How to create new folder on External Hard Drive

700islands · 700islands #1 (**permalink**)

09-23-2009, 12:29 PM

I'm a new Macbook Pro user. I have an attached Maxtor external drive connected to my Macbook Pro.

The Maxtor drive icon appears on the desktop on startup. I double click icon to see the drive's files and folders.

I go to the Finder's "File" drop-down menu to select "New Folder" to create a new folder to store pictures but the option is unavailable (greyed out).

I've searched help menus etc. to no avail. I know the drive is recognized because I can open folders and view pictures/documents and save to it.

How can I create a folder on my external hard drive? Your help is greatly appreciated.

Thanks.

bobtomay · bobtomay #2 (**permalink**)

09-23-2009, 12:34 PM

Am guessing the external drive is formatted as NTFS from a windows machine.

OS X can read but not write to NTFS without a 3rd party app.

You'll need either NTFS 3g or Paragon's NTFS for Mac OS X.

The first is free, the latter is not. I would recommend Paragon.

You other option is to reformat the external to HFS+. This would of course cause all data currently on the drive to be lost, so make sure you back it up first.

700islands · 700islands #3 (**permalink**)

10-03-2009, 07:24 AM

I opted to buy and format an external hard drive. I also reformatted the first hard drive. Thanks for your help bobtomay.

bobtomay #2 (permalink)
Member Since: Dec 22, 2006 Location: Texas, where else? Posts: 21,809 Mac Specs: 15" MBP 2.33 C2D 256 4GB, MBA 13" i7 1.8, MB 2.0 2GB, Nano 4th, 3GS, iPad 1	09-23-2009, 12:34 PM Am guessing the external drive is formatted as NTFS from a windows machine. OS X can read but not write to NTFS without a 3rd party app. You'll need either NTFS 3g or Paragon's NTFS for Mac OS X. The first is free, the latter is not. I would recommend Paragon. You other option is to reformat the external to HFS+. This would of course cause all data currently on the drive to be lost, so make sure you back it up first. I cannot be held responsible for the things that come out of my mouth. In the Windows world, most everything folks don't understand is called a virus. Place your vote for our Member of the Month
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How to create new folder on External Hard Drive

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700islands #1 (permalink)
Member Since: Sep 23, 2009 Posts: 2	09-23-2009, 12:29 PM I'm a new Macbook Pro user. I have an attached Maxtor external drive connected to my Macbook Pro. The Maxtor drive icon appears on the desktop on startup. I double click icon to see the drive's files and folders. I go to the Finder's "File" drop-down menu to select "New Folder" to create a new folder to store pictures but the option is unavailable (greyed out). I've searched help menus etc. to no avail. I know the drive is recognized because I can open folders and view pictures/documents and save to it. How can I create a folder on my external hard drive? Your help is greatly appreciated. Thanks.
	QUOTE Thanks

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