MacBook Pro :: Disadvantages Of Formatting An External Drive As FAT32?

Jun 5, 2012

what are the disadvantages of formatting an external drive as FAT32?

Info:
MacBook Pro

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MacBook Pro :: Formatting External Hard Drive / Using Fat Or Fat32?

Jan 24, 2010

I just bout this Western Digital External Hard drive, Passport SE. Anyways, I formatted it to MS-DOS (FAT) so I can use on mac and/or windows. One of the other main reasons I bought it was so I could use it to watch videos on my Xbox 360.

Now I've seen tutorials online with windows how to re-format it to FAT32 so it works properly on xbox 360 but cannot figure it out on mac? On some of the tutorials they use certain programs to do it, is there something like that for mac I can download? Is fat32 and fat the same? I know there has to be a way for me to be able to format it to FAT32 using mac.

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Hardware :: Format External Hard Drive To FAT32 / Formatting Without Erasing Data?

Jan 19, 2008

I have an external hard drive that I was previously using on PC, having attempted to use it on a Mac, it will not write to it. I've found that I have to format to FAT32, which I think i can just about manage (yes, im a girl) but my concern is, if i format through the MAC, will i then lose what's on the hard disk as the tab says 'erase'? I have a lot of images on the hard disk so am a little petrified! Any advice for this really basic question would be appreciated!

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OS X :: Formatting USB Stick On FAT32 System

Nov 14, 2009

For some reason, my USB stick is no longer read on Windows machines. They say it must be formatted. It is formatted as FAT32 and my Mac can read and write to it fine. I seem to recall this happening around when Snow Leopard was released - instead of deleting all the data, I'd usually just re-format it. Is Snow Leopard's partitioning and formatting for FAT32 changed? This is really irritating as it pretty much renders my USB drive useless. As I said, works fine on my Mac (haven't been able to try any other Macs).

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Hardware :: External Drive Format - NTFS/FAT32?

Feb 27, 2009

I'm going to buy my first Macbook this weekend and I'm trying to get myself ready so that I don't have to waste precious playing time on stuff like this I have an external hard drive filled with music, videos and files. I would like to keep using my drive on my mac to access my files and save backups etc. The hard drive is in NTFS format and from what I understand the mac will be able to read but not write to it - which isn't what I want. Ideally I don't want to lose the content on the drive, but if I have to I could slowly copy it all onto dvds. If possible I also want the drive to be compatible with Windows so I can plug it into parents/friends/uni's computers and still be able to view/add content on rare occasions. What format should the drive be and how do I do that? (I think I can manage to do it once someone points me in the right direction)

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MacBook Pro :: Formatting External Hard Drive For Apple And Windows

May 16, 2012

Ive recently purchased a new external hard drive. I plan to use it on both Apple and Windows OS. 

I was told that if I do, then i could corrupt the files/data that I will be accessing on both computers. 

Is there a "universal" format for an external drive which would prevent/avoid this kind of thing happening ? How should i format it or which format should i use so that i can use the drive both OS ?

Info:
MacBook Pro (13-inch Late 2011), Mac OS X (10.7)

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OS X :: Format External Hard Drive With Different Partition Schemes - HFS+ And FAT32

Nov 2, 2010

i'd like to format my lacie external hard drive with two partitions:

1. HFS+ partition as a bootable clone of my internal drive

2. FAT32 partition readable by any windows (and mac) machine

i'm creating my partitions with disk utility, but i hit a snag when choosing a partition scheme...apparently i cannot choose a different scheme for each partition.

so when i format the drive with GUID, the FAT32 partition is not even recognized by windows XP. but when i format the drive with master boot record (MBR), the HFS+ partition is not bootable...

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Hardware :: File Disappearing / No Icon On FAT32 External Drive?

Dec 29, 2008

While using my MacBook to access an external drive which is formatted Fat32, I attempted to slightly alter the name of a file with a particularly long file name. Once I changed the name, the file extension was cropped, and the file became inaccessible. Now I can see that the file is there (with no extension at the end of the name), but if I click on it or highlight it, it just disappears, and when visible, in place of the file icon there is just a dashed line box. The file is also visible with Terminal, but if I try to take any action Terminal reports that there is "no such file or directory."

I tried DiskUtility, DiskWarrior and File Buddy but apparently they don't work too well with the Fat32 format. I also tried repairing permissions, restarting the computer, disconnecting and reconnecting the hard drive, and also rebuilding the desktop (?) using alt-command on startup...all to no avail. It's clear what happened: I screwed up - I should have reformatted the drive before I put any files on it, right? But now, I just want my file back. I know it's there. I can see it, and I'm afraid to alter the drive in any way until I can access this file.

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MacBook :: Formatting External Hard Drives / Format Main Or Sub-drive?

