how do i use my external hard drive on my computer(my passport WD)

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how do i use my external hard drive on my computer(my passport WD)

i recently bought an external hard drive, and when i connected it to the computer, i wasnt able to transfer my files . it shows that i can only " read ".

information about the hard drive :

-capacity : 3TB

-name: My passport

-format: windows NT file system ( don't know how to change that)

information about my computer:

- version 10.8.5

- from 2009

- the internal storage disk is full ( i also have a 1TB external drive that is almost full )

thanks

hadas

iMac, OS X Mountain Lion (10.8.5)

Posted on Nov 12, 2015 7:06 AM

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Answer 1

Niel

Community+ 2026

Level 10

742,685 points

Nov 12, 2015 7:10 AM in response to hadas790

Install software such as Paragon NTFS on the computer, or choose Utilities from the Finder's Go menu and use the Disk Utility to erase the drive, specifying Mac OS Extended (Journaled), MS-DOS, or exFAT as desired.

(136095)

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Answer 2

rkaufmann87

Level 10

148,516 points

Nov 12, 2015 7:17 AM in response to hadas790

If you are only going to use the EHD with the Mac then it needs to be re-formatted for OS X. To do so, please use Disk Utility (Applications - Utilities - Disk Utility) to re-format the drive as Mac OS Extended (Journaled). NTFS is a MS Windows format, if you want to share the drive with a PC you can use a tool such as the Paragon app however please remember NTFS is not a native format for OS X and eventually you will likely have problems.

Also, please do not install any of the WD software that may have come with the drive, it serves no purpose and can tend to create problems.

Finally, if you are not backing up your computer using Time Machine or some other method you should purchase another EHD for backup. Working with any computer without a backup plan is foolish, eventually you will lose important data (photos, music, movies, financial info etc.) without a backup. Having a sound backup plan protects you when this happens.

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Answer 3

hadas790 Author

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Nov 12, 2015 7:20 AM in response to Niel

if i have all three option?

and it looks like i have two different hard drives ( the last two) but they are the same. does it matter which one i pick?

also- will it work on other computres afterwards ? i mean , will it be permanent ?

what to choose?

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Answer 4

hadas790 Author

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Nov 12, 2015 7:26 AM in response to rkaufmann87

hey! thanks for the heads up!

i do have another external hard drive for back up bit its almost full , so i bought that one for that propose .

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Answer 5

rkaufmann87

Level 10

148,516 points

Nov 12, 2015 7:35 AM in response to hadas790

hadas790 wrote:

hey! thanks for the heads up!

i do have another external hard drive for back up bit its almost full , so i bought that one for that propose .

If you are using Time Machine to backup your computer, you can continue to use it. When a TM backup HD is reaching capacity it will begin removing old versions of files. However if you are simply getting a larger HD and want to use it to replace the old TM backup HD you may find Time Machine: How to transfer backups from a current backup drive to a new backup drive - Apple Support very useful.

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