Format hard drive only for MAC
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Moriarty
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heyyyy Posted messages 2 Status Membre -
heyyyy Posted messages 2 Status Membre -
Hello everyone!!!
I'm surprised by the few sites dedicated to MAC... I come from PC (so far, due to 3D), but I am now turning to MAC, and I have chosen, to start, a 17" eMac which runs on Mac OS X Panther.
Anyway... My Mac has a 30 GB hard drive which I find a bit light, but I can manage with it locally. I have therefore decided to buy an external hard drive (with a Fire-Wire enclosure, as recommended), which I will reserve for MAC and won't use on PC at all.
I'd like to know what steps to follow, please. Is there, like on PC, a disk management attribute that allows for formatting an external hard drive???
Thank you in advance for your responses which I hope will be numerous and see you very soon!!!
Moriarty
I'm surprised by the few sites dedicated to MAC... I come from PC (so far, due to 3D), but I am now turning to MAC, and I have chosen, to start, a 17" eMac which runs on Mac OS X Panther.
Anyway... My Mac has a 30 GB hard drive which I find a bit light, but I can manage with it locally. I have therefore decided to buy an external hard drive (with a Fire-Wire enclosure, as recommended), which I will reserve for MAC and won't use on PC at all.
I'd like to know what steps to follow, please. Is there, like on PC, a disk management attribute that allows for formatting an external hard drive???
Thank you in advance for your responses which I hope will be numerous and see you very soon!!!
Moriarty
Configuration: eMac G4 30GB HD, 256 MB RAM, 17" Screen Mac OS X Panther
Liens connexes:
- portable external hard drive compatible with Mac/PC without formatting
- Hard drive not found to reinstall macOS
- Connecting a system hard drive from an old Mac to a new Mac without Time Machine
- Hard drive recognized on Mac but not on PC
- Copying files from a Mac to an external hard drive using the Terminal
- Transfer from Mac to NTFS external hard drive
17 réponses
You need to format your external hard drive (EHD) to FAT-32. Go to "Applications" -> "Utilities" -> "Disk utilities". Drag the icon of your EHD from the left column to the right one. Select FAT-32 as the format. Continue. It will warn you that it will erase. Ok. And it's done.
So don't forget to copy all the files elsewhere before doing this!
So don't forget to copy all the files elsewhere before doing this!
Jojo
Thank you so much for the help, it's awesome!!!
As for your external hard drive, you can install your system on it externally
for that, you need to format your external hard drive using Disk Utility, then select your external hard drive and in the formatting options choose "GUID Partition Map"
once the external hard drive is formatted, download CloneX and copy your system using it... this may take several hours, but the result is quite good. I did the same with a USB 2.0 external hard drive and it works flawlessly, so with FireWire it will be even better
at startup press ALT to boot from your external hard drive
you will now have more space on your startup disk than before and will be able to make backups on the internal hard drive which will be free...
if it's just to format your external hard drive, go to Disk Utility and partition your external hard drive in extended Mac OS X format (journaled)...
for that, you need to format your external hard drive using Disk Utility, then select your external hard drive and in the formatting options choose "GUID Partition Map"
once the external hard drive is formatted, download CloneX and copy your system using it... this may take several hours, but the result is quite good. I did the same with a USB 2.0 external hard drive and it works flawlessly, so with FireWire it will be even better
at startup press ALT to boot from your external hard drive
you will now have more space on your startup disk than before and will be able to make backups on the internal hard drive which will be free...
if it's just to format your external hard drive, go to Disk Utility and partition your external hard drive in extended Mac OS X format (journaled)...
Hello Jujube, I'm going to try to be didactic...
1, First of all, if you have multiple connection options on your external hard drive, USB, FireWire, try them all before reading the following on your Mac then the PC
2, your drive doesn't appear on your Mac's desktop:
go to Applications
then in the Utilities folder
then click on Disk Utility
if you see your drive in the left column, click on it once.
in the right part of the window, you should be able to read several tabs.
choose the Partition tab
a drop-down menu should appear above a schematic of your hard drive.
it should be on Current
choose by clicking on the drop-down menu: 1 partition
choose in the other drop-down menu on the right Mac OS Extended (Journaled)
and finally click on Apply and ZOOOuuuu!
3, your drive doesn't appear on the PC's desktop:
click on start
right-click on the My Computer icon
click on Manage
a window for managing external (and internal) drives opens
if you see your external drive in the right part
right-click on it and format it to NTFS or FAT
4, about formatting:
The NTFS format, better than FAT16 or 32, allows you to have files larger than 4 Gigabytes and is read by all PCs.
the Mac can read and write natively on all formats except NTFS
to write on an external hard drive formatted as NTFS, you will need to acquire and install on your Intel Mac, a software called Paragon which is much more reliable according to all my work colleagues who do heavy graphic work.
