I need to know what I should get to back up my current PS3 hard drive...?

uppity cra

I recently got a bigger hard drive for my PS3 and it turns out my friend doesn't have the free space I need on his flash drive to copy my current content from my old hard drive. So what would be better a flash drive or portable hard drive... is there any advantages to having a flash drive or portable hard drive handy besides just for my PS3... I've looked around a little and it seems like flash drives are either really expensive or don't have enough space that I need. Also, if I go with a portable HD are there any specifications it has to have to be compatible with a PS3 or will any kind work? So that's my question. Quick responses would be greatly appreciated as I'd like to either go buy one today or get one ordered.
I figured it out more or less... Though I managed to back up my data onto my ipod AND a flash drive I was unable to copy it onto the new drive... Apparantly whatever flash drive you use is sometimes hit and miss... I will most likely go ahead and get an external hard drive... I think if get a housing I can use my old PS3 hard drive as one... We'll see...

Answer
Oh yeah there is a great advantage because if your PS3 hard drive goes you still have all your info and saved games on the thumb drive or external hard drive and you can then just upload them on the new PS3 hard drive.

I would get the external hard drive so you can use it on your computer and PS3. You only really need like a 250GB or 500GB external hard drive. It hooks up through the USB port.

I would like to change my PS3 40 GB hard driveout and put in a 60 GB hard drive?

Shaundo

I would like to know if were to change my PS3 40 GB hard driveout and put in a 60 GB hard drive would i be able to play my PS2 games?

Answer
It doesn't matter if you have the 20GB, 60GB, or even the new 80GB PlayStation 3--you can always use more storage space. All that available hard-disk space quickly disappears once you start downloading games, demos, and HD videos. Fortunately, Sony has designed the PS3 to allow console owners to perform their own hard-drive upgrades. You can go out and select your own hard drive instead of being forced to buy an official first-party hard-disk accessory. However, giving console owners that freedom means that aspiring upgraders will need to know how to select the right hard-drive upgrade and the proper installation technique.

The first step to replacing the hard disk is going to the store or visiting an online retailer to pick up a new hard disk. The PS3 is compatible with just about any 2.5-inch SATA notebook hard disk. Both 5400- and 7200-RPM drives should work fine. The physical size of the hard disk is important because it has to fit the PS3's 2.5-inch drive tray. As far as storage capacity goes, it doesn't make sense to go through the trouble of upgrading unless you go big: We're talkin' 120GB, 160GB, or even 250GB.


Hard-disk manufacturer Seagate supplied us with a 160GB Momentus 5400.3 for our upgrade.

Once you have your upgrade drive, the next step is to back up the data on your current PS3 hard drive to an external storage unit. You can skip this step if you aren't attached to your music, videos, and game saves, but most of us will probably want to save all that information. The PS3 has a built-in software backup utility that can copy the PS3's hard-drive contents to an external storage device, such as a USB thumb drive or a memory stick. The removable storage device must use the FAT32 file system in order for the PS3 to recognize it. If you have an external hard drive that's formatted in NTFS, you can use the Disk Management utility in Windows to reformat the drive, but you'll need to create partitions on large external hard drives because Windows can only do FAT32 on drives 32GB or smaller.


Save your data using the PS3's backup utility.

If your storage device isn't large enough to handle a full system backup, you can selectively copy data over through the various music, photo, and game menus in the XMB. Your PlayStation Network login and system settings will remain safe on the system during the entire process. After you have your data safely backed up, you can move on to the actual hard-drive swap.

You will need a Phillips-head screwdriver to complete this part of the installation process. The PS3 owner's manual also includes step-by-step details on how to replace the hard drive, in case you need more instructions.


Turn off and unplug the system. Remove the plastic HD side-panel, and remove the blue screw.


Open the metal latch, move the drive tray to the right, and slide out the drive.


Remove the four screws that hold the hard drive to the tray. Use a screwdriver that fits snugly because the screws are extremely tight and easy to strip.


Swap in the new drive, and replace the screws.


Put the drive tray back into the system and slide it into place. Then replace the blue screw and snap the side panel back onto the system.


Turn on the console and let the system format the new drive. Then load up the PS3 backup utility to restore data from your external storage device back onto the PS3 hard drive.

At this point you should have a newly upgraded PS3 and the leftover hard drive. You could try selling the old drive, but small-capacity used drives might not fetch enough money to be worth the hassle of finding a buyer. If you still want to make the drive useful, you can buy an external drive enclosure to make it into a portable storage device.

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i need a good portable hard drive?

MadPanda

Ive found a couple but I need one that I can unplug and still have it save. My friend bought one and saved everything to it but when he unplugged it none of his stuff was on it. I would get a flash drive but the 500gb+ cost more than the terabyte hard drives
500Gb or above.

Answer
ALL external hard drives save the data stored on them when they are subsequently unplugged.

I would regard your reference to your friends experience as a suggestion about HIS lack of competence.
(Basically he didn't copy his files where he thought he did.)

If you need a portable hard drive I suggest you stick to either Western Digital or Seagate

And never drop it hard drives are good until they are dropped ONCE.

Ive seen an external hard drive fail because it was dropped ONCE and it
only fell about 2", it was resting on top of a book and the user brushed their
sleeve against the cord and pulled it from it's position... it never worked again afterwards.

They will withstand a bit more if they are not spinning, but not much more.

Seagate external hard drive [250 GB USB 2.0 FreeAgent Go Portable Hard Drive].?

gta

Please, I bought a Seagate external hard drive [250 GB USB 2.0 FreeAgent Go Portable Hard Drive]. No users manual. I wrote them for one.

In the meantime, any quick, simple instructions on how to back up my entire hard drive [drive c]?

Also, can I directly download Youtube videos onto it?

Thx!

Answer
For a backup, you can't beat Clonezilla. It's a liveCD which can put an image of C: onto your external HDD. It's Free Open Source software, it works independently of your Windows installation, and unlike Norton or Symantec, you're not expected to steal or pay lots of money for it :P

I don't understand why you need a manual for a hard disk. Actually, the name 'external' and 'internal' hard drive is a little bit silly, it's like saying you have 'inside Milk' and 'outside Milk'. It's all Milk, whether you put it inside the computer, or in a box outside the computer... no difference.

