Accessing data from a read-only hard drive on Mac Solved/Closed

Question

Hello everyone!

New user of a Mac (3 days!), everything is going very well :)
However, my external hard drive seems to be read-only; I can read its content, but I can't transfer files onto it.
Can someone tell me how to fix this, please?

Thanks in advance :)

CalvinConfiguration: Mac OS X
Safari 419.3

_Ritchi_ · Accepted Answer

Hello Calvin,

Classic problem: your storage device (USB stick, hard drive, ...) is formatted NTFS, hence read-only access and no writing from your Mac.

To answer GF's question, here's how to format a disk from Mac OS X:

Formatting in DOS/FAT32:
This disk format allows the use of the disk on both a PC and a Mac. There are some limitations (such as the maximum file size of 4 GB)...

This is done using Disk Utility: see the section "D. Format and partition" and "E. Use an external hard drive on Mac"

Launch "Applications / Utilities / Disk Utility"
Select the "Partition" tab
Select the hard drive (the 1st icon, which indicates the size of the disk)
Choose "One Partition" for the "Volume Configuration" field (do not leave this field set to "Current" otherwise the other fields will remain grayed out)
Give a name to your future hard drive
Select "MS-DOS (FAT)" for the "Format" field
Click on "Options" and choose "MBR"
Start formatting by clicking on "Apply"

Formatting in Mac OS Extended (native format on Mac):
If you plan to use your drive only on Mac, it is better to format it directly in Mac OS Extended.

Launch "Applications / Utilities / Disk Utility"
Select the "Partition" tab
Select the hard drive by clicking on the 1st icon, which indicates the size of the disk
Choose "One Partition" (or two or more) for the "Volume Configuration" field (do not leave this field set to "Current" otherwise the other fields will remain grayed out)
Give a name to your future hard drive ("MacIntosh HD" for example)
Select "Mac OS Extended (Journaled)" for the "Format" field
Click on "Options" and choose:
- "GUID" for an Intel Mac
- "Apple Partition Map" for a PowerPC Mac
Start formatting by clicking on "Apply"

Ritchi

tribun · Answer

Good evening to transfer a file or program, you must right-click on your file, click on copy, go to your hard drive, click on edit and click on paste

soleil91 · Answer

good evening - ??? - your hard drive has appeared on your desktop - when you clicked on it, it opened - when you clicked on something of your choice, it was read - what you want to transfer is located somewhere ...x = you should be able to drag and drop it to this hard drive (and to the location you want on this hard drive if you have opened multiple folders) by keeping the mouse button on that item and dragging it to the desired location that you will have previously opened at the same time on your desktop = a lot of intuition and logic rather than great technicality at this stage --
and as always, we provide our model and version of the Mac and the device - it helps a lot apparently!!!!!!!!!! see you+++++

Calvin Brennan · Answer

Thank you for your response, but I believe there is a misunderstanding.
I usually have no problem transferring files to my hard drive.
Right now, I can only view my hard drive (a Memup 155 GB - in the information, I see "format - NT Windows file system"). I also have a 2GHz MacBook.
In the "information" section of my hard drive, I see that it is read-only.
What I am looking for is to change that so it is no longer read-only and I can finally transfer files again.
I tried the Tribun method - which worked fine on my PC - but nothing on Mac.

Yann · Answer

Your drive is likely formatted in NTFS (Windows format). MacOS can only read NTFS, not write on it, hence your issue. I recommend reformatting your external drive to FAT32 (compatible with both Windows and Mac).

CalvinBrennan · Answer

Thank you Yann, without any further answers that's what I had resigned myself to do :)

enzo · Answer

Hello, I can't get a connection on my Freebox, but everything works fine on my PC. What should I do? Whenever I plug it into the Freebox, it always beeps...

leeloup40 · Answer

Hello,
I see this post is a bit old, but I'm jumping in because I really need a helping hand.
I have the same problem: I have a MacBook with Mac OS X 10.5.8 (9L31a) and the device I need to use is in NTFS. So, I believe I need to reformat the external hard drive to FAT32 as mentioned earlier. However... I don't know how to do it if it will have repercussions on the external hard drive...
If anyone hears my cry for help, thank you in advance!!
Talk soon!

carolagrave · Answer

If you’re using Windows in Parallels, you copy to the desktop whatever you want to copy to the hard drive, and by connecting the hard drive to Windows, it will be recognized for "writing" files. That’s how I do it.

matchstick · Answer

I have the same problem... does anyone have an answer please?

fafaletek · Answer

A try for Mac OS X 10.6: http://ntfsmounter.com/

Accessing data from a read-only hard drive on Mac

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