Seagate FreeAgent Pro Ext HD & Apple Comp--need info from users

Question

Seagate FreeAgent Pro Ext HD & Apple Comp--need info from users

I just purchased a Seagate FreeAgent Pro external hard drive for my mac mini (for extra storage -NOT- for Time Machine.)

The Seagate hd disk mounted and there were documentations and software for both Windows and Macs. I clicked on the user manual doc for Macs and started reading. It states that the drive comes formatted for Windows:
+The FreeAgent Pro software is loaded on your drive. Because the software is configured+
+for a Windows operating system, your drive and the software must be prepared for+
+installation on your Macintosh.+
+Using the Mac Reformatting Tool+
+The Mac Reformatting tool automatically prepares the Drive Manager software for+
+installation on your Macintosh,+
+To use the Mac Reformatting Tool,+
+Step 1. Connect your drive to your computer.+
+A FreeAgent Drive icon appears on your desktop:+
+Step 2: Double-click the FreeAgent Drive icon.+
+The FreeAgent Drive Finder window opens:+

Below this is a screen shot showing seven icons (mix of Mac and Windows), but I only have six icons come up in the window when I follow the instructions. The installer (not the .dmg file) is not included. Supposedly this is what is needed to reformat the drive for Macs.

Question to anyone who has one of these drives: Is this old documentation and you only need the .dmg for the drive to be formatted correctly for Mac, or did I get a lemon with a vital piece of software missing? I want to be able to use Disk Warrior later on, so the drive MUST be formatted to Macintosh.

MacMini, Mac OS X (10.5.4), 2.0 Ghz Intel

Posted on Jul 12, 2008 9:44 AM

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Answer 1

Jul 12, 2008 11:17 AM in response to KathleenTarget

Seagate site finally let me in.
In order to get a download link to the missing piece of software, I have to go through hoops of registration and they are closed for the weekend. Lovely. Tempted to return it for an exchange...maybe with a company that does 24/7 support.

However, this little exercise in frustration just alerted me to another alarming situation with my drives, so I suppose I should be a bit grateful to them if only indirectly.

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Answer 2

babowa

Level 9

78,568 points

Jul 12, 2008 8:46 PM in response to KathleenTarget

I do not have a Seagate, but two LaCie external hard drives and I've never heard of having to download software or go to the mfr's site to get an external formatted. You can use Disk Utility for that and you really don't need any software or driver for an external. Once your external's icon shows up on the desktop, open Disk Utility (Applications->Utilities->Disk Utility) and, in the left column, once your external shows up, choose (highlight) the external drive. Then click on "partition" towards the top of the window. Under Format, choose Mac OS Extended (Journaled). Then click on Options towards the bottom of the window. In the resulting pop up window, choose "GUID Partition Table". Hit ok. Now you can either click on "Partition" if you want the whole drive in one partition, or you can choose to divide it into several partitions first (i.e. one for a bootable backup copy of your HD, one for your music, photos, or whatever). You can choose the size of the partitions by sliding the dividers up/down and name each one (i.e. Macintosh HD copy, music, etc.).
When all done, you'll have a Mac formatted external drive.
Hope this helps.

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Answer 3

C David

Level 1

25 points

Jul 14, 2008 11:19 PM in response to KathleenTarget

If you want a quick and easy way to format so you can use it with MAC is if you have a PC or a friend with a PC, go to maxtor's site and download Maxblast5, and format the drive into FAT32, and you will be set.

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Answer 4

Jul 16, 2008 4:21 AM in response to babowa

Thank you.

I've been waiting for a response from Seagate and just got it (after four emails to them) today. Let's say that I was less than impressed with them.

First, there response did not include an apology. It contained a thank you (for what?) and a link to the download I would need. It was after I started the download that I discovered something rather important.

I'm furious because if they had posted on their downloadd page just how large the downloads were it would have saved me several days and several emails. The installer is 250MB for pete's sake! It would have taken me a week to download that and that's praying it turned out to be working okay.

That together with the lack of any sort of apology for such a whopping inconvenience on something I'd already paid to have makes me a former Seagate purchaser.

I'll try the Disk Utility now. If that doesn't work, returning it. Thank goodness the store allows several weeks on defective product returns, but it's far and gas is not cheap.

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Answer 5

babowa

Level 9

78,568 points

Jul 16, 2008 6:28 PM in response to KathleenTarget

Thanks for the star! I've used Disk Utility for three different LaCie drives and it works just fine; the best thing is that you already have it. I also have a smaller USB portable Western Digital external to bring along with my MBP and used Disk Utility to format it as well - no software install needed for that either. It really should work and I still don't understand why Seagate says that you need some extra software.... my LaCie and WD icons just show up on the desktop and, once formatted, I can either drag and drop to copy files to a partition or make/update my bootable backup (I use SuperDuper) to my bootable partition.

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Answer 6

Jul 17, 2008 1:23 PM in response to KathleenTarget

I am a new user of Mac mini and I was using a 750GB version of the drive that you mentioned with my Windows XP PC. It was NTFS formatted and I was using the USB interface. I replaced the USB module with the firewire module and so when I connected it to the Mac mini, it automatically requested a reformat which it did successfully. Currently I am using this drive for both Time machine as well as located my movies until I get one more drive to do only the Time Machine.

I haven't had any problem with the drive with my Mac mini. I never like the auto backup software that came with the drive for WinXP. That software is a piece of junk. This drive came with a 5yr warranty and that is the reason I purchased it besides the fact that it was very cheap in Costco.

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Answer 7

Nick Holmes

Level 7

30,018 points

Jul 17, 2008 3:23 PM in response to C David

If you want a quick and easy way to format so you can use it with MAC is if you have a PC or a friend with a PC, go to maxtor's site and download Maxblast5, and format the drive into FAT32, and you will be set.

The Macintosh HFS Extended (Journaled) format is much more efficient and she will not run into that silly file size limitation ( 2 GB - 4 GB? ) that comes with FAT32.

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Answer 8

Jul 17, 2008 3:32 PM in response to Nick Holmes

Agree with that absolutely. That's what my mac mini did when I connected my drive. If you stay with FAT32, then it is compatible to a Windows PC as well. But, such a use case is very uncommon. And you will hit the partition size issue as Nick mentions. I am able to access my WinXP PC over the network instead and that is much more convenient.

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