The HFS format (Mac OS Extended Journaled) is the one used by your Mac natively but cannot be read by PCs.
BUT try first to connect your hard drive via all the ports on your external hard drive beforehand.
If this does not answer your question, you can always claim the warranty.
The customer service will open your drive to connect the hard drive directly inside the casing to verify it. Sometimes the failure occurs after a few hours of use. For my part, for example, I bought a very good quality Popcorn multimedia drive, but it sparked as soon as I plugged it into my television (!). I had worked on it for a whole day to transfer my photos and my favorite DVDs. As long as I was connected to the Mac, there was no problem, neither in writing, nor in navigation, nor in control reading. The failure that never happens according to all the users of the same wonderful drive. The customer service exchanged it for me and if I had to buy another one, I would choose the same brand because it is by far the best that exists...
1, First of all, if you have multiple connection options on your external hard drive, USB, FireWire, try them all before reading the following on your Mac then the PC
2, your drive doesn't appear on your Mac's desktop:
go to Applications
then in the Utilities folder
then click on Disk Utility
if you see your drive in the left column, click on it once.
in the right part of the window, you should be able to read several tabs.
choose the Partition tab
a drop-down menu should appear above a schematic of your hard drive.
it should be on Current
choose by clicking on the drop-down menu: 1 partition
choose in the other drop-down menu on the right Mac OS Extended (Journaled)
and finally click on Apply and ZOOOuuuu!
3, your drive doesn't appear on the PC's desktop:
click on start
right-click on the My Computer icon
click on Manage
a window for managing external (and internal) drives opens
if you see your external drive in the right part
right-click on it and format it to NTFS or FAT
4, about formatting:
The NTFS format, better than FAT16 or 32, allows you to have files larger than 4 Gigabytes and is read by all PCs.
the Mac can read and write natively on all formats except NTFS
to write on an external hard drive formatted as NTFS, you will need to acquire and install on your Intel Mac, a software called Paragon which is much more reliable according to all my work colleagues who do heavy graphic work.
The HFS format (Mac OS Extended Journaled) is the one used by your Mac natively but cannot be read by PCs.
BUT try first to connect your hard drive via all the ports on your external hard drive beforehand.
If this does not answer your question, you can always claim the warranty.
The customer service will open your drive to connect the hard drive directly inside the casing to verify it. Sometimes the failure occurs after a few hours of use. For my part, for example, I bought a very good quality Popcorn multimedia drive, but it sparked as soon as I plugged it into my television (!). I had worked on it for a whole day to transfer my photos and my favorite DVDs. As long as I was connected to the Mac, there was no problem, neither in writing, nor in navigation, nor in control reading. The failure that never happens according to all the users of the same wonderful drive. The customer service exchanged it for me and if I had to buy another one, I would choose the same brand because it is by far the best that exists...
Having tried NTFS Mounter on my 10.6, I can just report that the FireWire connection would no longer mount the external hard drive... so I tried the USB input and the drive was immediately recognized.
I checked the permissions, etc... finally, I uninstalled it.
My FireWire 800 drive was recognized again.
I then reinstalled NTFS Mounter... same again!
I finally tried Paragon... NO problem...
NTFS Mounter is free... but if I had to choose...
I checked the permissions, etc... finally, I uninstalled it.
My FireWire 800 drive was recognized again.
I then reinstalled NTFS Mounter... same again!
I finally tried Paragon... NO problem...
NTFS Mounter is free... but if I had to choose...
Hello,
following some manipulations whose outcome I was unaware of, I feel like I've made an irreparable mistake with my new LG HXD2 500GB hard drive!!!!! Help!!!!!
I have a Mac OS X and I plugged in my HDD straight out of the packaging, which indeed appeared on the desktop, but I couldn't add files to it.
That's when I started searching online for information regarding the formatting of which, being completely ignorant, I knew nothing about.
I therefore followed the instructions provided above, particularly those from deathtroll ("if it's just to format your external hard drive, go to Disk Utility and partition your HDD in the mac osx extended (journaled) format...").
I partitioned it, I was waiting to see the famous "fat32" appear, but then the HDD disappeared from my desktop!!!! When I reconnect it, the computer informs me that "The disk you inserted is not readable by this computer."
