Formatting An External HD

[MightyGem]

Our computers at work are formatted to NTFS. We have a Maxtor 320Gb external HD that has also been formatted to NTFS. I want to reformat it to FAT16 so that I can use it with the Mac that we also have.

Now, I know how to do that using the Mac, but how would I do it using the PC, and would it still work with the PC afterwards?

[Saab Dastard]

The maximum volume size supported by FAT16 is 4 GB, so that's a lot of partitions you will have to create!!!!:eek:

FAT32 would be a better bet. You can use Disk Manager to format the disk up to 32GB FAT32 volumes in Win2K or WinXP. That's still a lot of volumes (and a large block size).

Interestingly, Win98 supports formatting much larger FAT32 volumes - up to 127.5GB - while the theoretical maximum FAT32 size is far larger (up to 8 terabytes with 32KB clusters, but as the boot sector uses a 32-bit field for the sector count, this limits the volume size to 2 TB on a hard disk with 512 byte sectors).

To create and format larger volumes you can use a 3rd party tool (e.g. this (http://www.ridgecrop.demon.co.uk/index.htm?fat32format.htm)) (or MAC OSX), or indeed the command-line Format.exe (http://www.gearhack.com/Forums/DisplayComments.php?file=Computer/Windows/Format_Large_Disks_to_FAT32_on_Windows_XP_and_Vista) utility in any Windows > 98.

However, Mac OS X doesn't manage FAT32 volumes of more than 137GB AFAIK, but you could presumably make 3 x 106GB partitions. Also MS does not recommend FAT32 volumes larger than 32GB (for "efficiency") and does not recommend larger than 127.5GB (apparently not tested). But of course Win2K / XP can use large FAT32 volumes - MS just doesn't want you to, as it wants the world to use NTFS.

I'm sure that a MAC expert can provide more up-to-date information about MAC FAT32 / NTFS support.

If Mac OSX can now reliably write to NTFS partitions, that's probably the way to go.

SD

[MightyGem]

Thanks, Saab. I've never owned a Windows PC so I'm not that familiar with their formatting. The reason I said FAT16 is that is what my USB stick is formatted to!

The Mac can read the Maxtor in it's present format, but can't write to it.

I shall ask on the Mac forum that I frequent.

[Background Noise]

I have a 250GB external HDD, formatted as a single FAT32 partition, which I can read and write to in both Windows and Mac OSX.

[Shunter]

I wouldn't bother with FAT if I were you.

A Mac can read and write NTFS discs with the correct software (free):
http://www.lifehack.org/articles/lifehack/how-to-read-and-write-ntfs-windows-partition-on-mac-os-x.html

A Windows machine can read and write HFS+ discs, using MacDrive (cheap).

[Bushfiva]

I wouldn't bother with FAT if I were you.

Well, I would if I were you. FAT32 is simple and readily understood. Your recommended NTFS driver is a work in progress. There's a reason most devices can read NTFS but not write to it: the structure contains secrets MS cares not to divulge. Those that write use informed guesswork, but there's till risk involved.

[Spui18]

I have bought an external HD for my desktop PC as it's HD is pretty much full.
The PC's HD is in NTFS, the external HD is in FAT32.
Do I need to reformat the external HD to NTFS? (Partition magic could do that for me)
I intend to store photos and music on the external HD.

Thanks in advance for your recommendations

Spui

[Bushfiva]

Do I need to reformat the external HD to NTFS?

No.


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