Apr 8, 2010

got a real basic question to ask and you're gonna think im an idiot for asking...I just bought a 320gb western digital elements hard drive and want to reformat it so that its compatible for both mac and pc's. i intend to format it as NTFS-3G as it would allow me to use it on the 2 platforms without having the 4GB file size restriction that fat32 has, anyway.....

when I go to reformat my external hard drive in disk utility, I see my external hard drive to the left, and there's a "sub" hard drive as a child of the external hd listed uppermost. just wandering which one of the two do i select before going to Erase>Windows NT filesystem (NTFS-3G)>erase? Do I select the uppermost drive and erase that or the lower one? or both

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Mac Pro :: Convert NTFS External Hard Drive To FAT32 Without Loosing Data?

Jun 9, 2012

How to convert NTFS external hard drive to FAT32 without loosing data?

Info:
MacBook Pro, Mac OS X (10.5.8), Seagate Agent GoFlex 1.5TB

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MacBook Pro :: Formatting External Hard Drive - Format Using Extended Or Free Space?

Jul 27, 2010

I just got my new Seagate 640gb external hard drive and am in the process of formatting it on my MBP. However, I am not sure which format to do? My main use for the hard drive is for transferring media files back and forth between my MBP and PC using just one partition on the drive. I already know I'm not supposed to pick 'Mac OS Extended (Journaled)' because I believe that is to use it as a boot drive. So should I pick 'Mac OS Extended' or maybe 'Free Space'?

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Applications :: Disk Utility - FAT32 Partition With Existing MAC External Hard Drive

Jan 29, 2010

I have a 1/3 full external drive that is currently formatted for MAC OS External.

I want to partition the drive in half and use the 2nd partition for Windows FAT32.

However, when I try to do this with Disk Utility it does not give me the FAT32 option.

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Applications :: Recover Data From Fat32 Drive / Photorec Unable To Navigate External NTFS

Dec 16, 2009

I am in need of a data recovery app that can recover data off a Fat32 drive and save the recovered data to a NTFS drive (I use NTFS-3G). I have PhotoRec but can't seem to navigate to my NTFS external to save the data (the only drive big enough to save the data too is my girlfriend's 500GB external and it is NTFS).

Any tips to getting photorec to navigate to the drive (I am pulling from one external to another). Photorec sees the one I want to save too I just can't get it to select it. Also if there are any other programs yall recommend, I will give them a shot.

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Hardware :: Formatting Options With New External Drive?

Mar 20, 2008

I just purchased a new 750GB Seagate FreeAgent drive. I hooked it up via FireWire 400, opened Disk Utility and tried to format it as Mac OS Extended (Journaled). It gave me an error message saying it was the wrong format (or something like that - I can't remember exactly). I tried every Mac OS option and it gave me the same error message.

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Mac Pro :: Transferring External USB Drive Into An Internal Possible Without Formatting?

Apr 21, 2008

I have an external external 500gb Seagate hard drive, that works fine as a USB external but I wanted to put it inside my MacPro, is this possible without any need to format, just plug and play?

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OS X :: Partition External Hard Drive Without Formatting

Dec 26, 2009

if i can partition my Windows NFTS External Hard Drive. I do not want to format it because i have some important files and programs on my External Hard drive, But I also want to use it for Time Machine Backup. I was wondering if it was possible to Not format my Hard drive, Partition it, And then format the 2nd partition to Mac, and use it for time machine. I am using Mac OS X Leopard 10.5.8

The Capacity of the EHD is 55.9GB
Available: 37.1GB
Used: 18.8GB

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OS X V10.6 Snow Leopard :: External Hard Drive Formatting?

Mar 18, 2012

I have an external hard drive which I first used with my pc.  It is formatted for NTFS. Now with my new MBP, I want to back up data, and I am having no luck.  The external hard drive is a Verbatim brand, 500GB. On their website FAT32 download dosnt work!  I have tried disk utility with no luck.  What am I missing?

Info:
MacBook Pro (15-inch Early 2011), Mac OS X (10.6.8)

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OS X V10.7 Lion :: Formatting And Partitioning An External Disk Drive?

Apr 1, 2012

how to properly format and partition an ext drive using Disk Utility. I will be making a clone using CCC.

Info:
iMac (21.5-inch Mid 2011), Mac OS X (10.7.3)

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OS X V10.6 Snow Leopard :: Formatting A WD Elements 3TB External Drive?

Apr 14, 2012

I am, I hope, at the end of a 36+ hour formatting process with this WD Elements 3TB external drive. I decided to zero out the drive and when I went to bed last night at around 12am, there were about 6 hours left in the process. This morning at aroud 9am I went to check on the drive, expecting it to be ready to go, but I found it writing a temporary file. The progress bar is about 90% done. Is this part of the normal zeroing out process? If so, how long should this take? If this ISN'T part of the normal process, what should I do? 

Info:
Mac Mini 2 GHz intel Core 2 Duo, 4GB 1067 MHz DDR3, Mac OS X (10.6.4), 512 MB DDR SDRAM

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IMac :: External Storage / Backup - Disadvantages In Terms Of System's Performance?