Clonezilla works. I don't understand the appeal of words like 'Enterprise Version'. Surely this is retail, and it's just another way to say 'if you don't want it crippled, you give us more money!'.

F**k that, I want Clonezilla - works perfectly and it's free, FOSS, cross platform (boots from it's own CD with it's own OS). Very safe and secure.

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Best way to revamp hard drive system for video editing?

top-dog92

Hello

Currently i have 1x 250GB hard drive and 1x 400GB hard drive (both Seagate SATA 7200 rpm). I also have a Seagate FreeAgent Pro 1TB external hard drive for back ups.
There is a 20GB partition for Windows XP Pro on the 250GB drive.

Lately i have started getting serious about video editing, motion graphics and such and i'm in need of more hard drive space and would like to be able to handle data (raw video footage takes up a LOT of space) faster and more efficiently.

What would be the best way for me to arrange or configure a new set of hard drives for this purpose?

I was thinking of maxing out my internal storage at 2TB (i don't think Windows XP accepts more than that) with 4x 500GB hard drives.

Let me know what you think the best way of doing this is please.

My thoughts were:
-To have one 30GB partition for Windows, another 30GB partition if ever i install another operating system and general documents and media on 1 of the 500GB drives
-To have one 500GB hard drive dedicated solely to media storage (not work-related video projects but storing only of movies, music, tv shows etc.)

-I'd like one of the 500GB drives only for storing and capturing RAW video footage.

-I'd like the last 500GB drive only for the storing and writing to of edited video files and storing of temp and preview files that Adobe CS3 creates.

-I'd purchase another external 1TB in order to backup my entire internal storage to both external drives.

Thanks

P.S I've heard about RAID and its not exactly one of the things i really understand but i've heard that it can improve speed, especially for video editing - what do you think?

Answer
put in two 1T 32meg cache drives in RAID 1 and keep the 250 for a system drive...

Can you edit video from an external hard drive if laptop HD is out of space?

shannonkay

Hi,
I have a 100GB HDD in my sony vaio laptop (vgn-fe550g) and have edited video onto DVD through Roxio Easy Media Creator 9 without any issues. However, I am now running out of space because for my second DVD project I have a lot more video footage. Do you think I will experience any issues if I hook up an external hard drive and work with my video from there? I will be hooking it up via USB 2.0. Thanks!

Answer
Yes you can. It might be a bit slower, depending on the USB connection and how many other devices are using the same USB bus. One thing which may help. Move 20GB from your HD to the external drive, then use the two drives together for the video projects. Capture the main files to the external while using the internal for "cache" or temporary files. When you read from one and write to another you will see a net gain in performance, like when you are rendering a DVD stream from edited footage.

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Portable vs. Non-portable external hard drives?

Sunny

I noticed that some external hard drives are labelled portable while others are not. Is this simply due to size? like the portable ones are smaller? or does non-portable mean not removable.

If I want a drive for storage and back up and doesn't want it connected to my laptop all the time, which one should I get?

Thanks very much.

Answer
Portable ones are 2.5 inch drives and have a maximum capacity of 500 GB. They are powered off the USB port.

Non-portable are 3.5 inch drives and can go up to 2 TB and they're about half the price per byte as the portable ones (1 TB for about $110). They need to be powered by a wall wart.

If you don't plan on taking the external hard drive with you wherever you go, then you're better off with a 3.5 inch drive.

What is the difference between portable and external hard drive?

mastermind

I am looking for a back up hard drive and I'm not sure which one to purchase. I am looking at the Segate GO Portable or a Calvary Preformated External Hardrive. Help?

Answer
The difference between a portable and external hard drive is that a portable hard drive usually doesn't need a power cord for power and an external drive does. Portable drive also may run slower and will have smaller capacity. Depending on your use and if you plan on carrying your data around then you best bet is to go with an external hard drive. If you have an eSATA port on your computer try to find an external drive that supports that feature. This will give you better speed (USB 2.0 is 480Mbps while eSATA is 3 Gbps). If you are using a laptop only and want to back that up then go with a portable drive so you can plug and unplug it easily.

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Lost USB Cable for External Hard Drive?

orange.nes

I've lost a USB cable for a WD My Passport Essential SE to connect up to the computer. It's not the same USB 2.0 cable as the WD Elements for some reason. Both has the USB end, obviously, but the other end for the My Passport is a little rounded, and the Elements one is the more common one I've seen on phone chargers.

Here's the pictures if you don't get my horrible explanations:
Elements: http://www.wdc.com/global/images/products/img2/300/wdfElements_BAAR.jpg
My Passport Essential: http://www.wdc.com/global/images/products/img2/300/wdfMP_SEEssential.jpg

Does anyone know if that cable is readily available at Dicksmith of JB-HIFI (Australia) and at what price range?

Would appreciate any help. I'm such a noob at cables...

Answer
My Seagate Portable has the same plug but 2 usb plugs. One for power and one for data. Is yours the same? Tried to google it to see a picture of the cable but could not find one. Check out the links below. I think they might help. Hope this helps. Good Luck.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16812270226

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16812201012

Where can I buy a removable hard disk?

Ivgpni Wcc

Do not need too much memory, 4GB of more than ok, who has ideas?

Answer
What you need is called a portable hard drive (or hard disk), which can be bought at pretty much every computer store, most electrical stores (Harvey Norman, JB Hi-Fi, Fry's Electronics, Best Buy, Walmart, etc.).

However, if you only want something as small as 4GB, then you would be better off to buy a USB drive, which can be bought almost anywhere (see the stores listed above). I don't think they make any external (portable) hard drives less than 10/20GB these days.

