Partitioning previously used Windows NT File System for use with Mac and PC

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Partitioning previously used Windows NT File System for use with Mac and PC

With reference to this thread I found when searching for a solution: Can Windows NT File System(NTFS) format external hard drive work on iMac?

Below is the comment which led to me creating this new thread.

"rkaufmann87Sep 8, 2014 8:26 AM Re: Can Windows NT File System(NTFS) format external hard drive work on iMac?
in response to djj19

djj19 wrote:

Hi there,

I am about to follow your advice also for the same issue, the worry I have is that when I select partition 1, it says "To erase and partition the selected disk..." and so I am worried that if I do this it will erase the current contents of the hard disk drive (which were copied there from PCs in previous use).

If so, is there a way to use the hard disk drive with a mac without erasing the contents?

Thanks

Your case is different and NO do not partition the EHD yet unless you are prepared to completely erase your PC data. Before progressing though, do you intend to share the EHD with a PC and your Mac? If so this is not advisable but it is possible, however you will need to compromise. Please answer that question first and then we can proceed with some advice.

BTW it's generally not a good idea to ask a question in a thread that has already been answered, particularly one that is 3+ years old! In such a case it's normally better to create your own thread. "

The answer to the question in the above comment is that ideally I would like to use with both Mac and PC, why is this not advisable?

Please discuss my best options. I am wondering if I could transfer the current contents of the disk drive elsewhere, partition (which would erase) the disk drive, then put back the contents along with the new files which I have been trying to put on in the first place?

If this were to work would I then be tied down to only using this disk drive with a Mac?

Thank you.

Message was edited by: djj19

MacBook Pro

Posted on Sep 8, 2014 9:08 AM

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Answer 1

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rkaufmann87

Level 10

141,132 points

Sep 8, 2014 10:31 AM in response to djj19

Ideally it is best to have seperate (discreet) EHD's for a PC and Mac due to their differences in HD formatting. However, this is not always feasable but there are alternative solutions availble. Among those are:

Creating and useing a Dropbox account that can be shared by PCs, Macs, IOS and Android devices. Dropbox allows for 2GB of free storage and additional storage is available for a small monthly fee.
Another possiblity is formating an EHD so that it may be shared by both a PC and Mac, this format is FAT 32. The downside of doing this is the size of the files written to the HD are limited to 4GB.

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