Catastrophe!! Did I make a fatal manipulation? Could you tell me how to finally get it working? Following the instructions from Sebdev, should I format it first on PC, then again on Mac? Knowing that I'm a complete novice user who didn't think I would need any computer knowledge to operate a hard drive...
If there are among you people with a dose of patience and some teaching skills to guide me step by step through the manipulations to be done, I would be super grateful, as I need my HDD for a job in a few days.
Thank you in advance!
following some manipulations whose outcome I was unaware of, I feel like I've made an irreparable mistake with my new LG HXD2 500GB hard drive!!!!! Help!!!!!
I have a Mac OS X and I plugged in my HDD straight out of the packaging, which indeed appeared on the desktop, but I couldn't add files to it.
That's when I started searching online for information regarding the formatting of which, being completely ignorant, I knew nothing about.
I therefore followed the instructions provided above, particularly those from deathtroll ("if it's just to format your external hard drive, go to Disk Utility and partition your HDD in the mac osx extended (journaled) format...").
I partitioned it, I was waiting to see the famous "fat32" appear, but then the HDD disappeared from my desktop!!!! When I reconnect it, the computer informs me that "The disk you inserted is not readable by this computer."
Catastrophe!! Did I make a fatal manipulation? Could you tell me how to finally get it working? Following the instructions from Sebdev, should I format it first on PC, then again on Mac? Knowing that I'm a complete novice user who didn't think I would need any computer knowledge to operate a hard drive...
If there are among you people with a dose of patience and some teaching skills to guide me step by step through the manipulations to be done, I would be super grateful, as I need my HDD for a job in a few days.
Thank you in advance!
Why not use the Disk Utility of MacOSX?
I have no problem recovering almost the entire capacity of my hard drives with each reformatting.
I have no problem recovering almost the entire capacity of my hard drives with each reformatting.
Hello,
Classic problem: your storage device (hard drive, ...) is formatted NTFS, hence read-only access and not write access from your Mac.
Free solution 1: format the storage device from the Mac to "MSDOS FAT". Disadvantage: maximum file size: 4GB
Free solution 2: MacFUSE
Free solution 3: NTFS Mounter (only works on Mac OS X 10.6 (more details here...)
Paid solution 1: MacDisk
The storage device is formatted Mac OS Extended and you install MacDisk on the PC so it can read this format.
Disadvantage: the software needs to be installed on each PC you visit with your storage device. Solution: create a small MSDOS partition where you put the MacDisk installation software so that the PC you visit can retrieve the MacDisk installation executable.
Paid solution 2: Install one of the following software on your Mac:
NTFS-3G for Mac
Paragon NTFS for Mac
Also see Françis's response, aka Sanspseudo:
More details...
Ritchi
Classic problem: your storage device (hard drive, ...) is formatted NTFS, hence read-only access and not write access from your Mac.
Free solution 1: format the storage device from the Mac to "MSDOS FAT". Disadvantage: maximum file size: 4GB
Free solution 2: MacFUSE
Free solution 3: NTFS Mounter (only works on Mac OS X 10.6 (more details here...)
Paid solution 1: MacDisk
The storage device is formatted Mac OS Extended and you install MacDisk on the PC so it can read this format.
Disadvantage: the software needs to be installed on each PC you visit with your storage device. Solution: create a small MSDOS partition where you put the MacDisk installation software so that the PC you visit can retrieve the MacDisk installation executable.
Paid solution 2: Install one of the following software on your Mac:
NTFS-3G for Mac
Paragon NTFS for Mac
Also see Françis's response, aka Sanspseudo:
More details...
Ritchi
At my level, I've always found solutions. I think I need to get my hands on a PC, format the hard drive under Windows, and then I hope it will work.
If anyone has the solution, I'm all ears.
Thanks in advance.
If anyone has the solution, I'm all ears.
Thanks in advance.
Hello everyone,
I found THE solution: I indeed had to format the external hard drive with a PC. Then I used the Disk Utility on MAC to format it again. And there, oh miracle, it works. Be careful when unplugging the external hard drive, you must absolutely use the "Eject" icon, otherwise, it crashes. I had to redo the procedure twice because of that. Now I can save on PC or Mac at my choice on the external hard drive and everything is readable on both.
Best regards
I found THE solution: I indeed had to format the external hard drive with a PC. Then I used the Disk Utility on MAC to format it again. And there, oh miracle, it works. Be careful when unplugging the external hard drive, you must absolutely use the "Eject" icon, otherwise, it crashes. I had to redo the procedure twice because of that. Now I can save on PC or Mac at my choice on the external hard drive and everything is readable on both.