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Cheap place to buy Western Digital My Passport Essential 500 GB USB 2 0 Portable Hard Drive...?

joanne

...WDMES5000TN
Where can I find a great deal online for Western Digital My Passport Essential 500 GB USB 2 0 Portable Hard Drive WDMES5000TN

Answer
Price: $112.00

Technical Details

* Sleek and colorful - This beautiful portable drive, available in many eye-catching colors
* USB powered - Powered directly from the USB port on your PC. No separate power supply is needed
* Synchronized and secure
* Compatible - Use with Windows® and Macintosh® computers
* Includes Google¿ software - Search your drive, manage your photos, and simplify Web searches with included Google software. (Windows only)

Product Description
Product Description
These elegant portable drives are simple to use, light and easy to carry, and require no power Adapter -- they are powered directly through the USB cable. Pack up your office files and take them home. Carry thousands of songs or pictures. Synchronize files between home and office and encrypt everything on the drive for added security. WD Sync synchronization and Encryption Software lets you take your critical Data with you. Plug My Passport into any PC, Edit files, read e-mail, and view photos. Then sync all of your changes back to your home or office computer. Your data is protected with 128-bit encryption (Windows only). It's perfect for business travelers who needs to transfer large amounts of data from their laptop to a client's computer, or daily backups as insurance against accidents from mishandled luggage or coffee spills. Also comes in handy if you're worried about laptop theft and someone else having access to your important data, you can store it on this portable encrypted drive instead. For all those precious pictures, videos, music and data files, this external Hard Drive is a must have.

source
http://www.amazon.com/Western-Digital-Passport-Essential-WDMES5000TN/dp/B001G8Z3E8

Is the Western Digital Elements 2TB Desktop External Hard Drive a portable external hard drive?

Q.

Answer
Anything that says "external hard drive" is a portable. Despite its size. You just might need to bring the power supply with you

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I'm thinking of installing an external drive for my pc, can someone guide me through the process please?

Di

My PC is Dell XPX 200 and it's about 7 yrs old. Do external drives has to match the type of pc you have? Is it capable of imaging my CPU. Thank you for your help in advance.

Answer
I believe you meant an XPS 200 like the one reviewed by CNet.
http://reviews.cnet.com/desktops/dell-xps-200-desktop/1707-3118_7-31530073.html <- Cnet review of XPS 200

The Dell support site shows that you do have USB connections.
http://support.dell.com/support/edocs/SYSTEMS/xps200/sm/techov1.htm <- Dell support site.

So on the assumption that it is an XPS 200, and your USB slots are working.
You just need to get a USB Hard Disk drives. They are rather cheap nowadays.

Like the ones listed at
Amazon -> http://www.amazon.com/External-Hard-Drives-Storage-Add-Ons/b?ie=UTF8&node=595048

The portable drives depend on power from the USB connection, and does not leave you messing around with a power socket. Which isn't a bad thing if you're working on a desktop. ( Plug-in the power and the drive and don't move it until you're moving house/dead equipment around. )

Once you got your drive, its just a simple matter of plugging it in to the computer; and if it comes with a power adapter, plug that in too.

If you're running Win 98/2000; you're going to have to restart your computer before it recognizes the drive.
Take it easy, have plenty of light and be sure the line up the plugs correctly.
I've seen people accidentally plug USB connections in to Network points before; It was dark and the USB and network points were close ( and it wasn't me )

Take it easy and happy computing

What kind of tools to open USB Drive?

virtpdox

I had my favorite external USB drive inside my backpack next to a kefir yoghurt carton.
Well, to my bad luck, the yoghurt drink burst and it spilled all over my USB drive.
I'm quite depressed about this. It's a 250GB portable drive and it has so much of my data,
music and programs on it. It won't work anymore when plugged into my computer.

Obviously, some yoghurt leaked into the USB connector thing.
My plan is to open it up and clean it. It has these tiny star (hex) screws
that require a special kind of tool to open.
I ordered the following tool set from Amazon.com
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B008MHHR36/ref=oh_details_o00_s00_i00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Which is a 31pc repair tool set.

Did I get the right tools, or is there a different tool set I should get?

My USB drive is similar to this one:
http://www.geeks.com/details.asp?invtid=RED-EGO250USB-UO-2R
http://reviews.cnet.com/system-hard-drives/iomega-ego-portable-hard/4505-9989_7-32958645.html

Answer
From what I can see from the tool set it should cater for any small to medium screw you are liable to generally meet.
Re your external drive most are just push fit but if you say there are screws then there are.

They sound like Star(phillips) or Torx.
From what you are saying the electronics in the case have been damaged and just a clean may not be good enough and a new case may well be required.
Hopefully the drive electronics have not been contaminated

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what's the weight of the 500 GB external hard drive of seagate freeagent goflex?

Wilo

Answer
Yep, it is 150 grams or 0.15kg or 0.33lb for the 320gb/500/750gb versions.

http://www.seagate.com/au/en/external-hard-drives/portable-hard-drives/standard/goflex/

Thunderbolt and USB 3.0 External Hard drive?

frankless2

I currently have a usb 2.0 mac only. but will be upgrading soon too a RMBP. So I was woondering if anyone is aware of any external hard drives that support Thunderbolt, USB 3.0 and 2.0??? Preferable if it was greater than 500gbs and not too expensive.

Thanks

Answer
I only know of two Seagate does some great hard drives that can be easily converted to USB 2/3 and Thunderbolt through their GoFlex Technology and Lacie makes some really nice Thunderbolt and USB 3 HDDs.

Seagate GoFlex:
http://www.seagate.com/au/en/external-hard-drives/portable-hard-drives/performance/goflex-pro/

Lacie
http://www.lacie.com/au/products/range.htm?id=10036

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Portable media player to play from hard drive?

Uigui Iuuv

I have an external hard drive with lots of videos in mp4 and avi format
is there a media player that I can attach a portable 500gb hard drive to and play the videos through easily. the player doesn't need to have an internal hard drive or a dvd player, simply just a screen to play the videos.
Thanks

Answer
Put the drive in an external Drive Case.

Portable Media/Video Player with Hard Drive for Car?

deeze

My minivan has a built in DVD player with TV screen and also has video inputs including composite video as well as HDMI.

I am trying to find a portal video player with a built-in hard drive that plays AVI or DIVx movies.
This way I can load up all my kids movies on the hard drive without having to lug around dozens of DVD's.

Can anyone recommend such a player? I noticed there are a few portal media players for the home but none have power adapter for the car.

Thanks!

