UNformatting WD 1TB HD from Mac to PC?

mari.irwin · mari.irwin #1 (**permalink**)

04-09-2012, 08:12 PM

I want to give my 1 TB HD to my son to back up his PC now That I have time machine for our Macs? please advise

G-Mo · G-Mo #2 (**permalink**)

04-09-2012, 08:21 PM

Reformat the drive as FAT-32 using Disk Utility.

Then, when connected to the PC, reformat it as NTFS.

mari.irwin · mari.irwin #3 (**permalink**)

04-10-2012, 10:43 AM

Thank you for your reply! I was able to 'erase' and reformat to FAT32 (although the choice was limited to to just FAT... it seems to have successfully converted to FAT 32... when i plugged it into PC it just worked... I saved a word test document to it... but I couldn't find where to do the second step you suggested:
"Then, when connected to the PC, reformat it as NTFS"

any advise?

G-Mo · G-Mo #4 (**permalink**)

04-10-2012, 12:33 PM

What version of windows?

mari.irwin · mari.irwin #5 (**permalink**)

04-10-2012, 01:04 PM

Windows 7 Enterprise (service pack 1)

G-Mo · G-Mo #6 (**permalink**)

04-10-2012, 01:27 PM

I've never used Windows 7, here's a guide:
Step by Step Guide to Formatting a Hard Drive in Windows 7

Deckyon · Deckyon #7 (**permalink**)

04-10-2012, 01:46 PM

As a general rule, format the drive on the computer where it will be used the most. In your case, format the drive on your son's Win7 machine.

If you are not going to need to access it outside of just reading it, format it NTFS. You will run into issues with file sizes with FAT and FAT32.

mari.irwin · mari.irwin #8 (**permalink**)

04-10-2012, 01:52 PM

thank you! I got it done!

G-Mo #2 (permalink)
Member Since: Mar 11, 2012 Location: Toronto Posts: 53 Mac Specs: See signature	04-09-2012, 08:21 PM Reformat the drive as FAT-32 using Disk Utility. Then, when connected to the PC, reformat it as NTFS. Apple Certified Macintosh Technician (ACMT) MacBook Pro (13-inch, Early 2011) 2.3GHz Core i5, 8GB RAM, Crucial M4 256GB SSD MacBook Air (11-inch, Late 2010); iMac (21.5-inch, Mid 2010) iPad 2 16GB; iPhone 4S 16GB
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G-Mo #4 (permalink)
Member Since: Mar 11, 2012 Location: Toronto Posts: 53 Mac Specs: See signature	04-10-2012, 12:33 PM What version of windows? Apple Certified Macintosh Technician (ACMT) MacBook Pro (13-inch, Early 2011) 2.3GHz Core i5, 8GB RAM, Crucial M4 256GB SSD MacBook Air (11-inch, Late 2010); iMac (21.5-inch, Mid 2010) iPad 2 16GB; iPhone 4S 16GB
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G-Mo #6 (permalink)
Member Since: Mar 11, 2012 Location: Toronto Posts: 53 Mac Specs: See signature	04-10-2012, 01:27 PM I've never used Windows 7, here's a guide: Step by Step Guide to Formatting a Hard Drive in Windows 7 Apple Certified Macintosh Technician (ACMT) MacBook Pro (13-inch, Early 2011) 2.3GHz Core i5, 8GB RAM, Crucial M4 256GB SSD MacBook Air (11-inch, Late 2010); iMac (21.5-inch, Mid 2010) iPad 2 16GB; iPhone 4S 16GB
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Deckyon #7 (permalink)
Member Since: Apr 06, 2011 Location: Louisville, KY - USA Posts: 1,235 Mac Specs: MBP 17" 2011, 2.3GHz Intel Quad-Core i7, 8GB RAM, MacMini 2011, 2.7GHz Intel Dual-Core i7, 8GB RAM	04-10-2012, 01:46 PM As a general rule, format the drive on the computer where it will be used the most. In your case, format the drive on your son's Win7 machine. If you are not going to need to access it outside of just reading it, format it NTFS. You will run into issues with file sizes with FAT and FAT32. MBP 17" 2011, 2.3GHz Intel Quad-Core i7, 8GB RAM, AMD Radeon HD 6750M 1GB RAM MacMini 2011, 2.7GHz Intel Dual-Core i7, 8GB RAM, AMD Radeon HD 6630M 256MB RAM iPhone 4S 64GB, iPad Gen3 32GB WiFi, iPod Nano Gen6 8GB, Apple TV Gen2
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UNformatting WD 1TB HD from Mac to PC?

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mari.irwin #1 (permalink)
Member Since: Apr 09, 2012 Location: North Coast, US Posts: 4	04-09-2012, 08:12 PM I want to give my 1 TB HD to my son to back up his PC now That I have time machine for our Macs? please advise
	QUOTE Thanks

mari.irwin #5 (permalink)
Member Since: Apr 09, 2012 Location: North Coast, US Posts: 4	04-10-2012, 01:04 PM Windows 7 Enterprise (service pack 1)
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mari.irwin #8 (permalink)
Member Since: Apr 09, 2012 Location: North Coast, US Posts: 4	04-10-2012, 01:52 PM thank you! I got it done!
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