Options to format external 1.5T hard drive

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Options to format external 1.5T hard drive

Hi All,

I have a few questions regarding formatting an external hard drive that you might be able to answer?

1 - What is the best format to give to an external hard drive and keep compatibility with both pc and mac? is it MS DOS FAT?

2 - Is it advisable to format it to accept both OS? do I lose something if I have it just for mac? (except the fact it wont work on pc).

3 - Which format should I use if it is just for mac?

3 - I tried to copy a file bigger than 4GB to a FAT32 pendrive and couldn't do it. Does this means that my external hard drive (1.5T) wont be able to do it neither if format to mac? The edited videos I have usually are bigger than 4GB.

4 - If I want to copy big files into my hard drive and have it compatible with mac what format should I use? will it then work with windows?

Cheers!

MacBook Pro with Retina display, OS X Mavericks (10.9)

Posted on Nov 26, 2013 8:14 PM

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Answer 1

Nov 26, 2013 8:22 PM in response to Zekepao

1. Exfat for BOTH PC and Mac to read/write (however wont work with time machine)

2. not really no, just get a second HD if you need that.

3. Mac OSX extended journaled (HFS+)

Yes, fat32 limit is 4gig

NO, .....Mac OSX or Exfat does NOT have this limit on the file.

4. Mac OSX extended journaled (HFS+)

Format it for MAC OSX EXTENDED JOURNALED for your Mac.

FAT32 (File Allocation Table)

Read/Write FAT32 from both native Windows and native Mac OS X.
Maximum file size: 4GB.
Maximum volume size: 2TB
You can use this format if you share the drive between Mac OS X and Windows computers and have no files larger than 4GB.

NTFS (Windows NT File System)

Read/Write NTFS from native Windows.
Read only NTFS from native Mac OS X
To Read/Write/Format NTFS from Mac OS X, here are some alternatives:
- For Mac OS X 10.4 or later (32 or 64-bit), install Paragon (approx $20) (Best Choice for Lion)
- Native NTFS support can be enabled in Snow Leopard and Lion, but is not advisable, due to instability.
AirPort Extreme (802.11n) and Time Capsule do not support NTFS
Maximum file size: 16 TB
Maximum volume size: 256TB
You can use this format if you routinely share a drive with multiple Windows systems.

HFS+ ((((MAC FORMAT))))(Hierarchical File System, a.k.a. Mac OS Extended (Journaled) Don't use case-sensitive)

Read/Write HFS+ from native Mac OS X
Required for Time Machine or Carbon Copy Cloner or SuperDuper! backups of Mac internal hard drive.
To Read HFS+ (but not Write) from Windows, Install HFSExplorer
Maximum file size: 8EiB
Maximum volume size: 8EiB
You can use this format if you only use the drive with Mac OS X, or use it for backups of your Mac OS X internal drive, or if you only share it with one Windows PC (with MacDrive installed on the PC)

EXFAT (FAT64)

Supported in Mac OS X only in 10.6.5 or later.
Not all Windows versions support exFAT.
exFAT (Extended File Allocation Table)
AirPort Extreme (802.11n) and Time Capsule do not support exFAT
Maximum file size: 16 EiB
Maximum volume size: 64 ZiB
You can use this format if it is supported by all computers with which you intend to share the drive. See "disadvantages" for details.

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Answer 2

Nov 26, 2013 8:25 PM in response to Zekepao

Hi

If you want compatilbility with Mac, PC, and want files larger than 4GB, format the drive to "exFat". This gets around FAT32's limitation on 4GB file size.

If you have no need to read the drive on a PC, Mac format is highly recommended. (which would allow greater than 4GB files anyway.) Some applications rely on the Mac drive format to work optimally. Time Machine, for example, must back up to a Mac-formatted drive. This format is called "Mac OS Extended" (also called HFS+). "Journaled" is recommended unless you're dealing with a specific case such as video editing.

There is an application for Windows called MacDrive, which allows you to access Mac-formatted drives.

Similarly, Paragon NTFS allows you to read Windows NTFS drives on a Mac.

If you only have need access between a single Mac and a single Windows machine, it might be worth looking at those.

Matt

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