Answer
I am doing the same the device is an ipod video i have 60 hours of video and 300 songs
and this is the cable i use to make it work in a town and country
http://www.oemautosound.com/pc-352-79-ipod-aux-input-docking-to-rca-video-charging-cable.aspx

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Why doesn't my computer register my Toshiba External USB/Hard Drive?

Derek Armo

Alright. I have a 500GB Toshiba External USB HDD USB Device, or basically a portable hard drive. At school, it registers the USB and I can open it and everything, but on my computer at home, my computer says it's plugged in, but it won't show up in My Computer, and I can't open it. I know it's not the wiring, or anything because the light on the USB lights up and everything, so how do I get my computer to register the USB and open it up?

Note: I'm using a Compaq computer with Windows Vista.

Answer
Open Disk Management, and see if it is detected, if so give it a dedicated drive letter.

Portable Hard Drive recognition?

Q. I recently reinstalled Vista onto my computer, but before doing so, I compilled all of my files onto a portable hard drive. Now that I have it reinstalled, I cannot get the computer to recognize the portable drive as a hard drive.

It recognizes that something is plugged in, and will classify it as a generic USB Mass Storage Device, however, I cannot view the drive under explorer, and it wont show up as a drive. I have tested it on other computers, and the drive is working fine. I have tried several ports, I have tried to download specific drivers, but non seem to exist (SimpleTech Inc.). I have tried booting with it pluged in, but it wont boot, because my computer see's it as a hard drive.

Does anyone know of anything I can do to make it work? It worked once with Vista without any software, so why doesn't it work now?
I have already tried it in another computer and there is no problem, and I have alread tried the "add hardware" but it is already found. I tried uninstalling the drivers, but it did the same thing again once it found the drive again.

Answer
That may happen if it has assigned the drive a letter that has been assigned to other DVD-ROM drives or HDD.

If you want to confirm, follow the steps below:

1) Go to Control Panel
2) Double click on "Administrative Tools"
3) Double click on "Computer Management"
4) Expand "Storage"
5) Click on "Disk Management"
6) Check if you can detect your external HDD inside the list.
If it is inside, go to step 7. If not, try to restart your PC and boot up while your external HDD is plugged in. After that, repeat step 1-6. If even not detected after reboot, please check your manufacturer for Vista Driver.
7) Right-click on your external drive and click "Change Drive Letters and Path"
8) Click on "Change"
9) Choose any drive letter that has not been assigned. If you are not sure, check My Computer and don't choose any letter that has been assigned.
10) Click "OK" twice.

After that, check My Computer and you should be able to see your hard drive.

Hope that helps =)

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My new WD portable hard drive isnt working?

Rei

I connect my new 500gb WD portable hard drive to my Vista computer but it doesnt show up in my C:/ folder...
It IS vista compatible.

Answer
The current WD external drives have an interesting feature--they sense the 5V power line on the USB port and use that to switch on and off. The downside of that is that if you plug it into a powered USB hub that's always on, so is the drive.

Conversely, if there is a problem with the 5V line on the USB port the HD is plugged into, the drive NEVER comes on. Are the drive activity lights coming on or flashing at all? If not, there might be a problem with power to the port or the power to the USB ports in general. Try it on different system--or with a different USB cable.

The drive won't show up in the C: folder anyway--it will have it's own drive letter in the "My Computer" listing.

~~ ScienceMikey
My home page: http://users.ameritech.net/mrudas/index.html
My software blog: http://FaveSoft.blogspot.com
My Protopage links: http://www.protopage.com/mprudas#Main/Front_Page
Best-of-Breed Free Software for Windows:
http://tech.groups.yahoo.com/group/opcc/links/01___Software_related_information_001198934133/Windows_related_link_001119378867/Software____Links_an_001081730158/Best_of_breed_Free_s_001059927670

Did the passport (portable hard drive) actually work on my laptop?

shygirl202

So i recently bought a portable hard drive, my passport. i removed all the information from my laptop and transferred it to the passport. then i cleared my laptop with the disk that came with it when i first bought it, and started it fresh with no information that wasn't essential for it to work. anyways the first day after i cleared it, my laptop was working very well, and going pretty fast. but then it started to get slow and my audio is horrible now. it makes loud annoying sounds, so im guessing its pretty much ruined. my question is that i want to know if the passport i bought to create space on my laptop actually was worth it. or is my laptop in its worst conditions ever because it is simply old? my laptop is a toshiba brand and is 3 years old. i greatly appreciate your advice.

Answer
The pasport is an additional hard drive, its just an external hard drive. You might have multiple hard drives on a desktop computer, but generally laptops only have one internal hard drive. Did you connect the passport to your laptop after re-installing or using the recovery CD to determine if you operating system recognizes what is written on the passport?

Three to five years is the life expectancy of a laptop. Sad but true. I have four legacy laptops that still perform well, but I have adjusted to the quicker pace of my one laptop and two netbooks.

What you may be experiencing is a failing hard drive. It may not be spinning at a consistent speed that meets the drive manufacturer's specifications. Are you a heavy computer user?

There is software available to check the health of your hard drive. Some is freeware and other software you can purchase third party. If you have a local computer shop that you frequent they should be able to test the hard drive.

The passport is a nice additional piece of equipment to have. I have one for each laptop and netbook for backup of personal files.

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Devices That write photos to portable hard drive w/ CF cards?

picsnap

I'm looking for one of those devices that lets you stick a CF card in, write all you images in and save them to the device, then deletes and reformats (optional, not automated) all you pictures so you can reuse the cards but still retain all you images. WHAT IS IT? I'm pretty cheap, and assuming these are also cheap, I would rather use this than buying forty CF cards in seven days. Also, preferabely portable, as in I can save them on there in five minutes when I'm hiking in Canada, stick it back in my pocket or rucksack or whatever (also, size is important-preferabely compact) and just keep walking up that mountain. How much can it hold? What's the cost? Quality build? Types? Etc. Etc.?

Please give me more info if there IS such a product
It sould save my life if I didn't have to spend so much on CF cards.

