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reliable formatting seagate external drive Mac AND Windows read/write/search?

Hello, I have a 2014 MBP and am using Seagate Backup Slim external drives as local backup method for Time Machine. Also use these drives as standard data/document drives.

Each of my 3 drives (one formatted HFS+ for Time Line; one formatted HFS+ non-Time Line; and other NTFS with Paragon Mac driver) all work very well on my MBP.

However, I need to access them from my Office PC Win Vista PC as well. My University IT techs have unsuccessfully tried to install the Paragon driver available through Seagate that purportedly makes the 2 HFS+ drives read/write and Spotlight searchable. For whatever reason, on the PC the external drive shows up in Drivers and Printers, but not in My Computers, and the Paragon driver is listed for the drives but the Microsoft driver is installed and the techs cannot figure out how replace the Windows driver with the Paragon driver.

I am assuming the techs are not going to get this right and I need an informed and stable solution fast so I am turning to YOU folks, the real experts.

I have heard that I can simply format (erase and reformat) the HFS+ drives to exFAT format. Apparently, if the drive is exFAT formatted it will "work" with both my Mac and office PC.

Now, what I have also read a little about are issues of stability/integrity etc. under exFAT. Some have argued that exFAT drives are less "stable" over the long run and using the Paragon driver would be the better solution. Others have argued hogwash and in a few cases submitted the opposite, that the Paragon drivers are less trustworthy.

Thank you very much in advance!🙂

MacBook Pro with Retina display, Mac OS X (10.0.x)

Posted on Aug 30, 2015 6:33 PM

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Posted on Aug 30, 2015 6:42 PM

ExFat allow fairly large files and large Volumes, and can be read and written on both systems, but Time Machine backup software [if that is what you meant] demands HFS+ Extended, and it makes no sense to read Time Machine Volumes on a PC.


Some say the PC formatting is slightly better than the Mac formatting for ExFat.


I say "any drive can fail at any time" so be certain you have Backups no matter what other decisions you make.

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Aug 30, 2015 6:42 PM in response to scmesser1

ExFat allow fairly large files and large Volumes, and can be read and written on both systems, but Time Machine backup software [if that is what you meant] demands HFS+ Extended, and it makes no sense to read Time Machine Volumes on a PC.


Some say the PC formatting is slightly better than the Mac formatting for ExFat.


I say "any drive can fail at any time" so be certain you have Backups no matter what other decisions you make.

Aug 30, 2015 8:30 PM in response to scmesser1

I am not concerned about Time Machine support, as I have a dedicated HFS+ for that. So the consensus appears to be that exFAT would do the trick for my other 2 drives, allowing both to be Mac and PC fully functional.

So Grant you are suggesting that possibly I should format my drives to exFAT using my PC rather than Mac, or at least you have heard something along those lines?
Has anyone else have positive or negative experiences with exFAT formatting and both Mac/PC Windows usage? And/or experience regarding whether to format using Mac or PC? For that matter, experience using third party software drivers like Paragon rather than exFAT to make my PC amendable to working with my HFS+ formatted drives?

Lastly thank you cabakroll for your reliability data re exFAT HDDs, any one else can support these observations?

Aug 31, 2015 6:47 AM in response to scmesser1

Thanks!

I had just heard some riffraff sorts of complaints on some message boards like an exFAT External Drive would "draw more power" from the Mac, etc., of course, with no evidence or specificity of how.


I rely on these externals (and the cloud if nec.) as I work about 75% on my Mac but then have to use my Univ. PC the remaining 25%. So popping in my drive and being able to pull up my work is great and exFAT will allow me to do this (and I can cancel my less than stellar IT support). Two more questions?


1) Use my Mac or PC to format the external drive... does it matter?

2) As a long-time PC user I have come to rely heavily of file, folder, and sometimes content "indexing" programs (like good ole Google Desktop Search, now deceased; or more simply but outstanding little programs like "Everything" search). What was _really_ nice about these build indexes was that even if the externals were not connected, and I conducted a search, the data/docs would show up, and there was a path column so I could readily determine why the doc didn't open since it was on an unattached drive! Are you aware of any reliable, resource lean, similar indexing creator for Macs. Again, I find spotlight/Finder very useful, but without the drive attached the data are "of course" invisible.


Thanks so much guys!

reliable formatting seagate external drive Mac AND Windows read/write/search?

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