External Hard Drive Problems

I have an external hard drive that was used for storing pictures when I was using Windows XP. I can move pictures from this external hard drive to my MAC desk top but cannot move pictures from the desktop back to the hard drive. Is this because it was formatted for Windows and if so once I have backed up my external hard drive how do I reformat it so it can be used with my MAC? If this is not the case than how do I move files from the MAC to the external hard drive? I am becoming very frustrated and am wondering if I made a mistake in moving to Apple.

Yes, your problem is most likely that the external hard drive is formatted to be used by Windows (the NTFS format), which Mac OS X only provides read-only access to by default. You pretty much have two choices: backup and reformat the drive (as you mentioned) or install a driver to enable read-write access to NTFS. That's up to you, but here's how to do each.

To reformat the drive after you've backed up the data, open the application called Disk Utility from the Utilities folder (or using Spotlight). Next, select the drive in the list on the left of the window and then choose the Erase tab in the main section of the application. Pick a format—Mac OS Extended (Journaled) if you plan on using it only with Macs or FAT otherwise—and then name it and click Erase….

If you'd like to enable read-write access to the drive without having to reformat it, check into the NTFS-3G project; it's likely the simplest free route.

is your hard drive format NTFS ?
if so, download or buy Paragon NTFS for mac OS X ... i had the same problem as you, and once i got this program i could move my things from mac into my NTFS formatted hard drive without a problem.

philly said:

is your hard drive format NTFS ?
if so, download or buy Paragon NTFS for mac OS X ... i had the same problem as you, and once i got this program i could move my things from mac into my NTFS formatted hard drive without a problem.

Click to expand...

Hmmm...

I've been having all these issues with my WD drive, I have to give this a shot! Thanks for the tip!

In response to the last two posts about Paragon, it's worth noting that NTFS-3G serves the same purpose for free. I'd recommend at least trying it first to see if will suffice before spending money elsewhere, though if you do try it and dislike it, of course, the choice to purchase Paragon is yours. From what I've read, NTFS-3G is a bit slower, buggier, and perhaps harder to install than Paragon, but depending on your use it might be enough for the price (free). Here's one comparison.

Thanks NABL; exactly the information I was hoping for. As I don't feel I am experienced enough with a MAC to start downloading drivers I will go the route you first recommended. Again many thanks.

Are you running Snow Leopard? If you are, Snow Leopard has the ability to read and write to NTFS. It's not turned on by default but can be turned on with this free utility: ntfsMounter

Regards.