NTFS Write support on Mavericks

also, what i want to do is copy some files from my mac to the hdd and then use it back on windows.. after making these changes, will it run without any problems on windows or will i need to change anything?

also how to safely remove the drive when there is no icon on the desktop?

thanks in advance

Hi,

I recently install Windows 8 on my macbook air for second OS. NTFS is big big factor for this. Do you happy Apple?

I did everything LosephJG outlined, but my "My Passport" external hard drive still isn't letting me write. When I initially ran the script I had some residual Tuxera trial, NTFS-3G / MacFUSE stuff on my computer that might have been causing problems. I finally got all of that uninstalled and when I plugged in the external hard drive it was being recognized but wasn't letting me write. I made sure that the script was still there after getting rid of all the extra garbage and am getting the "[WARNING] Device already initialized on this system. Nothing to do here" response in Terminal. I also plugged the hard drive into a PC and safely removed it and that didn't help. Any suggestions? Would starting the script from scratch ("uninstalling it"?) and trying again help (is there a way to do that)? If there's nothing else to try, even telling me that would be helpful. Thanks!

Not directed specifically at you, timmer79.

Everybody. It's your choice, but why is everyone trying so hard to use undocumented workarounds? Is potential data loss less of a concern than spending a lousy $20 on a commercial solution that works?

Paragon NTFS

Get it for free from Seagate

http://www.seagate.com/support/downloads/item/ntfs-driver-for-mac-os-master-dl/

100% working solution with homebrew ntfs-3g and osxfuse packages http://coolestguidesontheplanet.com/how-to-write-to-a-ntfs-drive-from-os-x-maver icks/

Does the Seagate driver only work on Seagate disks? I tried the ntfs.sh script on 10.9.4 with a 2tb Toshiba and when I remounted it MacOSX said that it was an unrecognised file system. I removed the line in fstab and it could read the disk again.

Andrew: From testing I've found the same. Seagate driver only works with Seagate drives, much in the way WD software will only work with WD drives.

Re Kurt Lang:

Sadly, there are only two ways to get NTFS RW to work onn MacOS (that I'm aware of).

1. Forcing an Operating System to use a third party driver at a kernel level.

2. Forcing an Operating System to use functionality it has built in (from underlying OS) at a file system level.

By far #2 is the safest of the two options, as it can be reversed and shouldn't result in a non booting system (unless you've got other issues with your OS).

By loading a third party driver at a kernel level, you are giving the Operating System no choice but to load that driver, which, can often end in tears (or a kernel panic and a non booting OS if Apple decide to make system changes, or you do a major OS update.

With the fstab edit, it's tapping into core Unix (which OSX is loosely based on). Funny thing is that you can actually put anything in the fstab file, and it will be ignored unless the syntax is correct. Note how it's empty by default? Because MacOS does not use fstab as its default way of addressing file system tables, so in MacOS fstab is a throwback to unix basics.

So the question is, why did Apple restrict it like this, if a simple line of code can unlock NTFS writes? Easy answer too!

NTFS requires a license from Microsoft. If you want to use full read/write functionality of an NTFS file system, you have to pay licensing costs to Microsoft for use of it (this is also the case for software that makes modifications to an NTFS file system). So in Seagate and Paragons case, they will have paid Microsoft for the ability to use NTFS in their software/driver.

In order for Apple to avoid paying (a major competitor) a large "slice of the pie" for NTFS read/write privs, instead they crippled NTFS in MacOS.

*sigh* Why can't we all just get along 🙂

Be interesting to see how REFS plays into this all in the future, as clearly MS are looking to move away from NTFS and its (rather minor) limitations, now that larger format drives are on the market.

*sigh* Why can't we all just get along 🙂

Heheh! 😀 I have no problem with those who want to use a Terminal method to gain write access. It's your computer and your data. Do as you wish. But you're overlooking a possible serious consequence with number two, which you declare as being safer. And that's the fact it's not enabled, or something the user is even supposed to know is there. In other words, it's in there because Apple is apparently working on it, but, it's an unsupported function that is still very much a work in progress. Or said another way, flakey alpha code not meant to be used or trusted yet. I'd take the proven track record of something like Paragon first any day.

