Can a external hard disk be compatible in both mac and windows?

Question

Can a external hard disk be compatible in both mac and windows?

I need help with concerns of an external Hard Disk. I have a 1Tb hard disk which has all my imp data & I recently bought a Mac Air. It shows as Read only & I cannot modify any file on this disk. Though I'm able to copy them on to my mac.

MacBook Air, iOS 7.0.2

Posted on Apr 12, 2014 7:11 PM

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Answer 1

Apr 12, 2014 7:14 PM in response to Arpita C Mittra

If you reformat the disk drive that will wipe out all data on it.

A simpler solution might be to install MacDrive on the PC so that it can read and write to a hard drive formatted to the Mac.

Allan

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Answer 2

Apr 12, 2014 7:24 PM in response to Arpita C Mittra

Yes, in EXFAT, it will work with both

buy anther HD and format it for Exfat. Formatting your current drive will erase the data, ergo, dont do that.

FORMAT TYPES

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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