Answer
What you are looking for is "image bank" or "photo bank". They run about $120-200 and use 40-100 gig hard drives.

http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_ss_gw/105-7028679-2854807?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=photo+bank&x=0&y=0

I still have somewhere my MindStor - one of the oldest such devices, when they just started to appear, that has 10G hard drive and is slow as hell. It really saved my life on some foreign trips, back in the days when flash memory was expensive (I'm talking about times when 256M card ran over $100) and allowed me to shoot away without thinking... but...

Today, when you can buy for about the same money 10G worth of flash cards - I don't see a point in using one. Here are my reasons why:

1. You have multiple cards, if one of them is lost due to accident or stolen, or broken - you only lose portion of your images.
2. Hard drive has moving parts. It's much easier to damage it than solid state memory. I was sweating like hell over bumping it into something on all my trips when I used it. It's best not to take it on to hikes, but to leave it in hotel room, and be very careful with it.
3. If all else failed, and you ran out of space - there are many many shops around that will happily burn the content of your flash cards to CD's or DVD's and erase them for you.

So today, I see absolutely no point in investing in one of these image banks. But if you insist - follow the link above for a few choices....

Good luck with whatever choice you made,
LEM.

defragmenter mp4 files portable hard drive?

e d

defragmenter mp4 files portable hard drive. is it safe to do ?. I put Mp4 files On a portable hard drive. MP4 Itunes Ipod formatt. (defragmenter mp4 files to save room. ) whats the down turn to doing that. is there eny at all.

Answer
Not really, defragmentors can damage quality if they are poor standard. There are no real downsides. (sometimes compatability problems)

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I can't seem to reformat my portable external hard drive (Western Digital My Passport 60GB)?

mpax9

Something is wrong with it, I cannot even access it and it prompts me that it must be formatted. I am using the built-in Windows utility, and when I try and Quick Format - I get an error. And when I use the regular format, it never progresses and I must cancel out. Does anyone have any recommendations?

Answer
Most likely the hard drive is damaged.

Try in a different computer, if it doesnt work, then your hard drive is gone bad =(

Good luck!

How to fix my portable hard drive?

Shane B

i dropped it and it had been through day to day life for 6 months i plug it in it doesn't work. i think its broken btw its old 60gb hard drive my laptop came with put in a hard drive case. im going to try a different case and if that doesnt work i think it is broken.
Last time it was used i was writing my save games to it from my ps3
Muff-
im just scared what my dad is gonna say.....

Answer
Sometimes things break. Dropped drives usually don't survive and recovering data from them is expensive.

You could put another drive in the case if you have one.

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which 1 TB Portable External Hard Drive should i get?

Philip Aug

which 1 TB Portable External Hard Drive should i get

Western Digital My Passport Essential SE 1TB Portable Hard Drive-USB 3.0
Buffalo Technology MiniStation Stealth 1 TB USB 3.0 Portable External Hard Drive HD-PCT1TU3/BB
Seagate Expansion 1 TB USB 3.0 Portable External Hard Drive STAX1000102
Hitachi LifeStudio Desk 1TB USB 2.0 External Hard Drive 0S02662
Toshiba Canvio 3.0 Plus 1 TB Portable Hard Drive

Answer
Western Digital usually makes very good drives, I would go with the WD.

Video playback from external hard drive?

Christophe

Hi, I am about to buy the TOSHIBA Basics Portable Hard Drive - 500GB with usb 3.0 and I am wondering if i plugged the drive into my tv etc. what will the quality of the video playback be? as i will be using the hard drive for my movie collections.
Can anyone offer any advise please, thanks in advance.

Answer
This depends on how you are going to connect your hard drive to the TV. If you are going to connect it through the PC, you can install All My Movies program for your movies and all of them will be ready to start with one click. Here is the link to All My Movies page: http://www.bolidesoft.com/allmymovies.html

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dSLR or HD Video Camera?

JV2017

Hey there,

I'm looking for a camera that will be used to record a "news show" for YouTube. Something that will be able to capture fairly high quality video of my face at a desk talking about stuff. And bear in mind, just because it's "for YouTube" doesn't mean I wanna cut corners on quality!

I've talked briefly with a photographer friend of mine, and he suggested that I looked into getting a dSLR. I found the Rebel T3i, but upon further research, it seemed like I'd be buying a device that's focused more on Photography than record clear, crisp HD video! Although I may be slightly interested in taking a few pictures now and again, I think it makes more sense to get a device made for recording HD video. I want something that's portable, but can also be mounted for use in my show.

Long story short, I want a device that can:

1. Record high quality HD video (1080p preferred, maybe 720p)
2. Be both portable and able to be mounted on a tripod
3. Around $500, preferably cheaper

Can anyone recommend a solid option for me? dSLR, Camcorder, HD Video Camera, whatever you think will suit my needs. I'd really appreciate it!

Thanks!

Answer
A dSLR is designed to capture still images. Capturing video (and audio) is a secondary "convenience feature". This is why most have known problems overheating when capturing video for long periods and have poor manual audio-gain control. This is not to say they cannot capture good video, they can - but using this secondary convenience feature requires the user to workaround these and other known issues. Along with this is the fact that they mostly capture video compressed video. More compression = reduced video quality.

A camcorder is designed to capture video and audio. For $500 or less, you are in the low-end of consumer camcorders. It will not have the overheating problems a dSLR in he same price range will have. It *should* have a mic jack and some sort of manual audio control. Pretty much all consumer camcorders in your price range will meet your requirements.

If the primary reason for the equipment is digital stills, then the dSLR is preferred. Video capture is an afterthought. If the primary reason for the equipment is video, then get a camcorder. There is no single device that can provide both functions (especially for a prolonged period) well.

If the goal is "best available video quality", then use the proper tool to meet the goal.

What we don't know:
Whether your budget includes a tripod or other steadying device.
Whether your budget includes a couple of mics (perhaps a shotgun and a wireless lavalier.
Whether your computer can deal with the captured video.
Whether the computer has a video editor that can deal with the captured video.

any suggestions about a portable video camera?

Just Churc

looking for suggestions for a good purchase for my non-profit. thanks for your help.

