Best file system for PPC Mac, Intel Mac, and Win 7 PC

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Level 1

4 points

Best file system for PPC Mac, Intel Mac, and Win 7 PC

I really was nut sure which section to post this in, so this seemed like the best place. I have a 3TB external hard drive, that I need to read and write to on a G5 running 10.5.8, A MacBook Pro running 10.8.2, and various windows PC's, what is the best file system to use, or better yet, format, depending on what terminology you use, adn I need to transfer large files(larger than the 4GB limit on FAT). Im willing to try any suggestions. I would prefer not to use extra software, if it is neccessary though, I can on the mac's but not as easily on the Win PC's. I would also prefer an app from apple, I seem to have bad luck with third-party software, but if you know of one that works nicely, again, I'm willing to try any suggestions.

MacBook Pro (17-inch Late 2011), OS X Mountain Lion (10.8.2), ML Server,16GBRAM,512GBSSD,1TBHDD

Posted on Oct 31, 2012 5:09 PM

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Answer 1

Niel

Level 10

726,893 points

Oct 31, 2012 5:15 PM in response to Tcreese724

No non-network filesystem supports all of those uses. The most compatible options without additional software are to either format the drive as exFAT from the PC(the G5 can't access it) or to connect it to either Mac, format it as Mac OS Extended (Journaled), and make it available as a network share.

(71226)

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Answer 2

Tcreese724 Author

Level 1

4 points

Oct 31, 2012 5:21 PM in response to Niel

Okay, then with software what are my options? This is only temporary until I get my NAS up and running so a temporary fix would be nice.

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Answer 3

Nov 1, 2012 6:43 AM in response to Tcreese724

Another alternative is a two-partition external drive. All platforms supported without special software on one drive. You could use mnemonic partition names like HFS and EXF for mounted recognition. Think of this as a functional, single-drive, mirrored RAID set (RAID 1). A file copy to each partition (if needed) provides redundant platform interoperabililty and file backup.

HFS+ Journaled
All Macs
ExFat
1. Windows 7
2. Intel Macs

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