Initalizing a disk to make it readable

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alex7375 Author

Level 3

702 points

Initalizing a disk to make it readable

Hi, I am trying to recover data from a disk that is formatted in EXT ( WD My cloud disk ).

It is connect to my Mac Pro via USB in a docking mount.

When I turn it on I get a error message from OSX reading that the drive is NOT initialized.

I want to know if I initialize this drive will I erase all data ?

I don't want to erase the data as I am trying to recover it.

I also have an app called "FUSE OSX" installed that is suppose to be able to read EXT file system.

I am running Mac OS Sierra.

Posted on Mar 21, 2020 4:37 PM

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Answer 1

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Eau Rouge

Level 8

42,656 points

Mar 22, 2020 1:57 AM in response to alex7375

If you go ahead and press Initialise you will erase the drive and its contents and it will be reformatted for use on the macOS.

Do not do this if you want to read the data on the disk.

As it is formatted as EXT it means it is formatted for Linux systems.

To read the data on your EXT disk you will need to install OSXFuse which you have already mentioned.

Please read this, https://osxdaily.com/2014/03/20/mount-ext-linux-file-system-mac/

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Answer 2

Eau Rouge

Level 8

42,656 points

Mar 22, 2020 5:47 AM in response to alex7375

As I said if you initialise the disk you will lose the information on it, as the mac will reformat it from EXT to a mac readable format probably Mac OS Extended (journaled) but when doing that it will make the data on the disk unreadable.

Read the instructions I gave you a link for on how to use OSXFuse, or google for further instructions on using OSXFuse.

The alternative would be to plug the disk into a Linux based system and then copt the files over to another external disk

or USB stick that both Linux and Mac can read and write to.

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Answer 3

alex7375 Author

Level 3

702 points

Mar 22, 2020 4:14 AM in response to Eau Rouge

Okay, when I plug the drive into a USB port my Mac sees the drive and asks to "initialize" it.

If I don't initialize it I can't mount it.

I have "fuseOSX" installed but I don't know how to use it.

If I open "disk utility" I can see the external USB drive but I can't do anything with it unless I initialize it.

How can I mount this drive with out initializing it in "fuseOSX app"

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Answer 4

HWTech

Level 9

68,678 points

Mar 22, 2020 10:03 AM in response to alex7375

I'm curious to know how you came to have a drive formatted as EXT?

If OSXFuse up to date? Beyond that I have no experience in how to use it on a Mac or how to update it since I've never used it.

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Answer 5

HWTech

Level 9

68,678 points

Mar 21, 2020 7:16 PM in response to alex7375

Erasing the drive will make the issue worse.

Do you have a backup of the data on the drive?

Please confirm the file system used on the external drive.

I would highly recommend running DriveDX and checking the health of the external drive. You will need to install a special USB driver to allow the necessary communication to the drive's SMART features. However, not all external USB enclosures permit the necessary SMART communication to pass through. If DriveDX can access the external drive's SMART attributes, then post the complete DriveDX report here using the "Additional Text" icon which looks like a piece of paper.

Try connecting the drive directly to the computer. If it is already connected directly, then try using a powered USB3 hub connected directly to the computer. Disconnect all other external devices.

The health of the drive will determine the next steps to try to recover the data. Please refrain from using the drive beyond this as you could make the problem worse.

Also, do you have another external drive the same size or larger?

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Initalizing a disk to make it readable

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