Answer
HD Camcorders. You would have to spend $3500 on a HD camcorder to better video quality than a $350 MiniDV tape camcorders videos are. If a lot of high movement (sports, etc) are to shot, then do not get a consumer level HD camcorder as under those conditions, they take terrible video.

The Canon ZR 960 can be had for about $350. It has a Mic jack, can be mounted on a tripod, has many settings, uses MiniDV tape as a storage media.

You computer will need a firewire port in it for video transfer, you cannot hook this camera to a USB port. http://www.tigerdirect.ca/applications/campaigns/campaigntemplate.asp?CampaignID=233&srkey=firewire

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Portable Hard Drive turns off every few mins?

Firaaero

I have a passport WD portable harddrive and when i plug it into my eSATA 3.0 port on my desktop it disconnects every few minutes, and its kinda annoying when transferring files. I tried plugging it into a 3.0 port on my laptop and i dont suffrer the same problem. I changed the auto hard disk turn off from 20 mins to never, but its still the same it dissapears/disconnects every few mins. Please help. do i need to disable USB selective suspend setting? or what do i need to do? thanks

Answer
This is a driver issue. I had this problem with a new WD MyBook 2TB USB3 eSATA. It worked fine on my laptop but not on my desktop. couldn't get the eSATA connection going at all but I solved it by downloading the latest USB3 drivers from my motherboard manufacturers support site and using the USB3 interface. I suggest you try connecting by USB3 and Make sure you download the correct drivers for your exact make and model.

If eSATA is your only option [although you don't give the model, most WD external drives have USB3 option to] then download the latest SATA drivers from the motherboard vendors support site too.

Also make sure you have the microsoft .net framework runtime files that WD stipulate for drives running their smartware backup software [if your model has smartware on it]

Please Recommend me a Good Portable External Hard Drive?

Sotharith

Hi,
Can anyone recommend me a good portable external hard drive.
Im looking for 1TB, price is not more than 200$
Thank in Advance

Answer
western digital MY BOOK ESSENTIAL 3.5 2TB


-Capacity 2 TB

-Interface USB 2.0 (480 Mb/s (Max)

-Package Contents External hard drive
WD SmartWare software (pre-loaded)
USB cable
AC adapter
Quick Install Guide

-Compatibility Formatted NTFS
Windows® XP, Windows Vista®, Windows 7
Mac OS® X, Tiger®, Leopard®, Snow Leopardâ¢(requires reformatting)

-Colors Black


-Price: about 185$

info:http://www.wdc.com
Picture:http://www.togadget.com/wp-content/uploads/HLIC/4a01c084a7132d67db4200e917cdf1fe.jpg

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SOME ONE TELL ME WHICH IS THE BETTER DISK IN FOLLOWING HDD ?MY MAIN ISSUE NO NEED EXTERNAL POWER.?

sk_awasthi

1- Toshiba Canvio Basics 500GB (2.5 Inch/USB 3.0) Portable Hard Disk (HDTB105AK3AA)

Manufacturer Toshiba
Model No. HDTB105AK3AA
Color Black
Warranty 3 Years
Capacity 500 GB
Form Factor Portable
Interface USB 3.0 (Backward compatible with USB 2.0)
Interface Transfer Rate Up to 480Mb/s (USB 2.0) and 5Gb/s (USB 3.0)
Average Seek Time 12msec
Buffer 8MB
RPM 5400
External dimensions (WxDxH)
79 X 118.9 x 13.5 mm
Weight 148g
System Requirements Windows 7, Vista or XP, and Mac OS X 10.5 or later

2- WD My Passport Essential SE 500GB (2.5 Inch / USB 3.0) WDBACY5000ABK
Manufacturer Western Digital
Model No WDBACY5000ABK-PESN
Colour Option Black
Capacity 500 GB
Connectivity USB 2.0 / USB 3.0
Form Factor External / Portable
OS Support Windows XP, Vista,7, Mac OS X Leopard, Mac OS X Snow Leopard
Software No Driver Required
Transfer Speed Up to 5000 Mbit/s
Size-Dimensions 4.3 x 3.2 x 0.6 " (W x D x H)
Size-Weight 140 gm
Warranty 3-Year
Package Contents
⢠Portable hard drive
⢠WD SmartWare software
⢠USB cable
⢠Quick Install Guide

3- Verbatim Store n Go Portable Hard Drive USB 2.0 (500GB)
Nero BackItUp & Burn Software
Green Button Energy Saving Software: Suspend the hard drive from spinning when not in use saving energy
Capacity 500GB
Interface USB 2.0
Power Requirements powered by computer through USB port, no power adapter required
Weight 200 g
Dimensions 12 x 8.1 x 1.5 cm
Environmental Specifications Operating temperature 10 C, Storage temperature -20 C

Answer
(3) is the only one to state 'no power adapter required''

PS if you are having problems understanding the specifications, get a friend to help ..

Where can I buy a toshiba alu2 with online shipping to an international destination?

Been looking around for a 1TB 2.5" Toshiba Alu2 hard drive and as I live in New Zealand I have to buy online. My problem is I can seam to find a store that ships internationally... There are alot of UK shops selling them but they only ship within the UK and Ireland. Anyone out there managed to find somewhere that ships internationally?!
Thanks for the links guys but have been looking around for what hdd suits me and I have decided I really want an alu2 and only an alu2. Unfortunately it only seams to be available in central Europe. Amazon doesn't seam to stock them and amazon.co.uk doesn't ship to NZ... :(
I'm aware the Toshiba Canvio is available to me but I'm more interested in the alu2 for the aluminum casing I don't need the USB 3.0 version and it costs more anyway.

Is there anyone out there who knows of an online shop with international shipping for these? Even Ebay only has a couple of the 500GB versions.

Answer
1TB Canvio⢠3.0 Plus USB3.0 Portable External Hard Drive E05A100PBU3XS
Part Number - E05A100PBU3XS
USB 3.0 with up to 5Gb/s** transfer rate
Toshiba Canvio⢠Portable Hard Drives are a simple solution to all your storage and backup needs.
RRP $360.00 NZD (inc. GST)
http://www.mytoshiba.co.nz/products/storage/portable-hdd/e05a100pbu3xs


add:
⢠Interface: USB 3.0 with up to 5Gb/s** transfer rate (backward compatible with USB 2.0 with up to 480Mb/s2 transfer rate)
⢠In the box: One Toshiba Canvio 3.0 Plus Portable Hard Drive w/preloaded backup software, USB 3.0 Cable (works with USB 2.0) and Quick Install Guide
... just if you had any doubts

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What is the best file system format for my portable Hard Drive?

