HELP: Can't format WD passport drive on Macbook OSX 10.6.7

When you open Disk Utility and select your WD Passport from the left-hand sidebar, you will need to select the sub-menu "Erase". Once you are there you can select from the expansion menu which format you would like for the drive. Then you can give it a specific name (other than the generic WD Passport) if you desire. After choosing FAT32 the process will get underway once you click on "Erase" in the lower right of that window.

You can't backup Mac & Bootcamp partitions together, format the drive for OSX and use TM, format another drive NTFS or FAT32 for Windows and use Windows backup.

Or use Windows tools to make a system image and then store that on the Mac side, TM will back it up.

If you can't store a system image on the mac side then you need 2 partitions or 2 drives, one NTFS for Windows and one HFS for Mac.

Use Time machine for the Mac side and Widows Backup for the Windows side, you can't store both on the same partition.

What is the capacity of the WD Passport? If it is sufficiently large (for example 1 or 2TB) you could partition it so that one section (partition) is formatted for Time Machine, and the other is left as FAT32 for the Windows portion. Go back to Disk Utility with the WD attached and follow a similar pathway as you initially did to format it, however this time you will choose Partition from the sub-menu. (Be sure to select the topmost entry for the WD otherwise you will not have the Partition option.) It will show the Volume Scheme as Current with just the one partition that you did in FAT32. From the expansion list select 2 Partitions. Grab the slider/divider to set the size limits to your requirements. Once satisfied, click one partition and name and format accordingly in HFS+ for the Mac requirements; note: the HFS+ formatted partition will be recognized by Time Machine and you will be asked if that is your wish to use it; you will probably answer 'yes' and allow TM to do its thing. The other partition you will select, name and choose FAT32 as it already appears. Click Apply in the lower right of that window and wait while the process completes. Now you can unmount the drive while you prepare the Windows side for backup with the Windows utility. Once you re-attach the WD as a partitioned drive it will show up as two separate icons on the desktop representing two distinct and 'separate' volumes (even though they belong to the same physical entity). Time Machine will immediately launch and ask about your choice for backup. Follow the prompts in the dialog box and you will be set for your Mac backup. The Windows backup answer should be handled by someone else who has experience with BootCamp or VM because I do not use it.