Sorry Kurt, hehehe my "why can't we all just get along" comment was directed towards operating system file systems 😝 🙂

I dream of a day where all OS's use the same file system structure and interOS file sharing is a simple thing.... then sadly I wake up and realise that's never going to happen.

We run Windows/Unix/Mac environments here, so it'd make my job a **** of a lot easier.

With the fstab changes, it's not much more than a text file. fstab simply tells the operating system as it boots "Hey don't forget about mounting these drives I have too". The OS can still ignore anything in fstab, but that would be a potentially dangerous move, and drift away from conventional unix/linux.

Speaking of which, the NTFS write issue isn't so much a MacOS thing, but a unix/linux thing. The only reason the issue rears its ugly head in MacOS, is because it's a unix limitation. Speaking of which, there is a lot under the "hood" of MacOS that most probably don't realise is there, afterall its got unix roots, and that means you can tinker with code 🙂

That said Unix/linux systems out there can happily work with fstab modifications without a problem.

The main reason it's disabled, is because if OS manufacturers allowed read/write access to NTFS, Microsoft come knocking with the hand out asking for money. It's not a matter of flaky code (fstab has been around a long long time - and is actually all but superseeeded now by auto mounts), but a matter of either not paying out money for a potentially less used function ; or potentially infringing on MS code.

Worth noting that if you tore apart the code for Paragon or Seagates driver, you'd probably find theres not much different there to the fstab workaround.

I'm always wary using third party kernel level drivers though... its a single file away from a kernal panic if it becomes unsupported/conflicts/is superseeded by an os upgrade.

I suppose everythings a calculated risk though.

ZeroTechOne wrote:

That said Unix/linux systems out there can happily work with fstab modifications without a problem.

The main reason it's disabled, is because if OS manufacturers allowed read/write access to NTFS, Microsoft come knocking with the hand out asking for money.

It's not the fstab "thing" that is the problem. You can tell the OS to mount the NTFS drives as r/w all you want. That doesn't alter the utility that must do the writing on the non-native file system. That is what is flaky, not the fstab modification.

Sorry, but adding code, whether enabled or not, will cause Microsoft to come "knocking." If you add code and "disable" it, that doesn't alleviate you from abiding by the licensing of the technology.

If that was the case, then Apple would just leave SAMBA installed, but deactivated, and anybody who needed it could run a little terminal trick to "enable" it. Thus Apple wouldn't have to abide by the GPLv3 License and they could "bundle" SAMBA.

Hello, i was having the same problem, all my data is in 4 difference usb HARD DRIVES, formatted as NTFS, and the first suggestion in this post, which tells to use PARAGON, was very handy for me, i`m using PARAGON NTFS 11 FOR MAC OSX, and its a great addition, i only installed, rebooted my system and thats it, from now on i can copy any files to my usb HD, thanks a lot community

For neburim:

I tried out your script, and it did not work.

I am using Mac OS 10.6.8.

I did "sudo ./your-script", it asked me choose which NTFS drive, I chose the one I want from the list, but it claimed that it was NOT an NTFS drive.

On the disk info, it is NTFS and read-only.

I cannot even rename it, and change the permission to add write to it.

So what was wrong with your script?

I think another person also posted here:

"

• paradise says:January 23, 2014 at 11:59 amLooks great but doesnt work on my Moutain Lion. It says “Error. Please, select a NTFS device”, but when I type this single line:
  diskutil info $FILENAME | grep “Type (Bundle):” | cut -d ‘:’ -f2 | tr -d ‘ ‘..result is “ntfs”!
  So I dont understand"

Could you update what was wrong with us? Select the NTFS, but your script claims it is NOT.

Thanks.

Check that your drive was removed safely from Windows, otherwise it will not appear in the list. Go to a MS Windows, plug the HD and then remove it safely. Then check again with your Mac (this behavior is not a problem with my script but of OSX).

Thanks all for comment...

this video usefully write ntfs for osx yosemite....works perfectly!!! 🙂😁🙂

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QUjrwhnshmA