Best regards
I have another issue regarding an external drive that I want to format, but whenever I try to erase it, no matter the choice (Extended Mac or FAT, etc.), I get an error message:
Disk erase failed. Error:
Input/output error
Here are the details that appear for the external disk:
Name: WD Media
Type: Disk
Partition scheme: Not formatted
Disk identifier: disk2
Volume name: WD Media
Media type: Generic
Connection bus: USB
USB serial number: 202020202020202020202020202020
Writable: Yes
Ejectable: Yes
Mac OS 9 drivers installed: No
Location: External
Total capacity: 2 TB (2,199,023,255,552 bytes)
S.M.A.R.T. status: Not managed
Disk number: 2
Partition number: 0
This disk is only visible in the Disk Utility window. It doesn't appear anywhere on the desktop even after unplugging and replugging it, before or after turning on the Mac (iMac 17", 1.25GHz half-sphere version).
If anyone has encountered this problem before, please help me. A+
Disk erase failed. Error:
Input/output error
Here are the details that appear for the external disk:
Name: WD Media
Type: Disk
Partition scheme: Not formatted
Disk identifier: disk2
Volume name: WD Media
Media type: Generic
Connection bus: USB
USB serial number: 202020202020202020202020202020
Writable: Yes
Ejectable: Yes
Mac OS 9 drivers installed: No
Location: External
Total capacity: 2 TB (2,199,023,255,552 bytes)
S.M.A.R.T. status: Not managed
Disk number: 2
Partition number: 0
This disk is only visible in the Disk Utility window. It doesn't appear anywhere on the desktop even after unplugging and replugging it, before or after turning on the Mac (iMac 17", 1.25GHz half-sphere version).
If anyone has encountered this problem before, please help me. A+
OK, I just had the same "POSIX" problem and out of memory when reformatting an NTFS drive...
I went back through the last surviving PéChé still at home to reformat it to NTFS...
then simply reconnected it via FireWire to the MAC... Disk Utility... HFS journaled... OK
This problem is related to Paragon which allows reading and writing on NTFS with the MAC but causes issues later when trying to reformat via USB connection...
Since it's a trial version, I'm going to uninstall Paragon via AppDelete for a thorough cleanup. This will teach us not to flirt with #@!OoO<> elements related to the PéChé environment!!!
I went back through the last surviving PéChé still at home to reformat it to NTFS...
then simply reconnected it via FireWire to the MAC... Disk Utility... HFS journaled... OK
This problem is related to Paragon which allows reading and writing on NTFS with the MAC but causes issues later when trying to reformat via USB connection...
Since it's a trial version, I'm going to uninstall Paragon via AppDelete for a thorough cleanup. This will teach us not to flirt with #@!OoO<> elements related to the PéChé environment!!!
Formatting the hard drive in MS-DOS (Fat) via the disk utility allows reading and writing from both the Mac and the PC.
The only problem: files cannot exceed 2 GB. Larger files will need to be split.
The best option is to format the drive in NTFS via a PC, another format readable by both Mac and PC. File sizes can be much larger. You will just need to invest 30 euros in a software called Paragon for the Mac to read the NTFS format. There is a demo version available for download on the manufacturer's website to get an idea.
As for me, I've solved the problem differently...I only have Macs at home now!
The only problem: files cannot exceed 2 GB. Larger files will need to be split.
The best option is to format the drive in NTFS via a PC, another format readable by both Mac and PC. File sizes can be much larger. You will just need to invest 30 euros in a software called Paragon for the Mac to read the NTFS format. There is a demo version available for download on the manufacturer's website to get an idea.
As for me, I've solved the problem differently...I only have Macs at home now!
Jujube, your disk was certainly formatted in NTFS...
This format, while readable by your Mac, did not allow you to write to it but only to read it or copy the files stored on it to your Mac (unless you have a PéChé of course)
This NTFS formatting allows for large formats, but to give you read, write, and delete rights you need to either:
-purchase and install Paragon (a good utility) then long live NTFS which has its advantages, large file sizes and connectivity on Mac and PC.
-connect your hard drive to a PC, and reformat it in NTFS. Then you can choose to keep it that way for compatibility, or decide like me that the HFS journaled of Mac is more reliable and that the world of PéChés can go take a hike with the Cro-Magnon men, then reconnect it to the Mac and reformat it again.
This format, while readable by your Mac, did not allow you to write to it but only to read it or copy the files stored on it to your Mac (unless you have a PéChé of course)
This NTFS formatting allows for large formats, but to give you read, write, and delete rights you need to either:
-purchase and install Paragon (a good utility) then long live NTFS which has its advantages, large file sizes and connectivity on Mac and PC.
