How to format a hard drive to work with Mac + PC?

portable hard drives mac and pc compatible image

Elliott

I have a Lacie Starck 500GB Portable Hard Drive. Unfortunately it is only compatible with Mac, but I do a lot of crossing over between Windows and OSX.
Can somebody please help me to format the device so it can be used on windows too?
This would be of great help!
Thanks.

Answer
FAT32

can I share a portable hard drive between my mac AND pc?

witt8199

I've been looking at some 320 gb external hard drives for my extensive photo files and as a back up for my documents. I have a Mac Pro laptop, and a PC desk top and need to share the portable hd files between them. Is that possible?

Answer
Yes. Ensure your drive is formatted correctly or purchased those drive with the Mac OSX and Windows compatible logo. See the link below for more info about the different formats.

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How can I partition my portable hard drive to save files both from my MAC and from an old PC?

portable hard drives mac and pc compatible image

mr blonde7

I just want to save a ton of files from my MAC to my portable hard drive and if possible, also save files from my PC. I was told the hard drive can be 'partitioned' but have no idea how. I'm fairly clueless regarding all things tech so please use keep it simple LOL.

Answer
You have two options.

1) You can format the drive to FAT32 (MS-DOS in OSX) to make it both PC and Mac compatible. This will allow it to be used on both types of system without partitioning. This is the best option, except that this format won't allow file transfers of single files larger than 4GB in size.

2) You can follow the link below to learn how to use Disk Utility to partition your drive, created two partitions on the one drive, format one for Windows(NTFS) and one for OSX(Max OS Journaled). This will give you storage space for both Operating Systems, but you wouldn't be able to copy items between the systems. By default, OSX cannot read and write a NTFS drive, and Windows cannot read and write to a Mac OS Journaled drive.

http://macs.about.com/od/applications/ss/diskutilitypart.htm

How to format a hard drive to work with Mac + PC?

Elliott

I have a Lacie Starck 500GB Portable Hard Drive. Unfortunately it is only compatible with Mac, but I do a lot of crossing over between Windows and OSX.
Can somebody please help me to format the device so it can be used on windows too?
This would be of great help!
Thanks.

Answer
FAT32

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How can I use a new Western Digital portable external drive (Element or Passport) for both Windows and Mac?

portable hard drives mac and pc compatible image

pt

I need to use and store data from both PC as well as Mac and hence don't want to buy an only-Mac version of a hard drive. I want a portable (around 500 gb) harddrive that is compatible with both systems. Which one would you recommend?Also is WD Elements or Passport preferable in this scenario? Thanks!

Answer
You can use any hard drive as long as it has USB or FireWire (or eSATA if you're cool like that). Just format it is FAT32 (max file size of 4 GB) or NTFS.

What type of portable computing device fits my needs?

Kyle

I need a new notebook computer but I would like some advice on which type of computer would fit my needs best. Currently, I have a 2TB 27" iMac, an iPhone 5s, and an AppleTV. I download a lot of music & movies and stream them to my TV via AppleTV. I was considering a 4tb WD MyCloud to store my media in a central location but not sure if it's compatible with iTunes and/or how that process works. Also, will I be able to access my media stored on the MyCloud HD with both my mac and new pc laptop?

I primarily use my current laptop for downloading and streaming movies and music, video and photo editing, and surfing the web. I want something with 15" or larger, high quality display. I need to have enough RAM to ensure streaming media is fast and uninterrupted (No buffering) but I am not sure about what I should do for a hard drive. My first instinct was to buy a laptop with a 1TB drive because I need the storage space but if I buy the MyCloud is that really necessary? I like the idea of a SSD but I can only afford a 128gb SSD. They're expensive but like the idea of it booting instantly. Is it worth the price?

Answer
The iCloud will meet your needs without any problems.

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