Yassin S

I have a mac and a pc and it would be ideal to share files like pictures, video, and documents using this 2tb hard drive. It would be ideal to only have one partition that has the capability of having bigger files and can be shared across mac and pc operating systems. So which one should I use:

fat32 (probably not because it can't have files over 4 gb)
NTSF (doesn't work with macs)
mac format (doesn't work with pc's)

other??? Please help!

Answer
As far as I've seen, FAT32 is the only one that can be read and written by both. I use it on all my drives, and it works great.

Also, Macs *can* read NTSF, just not write to them. (I'd guess that Mac formats don't work at all with PCs.) What files do you have larger than 4GB? I can't imagine what those would be . . . (Folders can be as big as you like; it's only individual files like *one* movie or RAR/ZIP archive that have this limit.)

How to format portable hard drive for mac and PC, using a MAC?

Jake

I have some files on my MAC that I would like to put onto my hard drive so I can use them on my PC. So I believe I would need to have the hard drive formatted for both computers (to be able to move the files). I will need to do the formatting on my MAC so if any one could help me that would be greatly appreciated. I would assume I'd use the 'disk utility' on my MAC to do the formatting (or if you have another recommendation).

Answer
All of my portable drives are formatted for windows and they work on my Mac.

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halp. ipod as a portable hard drive for both mac and PC.?

Dewy

I just bought an ipod classic 80 gig and want to use it as a portable hard drive. I did the "enable disc use" thing on my mac and it works as a portable hard drive for mac computers. But I want to use it on my windows pc too.
However whever I connect it to the windows machine it tells me I have to reformat it before I use it.
any suggestions?

Answer
Mac supports different hard drive format than Windows. Windows supports FAT32 and NTFS while Mac probably different formats.

photoshop fonts and brushes, portable hard drive, and mac?

amanda

I use photoshop a lot, which has me use lots of different fonts and brushes. I don't like the thought of my mac losing space because of this. could i put my fonts and brushes on a portable hard drive, and just plug in my hard drive whenever i use photoshop and my downloaded fonts and brushes then?
okay, now i have another question, after i download it and install it, can i delete the folder downloaded? or do i have to keep it?
on my dell laptop, which is the first place i had photoshop, including the fonts that came with the laptop, in total 396. i recently bought photoshop cs5 for my mac since my photoshop on my dell laptop was installed a long time ago (photoshop 7.0) so i just installed it on my mac two, three days ago.

Answer
Update:
You could go far beyond that and still not have a space issue.
Good luck to ya and happy Photoshopping.


Update:
Once you install the font you can delete it. When you click install it makes a copy of the font and places it in your font folder so you no longer need the first one

Side question:
How many fonts do you have approximately?

Don't worry about the space used by fonts and brushes. Fonts are only a few mb at most and brushes are only a few kb.

You have so much storage that it just does not make a difference.

Also what you want to do is not a function built into the Mac os or Photoshop.

You would have to write a custom script that would create a symbolic link to the external directory that contains the fonts and another for the brushes before Photoshop loads.

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Can I use an external hard drive with my Xbox?

Kyle

I am ordering a Seagate Backup Plus 500GB Portable USB 3.0 External Hard Drive, (compatible with PC and Mac) from Staples. If I plug it into the USB input on my Xbox 360, (newest edition, 4GB) will I be able to select it as a storage device to save downloaded games to?

Answer
I know for sure that you can use a USB drive. You might as well try it out. There's nothing holding you back. Plug it in and see if it pops up when it asks you to pick which storage to get your saved games from.

Xbox 360 hard drive compatibility?

Skeve613

My Xbox 360 I bought in 2007 recently got the Red Ring of Death among other problems, and I am considering buying a new console to replace it. However, I've heard that the older hard drives are not compatible with newer consoles, and my 12 gig hard drive does not work with my friend's 360. Is this true for all the newer consoles, and if so, how else can I transfer my data? Do portable memory units work, or will that raise complications?

Answer
all the xbox 360 hard drives work with all of the xbox 360s, my brother runs a game-stop and a lot of people have this confusion, I works don't worry.

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CAN I BACK UP MY PC FILES WITH MAC PORTABLE HARD DRIVE?

Paul

I have windows 7 now,but I plan to own a Mac soon. Would a Mac hard drive back up windows files too?

Answer
The answer to this is complicated, but I found a good article here: http://thelightroomlab.com/2009/01/formatting-an-external-hard-drive/

You should read it carefully (maybe twice) to learn about disk formats, it is a very good thing to know about. Learning to format your hard drives properly is a great idea. Also, partitioning your drive into 2 sections with different formats works if you don't need to access files across Operating Systems. You can use Google to learn how to partition a drive on your Operating System fairly easily. I usually just use Dropbox to send files from my Mac to my PC or vice versa.

How to format portable hard drive for mac and PC, using a MAC?

Jake

I have some files on my MAC that I would like to put onto my hard drive so I can use them on my PC. So I believe I would need to have the hard drive formatted for both computers (to be able to move the files). I will need to do the formatting on my MAC so if any one could help me that would be greatly appreciated. I would assume I'd use the 'disk utility' on my MAC to do the formatting (or if you have another recommendation).

Answer
All of my portable drives are formatted for windows and they work on my Mac.

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whats the cheapest portable hard drive?

slice_the_

hi, i would like to have more hard drive space for my laptop to play games such as half life 2, wow.ect... i need a cheap portable hard drive but it needs to work well. thanks...
sorry...i meant external

Answer
Lots of companies sell them, check newegg.com for current prices, or many other retailers such as amazon.

It's like asking the best place to buy eggs. It depends on who has them on sale, and how much the farmer's charge the markets depending on volume, etc.