-connect your hard drive to a PC, and reformat it in NTFS. Then you can choose to keep it that way for compatibility, or decide like me that the HFS journaled of Mac is more reliable and that the world of PéChés can go take a hike with the Cro-Magnon men, then reconnect it to the Mac and reformat it again.
Thank you for your response, Simba-Sarabi. I gave my HDD to a friend who has a PC, and he returned it to me without having touched it because "the HDD does not show up on the desktop." Besides the fact that I suspect he might be as clueless as I am, I am really starting to worry: have I done the irreversible by partitioning the HDD on my Mac, since it doesn't show up anywhere at all now? Do you think you can give me a solid answer on this subject?
Otherwise, I'm thinking about going to an internet café and trying to format it on a PC. Could you indicate the steps to take (which folder to look in, which application to open, etc.)?
Regarding your advice, I didn't fully understand: is the only way to use my HDD on both Mac and PC to format it in HFS? And is that why we need this famous Paragon? However, the HDD's manual does not mention any additional software required at all...
I'm asking you to clarify this because I feel like there's a contradiction in what you said: "your disk was certainly formatted in NTFS... This format, while readable by your Mac, does not allow you to write on it," so what I understand here is that NTFS does not allow me to use my HDD on Mac. But later, it seems you say that NTFS is good for compatibility: "connect your hard drive to a PC and reformat it in NTFS. Then you decide to keep it that way for compatibility."
Thank you for clarifying this for me. I admit I'm still not very computer-savvy...
Otherwise, I'm thinking about going to an internet café and trying to format it on a PC. Could you indicate the steps to take (which folder to look in, which application to open, etc.)?
Regarding your advice, I didn't fully understand: is the only way to use my HDD on both Mac and PC to format it in HFS? And is that why we need this famous Paragon? However, the HDD's manual does not mention any additional software required at all...
I'm asking you to clarify this because I feel like there's a contradiction in what you said: "your disk was certainly formatted in NTFS... This format, while readable by your Mac, does not allow you to write on it," so what I understand here is that NTFS does not allow me to use my HDD on Mac. But later, it seems you say that NTFS is good for compatibility: "connect your hard drive to a PC and reformat it in NTFS. Then you decide to keep it that way for compatibility."
Thank you for clarifying this for me. I admit I'm still not very computer-savvy...
Hello,
Jujube,
You should have all the explanations about this here:
https://forums.commentcamarche.net/forum/affich-17554614-utiliser-un-disque-dur-externe-sur-pc-et-mac#2
Best regards
--
Francis Sanspseudo - iMac Intel Mac running OS 10.6 + iMac-G5 running Mac OS 10.5
Always indicate your exact configuration: Mac model and Mac OS version!
Jujube,
You should have all the explanations about this here:
https://forums.commentcamarche.net/forum/affich-17554614-utiliser-un-disque-dur-externe-sur-pc-et-mac#2
Best regards
--
Francis Sanspseudo - iMac Intel Mac running OS 10.6 + iMac-G5 running Mac OS 10.5
Always indicate your exact configuration: Mac model and Mac OS version!
Hello,
If the Mac is running Mac OS 10.6, NTFS Mounter is sufficient to enable writing capabilities on the NTFS format. Paragon is then unnecessary. See the link I provided above.
Best regards
The Mac can read and write natively on all formats except NTFS. To write on an external hard drive formatted in NTFS, you will need to acquire and install a software called Paragon on your Intel Mac, which is much more reliable according to all my colleagues at work who do extensive graphic design work.
If the Mac is running Mac OS 10.6, NTFS Mounter is sufficient to enable writing capabilities on the NTFS format. Paragon is then unnecessary. See the link I provided above.
Best regards
Hello,
My concern is more about reclaiming storage space!
Western Digital 1.5 TB external drive
I am on Mac OS X 10.5 Leopard
After deleting some files placed on it = I still show a capacity close to 1.36 TB?
I used Drive Genius 2 to perform a secure wipe "1 pass (zeros)" and it did succeed, but I still have 1.36 TB!
Is there any way to recover the 140 GB?
Thank you!
My concern is more about reclaiming storage space!
Western Digital 1.5 TB external drive
I am on Mac OS X 10.5 Leopard
After deleting some files placed on it = I still show a capacity close to 1.36 TB?
I used Drive Genius 2 to perform a secure wipe "1 pass (zeros)" and it did succeed, but I still have 1.36 TB!
Is there any way to recover the 140 GB?
Thank you!