can anyone please tell me what do I need to focus on when buying a hard disk and what would be the best hard disk for my macbook pro.
Thank you

A MacBook Pro uses a 2'5" SATA hard drive, so any hard drive with these specs should work. We recommend HGST and Seagate drives, but Western Digital drives also work correctly. Have a look at OWC > http://eshop.macsales.com/shop/hard-drives/2.5-Notebook/
7200 rpm HDDs will give you extra performance. They are not very expensive

Using Time Machine from external hard drive to start using a new MacBook

I recently totalled my MacBook (white) and am now looking to replace it with a second hand MacBook. I have an (un-totalled) external harddrive and have been using Time Machine to keep everything backed up. I found a second hand MacBook at a reasonable price but it runs OSX Tiger, whereas my old one ran Leopard. So my question is, will it be possible to plug in my external harddrive and restore everything, including the operating system, on this new (used) MacBook, or should I be looking for one that runs Leopard?
Many thanks for reading!

You can restore from Time Machine using Leopard or Snow Leopard only. What I would do if I were you is buy either of the MacBooks, but make sure you get a Snow Leopard install disc--either a retail one if you buy the Tiger MacBook, or the install disc for the pre-loaded software on the SL MacBook.
Use the SL install disc to completely erase and (re)install Snow Leopard on the MacBook. Since your Mac will be second-hand, you should fully erase it and start fresh, just in case there are some nasty little malwares left behind or other problems the original owner didn't want to deal with.
After the install, use Migration Assistant to get your data off the TM drive.

I recently bought my first mac and am wondering if my external hard drive that I used with my pc will be compatible?

I know that it will not be formatted for a mac, so does that mean I will be able to pull up information but not change or add to the content at all?

MelK1983 wrote:
How do I know that?
Use Disk Utility which can be found in Applications - Utilities. Select the external drive in the left-hand sidebar and info will appear at the bottom of the window, including formatting information.

Which external hard drive can I use with my Macbook (2009)?

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