guys i need your help..i want to buy an external hdd for backing up files on my macbook but im on a tight budget right now. my brother suggested that i share a single 320 gb external hdd with our win pc..is it advisable to do that? can i partition the external hdd so that one part's for my macbook and the other's for our family pc?
Yes you can. 1 partition can be Mac format (Mac OS extended journaled) and 1 partition can be Windows format. Another alternative is if the external HDD is formatted to FAT32. This format is accessible to BOTH Macs and PC. As such, no need to partition anymore. However, the first option is "cleaner" as it separates stuff from the PC from stuff from your Mac. If you still prefer an external HDD of your own but you're on a tight budget, you may want to check this out: http://www.philmug.ph/forum/showthread.php?t=46746&highlight=seagate+dpp+sale Special sale on Seagate external hard drives. Just present a DPP or iCreate magazine, pay in cash, and you can get a 1 TB external hard drive for about 6,000 Pesos. Click the link for full details.
yes you can, but there's no need to re partition the HD just put a folder that says MAC backup, but if your OC about it you can partition it, as long as the external HD is FAT32 then you're OK, if it's NTFS then you'll need a specialized app for your mac to access it.
as i remember (post on this site) if you used your external hard drive as back up (time machine) never plug your external hard drive to a windows machine edit: add what i mean
thanks for the replies..a follow-up question though, are external hard drives reliable?aren't they vulnerable to crashes as internal hdds?and maybe you could suggest the best brands for a 250gb external.im really inclined to buy a seagate as included in the link johannes gave..thanks!
@cyrian: A hard drive is a hard drive. The same one in your MB is the same within the plastic/metal shell of the external enclosure. So yes, they are just as vulnerable. But the odds of both drives crashing simultaneously are much lower than the odds of just one doing so. Personally, I have no preference when it comes to brands. I have used Fujitsu, Western Digital, Seagate, & Hitachi. The WD's came in their own external enclosure. The others were internal drives I put in a generic CDR King external enclosure. No problems with any of them.
Good brands (based on personal experience) are LaCie and Seagate. External HD's are pretty reliable as long as you operate them properly (unplugging safely, keeping them well-ventilated, standing/stacking them properly, etc.). Of course, like other gadgets, there's that element of luck as well. But these brands are pretty good.
okay, thank you very much again..i'll go buy a seagate freeagent go tom at vmall..really appreciate the tips!..galing talaga ng philmug,hehe =p
yup, alien naman sakin ang credit card, never had one,hehe..meron naman siguro mabibilan ng dpp or icreate mag sa greenhills no?
oooh one last question, does the seagate external hdd come with a backup software for windoze? i will partition it for our family pc and unfortunately it doesn't have the space-age app we call time machine,hahaha..
^ I believe it does. Most of these drives come with backup software. However, it's best to check with the store first to be sure.
Hi! just got my first ever macbook last 2/28/09... was wondering how i can partition my WD external HD for the mac? can you give me steps or point me to the right thread? Thanks!
I dug up an old post of mine. I hope it's still relevant and working (it's been a while since I partitioned an external HD) : 1. Connect the external HD to your Mac. Launch Disk Utility. 2. In Disk Utility, select the external HD you want to partition and click the "partition" tab. Click the options button and then select "master boot record". After clicking OK, click the "split" button or select a "volume scheme". Adjust how large you want each partition to be. Then, select one partition (it turns dark gray). 3. If you want one partition to be for "Macs only" and one partition to be "Macs and PCs (FAT32), do this: Choose MS-DOS from the "format" dropdown menu. Select the other partition, then choose Mac OS Extended (Journaled) from the format menu. 4. If you want all partitions to be for "Macs only", select Mac OS Extended (Journaled) for all partitions. 5. You can also label each partition so as not to be confusing in the future. Click the partition name to edit the label. 6. After finalizing everything, Click the "partition" button. There you go!
actually that about says it all here for newbies who want to partition their external hard drives...but i would suggest using the fat32 option if you want your hdd to be accessed by both mac and pc...you can never tell when only a pc is available...
Thank you very much Johannes, will try it later. Thanks for the suggestion hitme64, will keep that in mind.
Only thing with formating a drive as Fat32 is that it cannot store files larger than 4Gb so if you have backup images on your MacBook that are larger than 4Gb then it's better to format your external drive as Mac OS (Journaled)
i update to an NTFS drive using Superduper! via Paragon on my MBP. I run several PCs so I need compatibility between my macs and my C2D pcs. Works well so far..
