Q: hard drive formatting
I backup to a hard drive and store it off premises. I use CCC to make a bootable clone. I have 2 computers and partition the drive so each has its own storage space. The old drive died.
I purchased a Seagate Backup Plus Slim Portable STDR2000100. It was listed as "for Mac" as opposed to a similar (identical?) drive for Windows. It told me to install NTFS_for_Mac_14.0.456 to make the drive Mac compatible. I did.
The partition tab in Disk Utility is greyed when the Seagate drive is selected. How do I partition? The erase tab is active. Must I erase and start over with Apple formatting using Disk Utility?
Do I need to partition to use CCC for 2 separate back ups? If so, was there any advantage to paying an extra $10 for the "Mac compatible" drive? Is any hard drive compatible by erasing it and letting Disk Utility format it?
I have asked Seagate for advice but, so far, they have not understood my problem and each question goes to a different support person. I have asked Bombich but will not hear from them until Tuesday. They have been excellent with support in the past; perhaps will solve my problem. My reason for posting this is twofold; l'd like to get my back up running quickly and, as the above questions demonstrate, I need a better understanding of how hard drives relate to a Mac.
Thanks.
Geoff
iMac, OS X El Capitan (10.11)
Posted on Sep 4, 2016 7:17 AM
Hi Geoff, yes any drive can be reformatted for Mac and it sounds like this drive needs it. All drives should be reformatted before using to ensure it is formatted for Mac. It is also a good idea because software and drivers may have been installed that you don't need or want.
https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT201909
Yes, you need to partition to use CCC
Posted on Sep 4, 2016 7:34 AM