I've partitioned a 500gb Western Digital My Book drive as FAT32 so that it can be used on both Mac and Windows. I started to back up what I've got (about 200gb of m4v files at about 1.5gb each) and the copying process stops at about 128gb. It will not allow me to add anything else to the drive.
Is there a limit to how much a Mac can do on a FAT32 drive? I'm aware of the 4gb file limit that FAT32 carries, but I was unaware of any other liimitations.
According to this Wikipedia article, though the theoretical max FAT32 volume size is 8TB, Windows 95/98 could only create up to 127.53GB volumes, while Windows 2000/XP can only create up to 32GB volumes, without third-party software. One could surmise from this that OS X also places a limitation on FAT32 volumes of around 128GB, though I don't think that's true. However, if you were able to format the whole 500GB volume, with the size reported correctly afterwards, I would expect that the whole volume should be available.
Well, out of the box, it was formatted 500gb FAT32, and the limitation kicked in, even though it read as having a 500gb capacity. So I reformatted via the Mac, and same results. Showed up as 500gb FAT32, but the limit kicked in at 128gb.
I guess it would be wise for me to add... the 128gb limit is what I've seen as a culprit doing some research. The way that I know it doesn't work is that the copy process stops with an error -36, an I/O error of unknown origin and always occurring around the 128gb capacity mark. I've tried most of the fixes I can find (reformat, different cable, plugging in ONLY the drive needed, etc) and still nothing works.
You could always partition using Disk Utility into 2 Fat 32 partitions then use bootcamp to create a third for Windows. That will allow Mac OSX to be on one have a joint storage partition and one for WIndows as well. Avoids several of the complications that are known to happen with BootCamp and multiple partitions. The other route is get MacDrive for Windows so it can read HFS+, format Windows into NTFS and install NTFS read/write abilities for OSX.
Well, the end goal would be to make this the active iTunes folder, therefor, the files can't be spread into two different locations.
I know that technically it CAN by adding media without copying it to the iTunes folder, but this is for a friend of mine, and I'm trying not to make this complicated at all. One hard drive with one iTunes folder in it, and that folder (at this time) sizing up to be about 220gb.
Has anyone had experience using the MacFuse and NTFS-3g solution, or with the NTFSOSX solution available on sourceforge? How well do they work, and do they work as well as a FAT32 on Mac?
In my experience MacFuse is pretty ok, a little flakey from time to time. The write speed is definitely lower than on FAT32 but it works and I hvent had any corruption. NTFS-3G works very nicely you just have to remember to be patient with the installation, dont try to skip steps, and you'll be fine. The one on sourceforge is solid but doesn't work with 10.3 and higher.
I doubt that FAT32 has a 128GB limit, since I have a 250GB FAT32 drive and have been using it with a Mac for months, sometimes up to near the limit.
What I'm more interested in is what error message it threw up? The reason I ask is because although it stops when it gets to 128GB, the error may not be a FAT32 capacity limit, but the same problem I'm having - a filename or file that is incompatible with FAT32. Instead of throwing up an alert which allows you to skip the file in question, it tends to fail the rest of the copy process. I am trying to find a way round this myself at present.
Is there any way you can let me know what the error message was?
The error I would receive was an "error -36". And it didn't matter what file I tried to copy at that point. No matter what name it was, it just gave up after 128gb.
For giggles, I plugged it in to an XP machine, and it had no problems adding more files. I got it up to 132gb, then put it back to the Mac. The Mac saw all the files no problem, it just wouldn't add any more after that.
i have the same problem, though my WD Mybook is formatted in HFS+ journaled (mac os extended). i haven't found a solution so far. anyone tried to contact WD directly?
I have the same problem. Been looking everywhere and so far no solution. Even tried contacting Western Digital (500GB MyBook) and they weren't very helpful. They didn't even mention the 128GB limit. I went and bought a second one to see if the drive was the problem and ran into the same thing, so it's not the drive itself.
I thought this problem only effected older systems? I'm on an Intel Core Duo Macbook Pro running 10.4.
Just to add my twopenneth, I seem to have exactly the same problem. I have:
Powerbook G4, OS X 10.4.10, Attached via USB2 to Western Digital MyBook Essential 500GB. This exhibited the Error -36 problem straight out of the box. (I have 3 of these, bought at the samer time. They all do exactly the same thing - brand new, out the box).
Same PB G4, Attached by FW800 to WD MyBook Pro 500GB, Just started doing this today. (I have 3 of these too, and I daren't even look at the other two).
The Essential has had just about everything done to it - Partitioned at all levels as FAT32; Partitioned as Mac OS Extended (Journaled and not); Sub-partitioned into smaller units, you name it. Nothing makes any difference. Drive hits a wall. Not necessarily at 128GB, and not with any particular file (although a lot of my files are similar - DV, and Photoshop/RAW images), but there's a definite wall in there somewhere. After which, I get error -36 a few times, followed by Finder Hangs if I'm persistent.
I'm going to do a "fill with Zeros" reformat tonight (it estimates 6 hours). We'll see what happens.
FWIW, I thought it might be a 10.4.10 thing, seeing as I'm on my 11th outboard, and this is the first time I've seen anything like this. BIG coincidence after the recent 10.4.10 update (with reported issues on the USB interface) but we've attached the Essential drive to my Partner's G4 (10.4.9) and it fails there too. Could be something, could be nothing.
The weird thing is the MyBook Pro's - I've had them all for a number of months, and they have had varying amounts of data on them, but since I bought the Essential's they've started failing too. By comparison, I have some older Maxtors, and they are 250GB, 300GB and 500GB - all running up to the max and been healthy for 2 years plus.
Like everyone here, I'm scouring every source for a solution, and new "sightings" are popping up daily, so I'll post what I find.
Keep posting, folks.
P.S. Sorry for the long post, but I hope I've used enough description here that people searching for this specific problem will find it more easily - I've read more than my share of unrelated iTunes and Windows SMB posts over the past couple of days.