Beware that just because a drive is labelled "portable" doesn't necessarily mean it is more safe from damage than one labelled "external hard drive".

Check the price and specs of various models, and read reviews posted by owners of the devices.

www.tomshardware.com is my favorite site for evaluating computer parts, but don't stop there.

Portable Hard Drives?

Lan Hikari

Did anyone notice that portable hard drive prices increase by about 50% this year? I bought a WD 1TB MyPassport last year from Best Buy for $99. I was just shopping for another one today and the cheapest I could find it was for $149. Anyone know why?

Answer
Nearly half of the world's hard drives are manufactured in Thailand. Due to months of flooding and natural disaster hard drive manufacturing has been disrupted. Less supply means demand goes up and so do prices.

$149 is still a lot of money though. You could definitely find something at about the $99 dollar range if you were to wait for a sale or something.

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External Hard Drives: Music and JPGs, files as well?

O'Bannion

Im looking into buying this My book external hard drive from walmart, I need something for my music and pictures, but files as well, ziped EXEs and what not, can i store those on there too? someone let me know please.

Answer
You can store any type of files on your Portable Hard Drive! Pictures, MP3s, Videos, Programs,....etc.

Can I transfer data to a portable hard drive from my old PS3 and then transfer it to the PS3 Slim?

krayzie_61

Answer
You should be able to do it with a flash drive. I recently bought a 4GB flash drive at Walmart for $15 to back up my game saves. I'm sure if you can put them on the flash drive, you can access them from another PS3. I would recommend trying that. You don't even need a big flash drive, just transfer the data, clear the flash drive, then move more data.

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my portable hard drive dosent work on my computer any more?

Some Guy y

my verbatim JH8809 portable hard drive wont work any more,
i pluged it into the computer and i can see the hard drive starting up but nothing comes up on the computer, i tried going to computer management but nothings there

any1 know what to do???
i have alot of important stuff in there pleasssssssssseeeeeeeeeeee help me

Answer
i hate to say it but it sounds as though the hard drive has reached the end of it's life. does it make a ticking noise?...or perhaps grinding?
there really isn't much you can do. try a system restore. [it probably won't work]

follow this path:

1/ start
2/ all programs
3/ accessories
4/ system tools
5/ system restore

a new window will open. click on "restore my computer to an earlier time" then hit next.
choose a date prior to the start of your problems, and follow prompts. be aware that this will reverse any changes you have made to your pc in the intervening time, but items contained in folders will remain unchanged. when pc reboots it will take a couple of minutes before you can use the desktop and start menu again. this is quite normal and you should not be tempted to try to interrupt the restore process.
if you manage to get the hard drive icon back into "my computer", you should then do a disk check.

follow this path:

1/ start
2/ my computer
3/ right click on hard drive icon and hit "properties"
4/ click on "tools"
5/ click on "error checking" and "check now"
6/ a new window opens, check the boxes for "automatically fix file system errors" and "scan for and attempt recovery of bad sectors", click on start.

if you have got this far, then a disk check can take many hours, depending on the size of the disk. you should be allowing around 1 hour per 100 gigs. NEVER INTERRUPT A DISK CHECK!!!...LET IT RUN IT'S COURSE, NO MATTER HOW LONG IT MAY TAKE.

i really hope that this works for you, but i have a feeling it is all over for this drive. in future make sure you have at least 2 back-ups. good luck.

Can I use a portable hard drive?

portiarayl

The hard drive in my computer doesn't work, so I have to buy another. Can I just buy an external one or do I need an internal one?

Answer
Since your internal drive is connected using a SATA connection and an external is connected via USB an internal hard drive works faster so it's recommended that you get an internal hard drive to install your operating system and other applications on. External drives are usually for file storage. Also your BIOS will most probably have a problem booting from your external drive as it looks for an internal drive to boot your operating system from and it's your operating system that allows you to connect your external hard drive using the USB drivers.

So no, it's very unlikely that you'll be able to get by with an external HD alone.

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Are portable hard drives compatible with both Mac and PC?

davey..

I have a portable hard drive but havent opened it yet. I have a macbook but always borrow files from my other friends computers who all have pc's. I want to know can I connect my HD to my friends PC and then transfer them to my mac. Or will they be in a different format? and will my hd connect to my PS3 too?

Answer
Generally speaking,, Windows cannot read or write to a hard disk formatted for a Mac without third party software, although the Mac can read and write to a Windows formatted disk. If you want to transfer files, I suggest you skip the connecting of hard disks and have them send you those files via email if they're small enough, or via a service such as DropBox (https://www.dropbox.com/) or YouSendIt (http://www.yousendit.com/).

Mac Portable Hard Drive Help?

h8thecause

I recently bought a SimpleTech portable hard drive. Its a 160gb if that matters. I am working on trying to backup my music by dragging and dropping it on there, but when I plug it in and try to drag, it does not allow me. When I view the info for the portable hard drive, the sharing and permissions says: "I can only read". How would I fix this?

Answer
Check whether the hard disk has "Write Lock". If it is so make sure it is not write locked.

Make sure that the Hard Drive is not formatted as NTFS. Mac does not support writing data to a NTFS volume. Just right click the mounted volume in Finder and select "Get Info". In the Info window check for the "Format:". In case the format is NTFS, it shows "Windows NT Filesystem". [ http://www.mp3car.com/vbulletin/attachments/maccar/40138d1172094097-using-external-hd-between-mac-pc-picture-1.png ].
If it is so, your Mac will not allow you to write data to that volume.

There are 2 solutions :
1. Make Mac write data to NTFS volume : Install 3rd party NTFS support for Mac. Softwares like "Paragon NTFS" [ http://www.paragon-software.com/home/ntfs-mac/ ] allows you to write data to NTFS volume.
2. Reformat the hard disk to Mac Compatible format : This will require you to erase the entire data present in the disk. You can use Disk Utility to reformat the hard disk. If you are not sharing it with Windows PC, you can format it with format as "HFS+" (referred as "Mac OS Extended" in disk utility). In case you intend to share it with Windows "Fat32" will be the format I would recommend. Remember Fat32 does not support files larger than 4GB.

I would recommend the second solution.

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