milnuts

Q: Can't format external drive as FAT32

I just bought a brand new 4TB Seagate external HDD with the notion that I would hook it up to the back of my Time Capsule.  I will want this drive accessible for both Mac and PC.  According to this page my only real option then is FAT32.  Here's my problem.  When I open Disk Utility and select my drive, and then the Erase tab, no option will work for erasing the disk.  I get an error.   If I select the volume (indented under the drive) and the Erase tab, I don't get FAT32 as an option.  I have the "Mac OS Extended" and "exFAT" as my only options.  I can format the drive successfully using either of these two.  However, the Time Capsule only recognises it has been formatted as "Mac OS Extended" as expected.  Can anyone tell me how I can use Disk Utility to format the drive as FAT32 format?

MacBook Air (13-inch, Early 2014), OS X Yosemite (10.10.1)

Posted on Jan 14, 2015 2:52 PM

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Q: Can't format external drive as FAT32

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  • by Old Toad,

    Old Toad Old Toad Jan 14, 2015 2:54 PM in response to milnuts
    Level 10 (141,304 points)
    Mac OS X
    Jan 14, 2015 2:54 PM in response to milnuts

    Try to repartition the drive to one partition and see if you can select FAT at that time.  If you expect to be storing or transferring files greater than 4 GB to the drive select ExFAT. 

    OTsig.png

  • by milnuts,

    milnuts milnuts Jan 14, 2015 9:02 PM in response to Old Toad
    Level 1 (5 points)
    iLife
    Jan 14, 2015 9:02 PM in response to Old Toad

    Ok, that worked.... kind of.   When I selected the Partition tab and '1 Partition' it allowed me to format it as FAT32.  I went and plugged it into the Time Capsule, and the drive shows up in the Airport Utility under the "Disks" tab.  However, something still isn't kosher here.  When I open a Finder window and click on my Time Capsule, I see the external drive.  But the file I copied onto to it immediately after doing the format doesn't show up.  It appears as though the drive is empty.  Then after about 30 seconds I get an error message that my drive can't be found.

     

    On a side note, I have formatted the drive as exFAT, but when I plug it into the Time Capsule, it does not recognize it all.  Because the page I linked to in my original post did not specify exFAT that's why I wanted to try FAT32. 

  • by Old Toad,

    Old Toad Old Toad Jan 15, 2015 9:27 AM in response to milnuts
    Level 10 (141,304 points)
    Mac OS X
    Jan 15, 2015 9:27 AM in response to milnuts

    I don't have a Time Capsule so can't test or comment from experience but running a FAT 32 drive off of it many not be supported.  Someone who has a TC might be able to test and comment.

  • by Eric Root,

    Eric Root Eric Root Jan 15, 2015 11:38 AM in response to milnuts
    Level 9 (72,310 points)
    iTunes
    Jan 15, 2015 11:38 AM in response to milnuts

    Time Machine requires Mac OS Extended (Journaled). You need to make 2 partitions on the drive. One exFat and one Mac OS Extended (Journaled).

  • by milnuts,

    milnuts milnuts Jan 15, 2015 1:42 PM in response to Eric Root
    Level 1 (5 points)
    iLife
    Jan 15, 2015 1:42 PM in response to Eric Root

    I'm not planning to use this drive with Time Machine.  My Time Machine backups go directly to the HDD in the Time Capsule.  The purpose of the extra external HDD was for pictures and videos that I could share across PCs in my home network.  But as of right now the Time Capsule only recognises the drive if I format it as Mac OS Extended.  That seems to be contradictory behavior to the information on this page:  AirPort base stations: About USB disks - Apple Support