May 8, 2009

Can anyone suggest which would be my best option for external backup? Would a RAID setup be good? I have two exactly the same hard drives laying around collecting dust, and would like to put them to use for an iMac. Could someone recommend a good external enclosure for these two? Which would be better - FireWire or USB2.0? I'm also interested in mirroring since I'd store important data on them, and want both drives to have a copy of each. Is there a disadvantage to that in terms of system's performance?

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IMac :: Formatting WD External Hard Drive / Unable To Format

Dec 27, 2010

I bought a WD My Book Essential to do Time Machine backups. It is formatted for a PC but I was told I need to format for my IMac before I can use it. How do I do that? Is it a complicated process? I have only been using a Mac for about a year now and am still learning about them.

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OS X :: Time Machine To Backup Data Without Formatting External Hard Drive

Jun 26, 2009

Can I use time machine to back up my data without formatting the external hard drive .. If not please let me know if there is a way to back up to hard drive without using time machine.. Thank you

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OS X :: Ntfs Formatting Of External Hard Drive / Restoring Files Via VMware On Xp?

Nov 27, 2009

I have an external hard drive that I use to watch movies on a Nintendo Wii and some of the movie files are over 7GB, which means when I format the drive to FAT32 I cannot copy the larger files. What are my options for getting around this problem? I have VMware fusion but I cannot easily see my external drive in XP. Is it possible to format the drive in XP and then transfer everything via VMware on XP?

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MacBook Pro :: FAT32 Hard Drive As A Time Machine Backup

Feb 15, 2012

i am trying to format my hard drive to work through my tv or ps3, and it wont work unless i reformat my Hard Drive to a FAT32 format. ca FAT32 be used for a time machine back up? (OS X Lion)


Info:
MacBook
Pro, Mac OS X (10.7.3)

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OS X :: Mac Won't Recognize External HD - FAT32

Dec 6, 2009

I formated a new 1.5TB WD hard drive, using the eSATA cable - in the FAT32 format so I can use it on my PC as well. (It was formatted on the MAC)

I was working on the Hard Drive via eSATA and the express card. Then the Hard Drive was accidentally unplugged. Subsequently, my MacBook Pro didn't like that and gave the warning message to properly eject ... too late! I restarted the MAC and it still won't recognize it - I've tried eSATA, USB, firewire- and nothing. The hard drive was all 3 connections. So, I tested the HD on a friend's MacBook Pro and the hard drive is recognized without any hesitation and it works fine. So, there is nothing wrong with the Hard Drive - its my MacBook that won't recognize it.

The HD won't even show up in disk utility of my MAC. I've restarted many many times and I've tried every port available.

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OS X :: Format External HD Partition FAT32

Dec 25, 2008

I am using this guide to get a new HD into my PS3: [URL:...] It says that the HD I back my PS3 up to needs to be formatted to FAT32. I have an external HD that I use with my mac, its partitioned into 4 parts. I have one partition which I don't use which I want to back my PS3 onto. In Disk Utility I select that partition and I only get 4 option under the Erase tab, 4 different Mac OS Extended options.

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OS X :: Changing Mac Fat32 External Hd To Nfts?

Jul 2, 2010

I have a macbook pro with an external harddrive formatted to MS-DOS FAT32 and want it to accept files bigger then 4gb (ie. HD Movies). Is there a way to change the individual movie files to be accepted by the Harddrive or do I have to reformat the harddrive completely?

If I do have to reformat my harddrive what format should i do so?

I want my external harddrive to be able to work on Windows and MacOS as well as accept files of any size (ie. over 4gb at least)

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Windows On Mac :: How To Format My External HD To FAT32/NTFS

Oct 27, 2007

I was using my external hard drive with my mac and its formatted in the MAC HF(something like that) file system. I would like to format that external hard drive such that the file system is either NTFS or FAT32 so that I can use it on my windows partition running on boot camp. I am asking this question since I am planning to get a new HD for my mac and use the old one with windows.

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OS X :: Application That Allow Write To NTFS External HD (Fat32)?

Aug 6, 2010

Simply looking for an application, preferably free, that will allow me to write to my NTFS external HD. I had this external as FAT32 before which was not problematic until I started downloading 720 and 1080 .mkv movies that were larger than 4gb. So I reformatted to NTFS which will accept files larger than 4gb but realized that OSX don't be got the ability to write to NTFS.

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Hardware :: Creating FAT32 Partition On External Hdd On Mac Osx?

Oct 5, 2008

I am trying to reformat a 500 GB USB HDD to one FAT32 partition so that I can use it on a Mac and a PC. I have seen many references to using the disk utitilty and creating a partition in MS-DOS format, but my computer does not have that option. The only four options I have are Mac OS Extended, Mac OS Extended (Journaled), Unix and Free Partition. Am I missing something here?

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