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Convert external drive to NTFS to work with Macbook
- Thread starter Dfndr90
- Start date
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hook it up to a computer running Windows and format it with NTFS...
however when you hook it up back to your Macbook, you wont be able to write data onto the drive.
however when you hook it up back to your Macbook, you wont be able to write data onto the drive.
But I want to use it with my Macbook!!! Are you saying that I should leave it FAT 32 to use with the Macbook. This is the exact error message I am getting.
"Unable to create the DVD image, Can't allocate the required disk space."
I am trying to move some movies off my Macbook hard drive to and external drive. I also want to move Itunes to the external drive.
Scarlet Fever
macrumors 68040
Mac OS X can read/write to FAT32 drives. It can only read NTFS drives.
I think FAT32 has a 4GB file size limit, doesn't it?
I think FAT32 has a 4GB file size limit, doesn't it?
FAT32 does not have a 4GB limit. I have a 160 GB formatted in FAT32 which has worked fine on macs before. If you want to write data from the macbook, it needs to be FAT32, as you cannot natively write to NTFS in Mac OS X.
CanadaRAM
macrumors G5
So if you don;t have a Windows system anymore, then reformation the external to Mac Externded (HFS+) - voila, no problems.
It'll erase all the data on the drive, of course.
Aaron - 4 Gb FILE size limit, not VOLUME size.
You are limited in the size of individual files, normally a 4 Gb file size limit wouldnt be a problem, except when using backup utilities that save to a single file, or trying to create a disk image of DVD size.
It'll erase all the data on the drive, of course.
Aaron - 4 Gb FILE size limit, not VOLUME size.
You are limited in the size of individual files, normally a 4 Gb file size limit wouldnt be a problem, except when using backup utilities that save to a single file, or trying to create a disk image of DVD size.
The 4gb limit is the problem. The files are 6 to 8gb. How can I convert the drive to HFS+?
Disk Utility. This will wipe the drive completely clean though so make sure you have made backups of whatever you have on the external drive before doing it.
CanadaRAM
macrumors G5
Hook it up to the Mac
Applications: Utilities: Disk Utility
Choose the icon of the external drive (for the love of all that's holy, do NOT choose your Mac's hard drive at this point)
Choose either ERASE or PARTITION
Follow the prompts, choose Mac Extended for the formatting type.
FAT32 has a 4GB file limit?
i have a 4.32 image of a DVD sitting on my HDD...
I do know there is a limit on how large the partition can be on Windows when you create a FAT32 partition...
i have a 4.32 image of a DVD sitting on my HDD...
I do know there is a limit on how large the partition can be on Windows when you create a FAT32 partition...
Thank you very much. I followed your directions and am not happily transferring large files over to my external hard drive. I am gearing up for the new Airport Extreme with wireless disk use.
I plan on networking this drive and my new printer to the airport extreme. So I am trying to clean things up. Already pre-ordered the airport extreme for Apple.com
Matt...
Hate to say it, but if you don't like how slow your transfers are currently, your not going to like the transfer speeds over the network.
Can you just split an external HDD into two partitions (one NTFS/one HFS+)?
I have a 160GB external drive and would love to keep all of my media on it (so that my Macbook can read the files)...but then also have the capability to write on the HFS+ partition.
Is that possible?
I have a 160GB external drive and would love to keep all of my media on it (so that my Macbook can read the files)...but then also have the capability to write on the HFS+ partition.
Is that possible?
balamw
Moderator emeritus
The 32GB partition limit set by Windows XP is an artificial limit designed to make you switch to NTFS. FAT32 itself has no small volume limit and is capable of 8 terabyte volumes.
The proper statement should be:
there's a limit to how large a FAT32 partition Windows XP will create.
B
Erasmus
macrumors 68030
Then why do I have an external hard disk formatted FAT32 that is 160GB in volume? Did Disk Utility break physics???
EDIT: I don't know much about exFAT (I shall google it now) but I suspect it is a file system that can store files greater than 4GB, and can be written to by both OS X and W7.
EDIT 2: Confirmed by Wikipedia 😛. ExFat can be created using Disk Utility on Mac (assuming you're on the latest Mac OS) and used by anything.
Last edited:
GGJstudios
macrumors Westmere
4-year old thread resurrection. FAT32 is limited to 4GB per file, not per volume.
FAT32 (File Allocation Table)
- Read/Write FAT32 from both native Windows and native Mac OS X.
- Maximum file size: 4GB.
- Maximum volume size: 2TB
- Read/Write NTFS from native Windows.
- Read only NTFS from native Mac OS X
[*]To Read/Write/Format NTFS from Mac OS X: Install NTFS-3G for Mac OS X (free)
- Some have reported problems using Tuxera (approx 33USD).
- Native NTFS support can be enabled in Snow Leopard, but is not advisable, due to instability.
- AirPort Extreme (802.11n) and Time Capsule do not support NTFS
- Maximum file size: 16 TB
- Maximum volume size: 256TB
- Read/Write HFS+ from native Mac OS X
- Required for Time Machine or Carbon Copy Cloner backups of Mac internal hard drive.
- To Read/Write HFS+ from Windows, Install MacDrive
- To Read HFS+ (but not Write) from Windows, Install HFSExplorer
- Maximum file size: 8EiB
- Maximum volume size: 8EiB
- Supported in Mac OS X only in 10.6.5 or later.
- Not all Windows versions support exFAT. See disadvantages.
- exFAT (Extended File Allocation Table)
- AirPort Extreme (802.11n) and Time Capsule do not support exFAT
- Maximum file size: 16 EiB
- Maximum volume size: 64 ZiB
Erasmus
macrumors 68030
My quote was in response to the statement that XP cannot create FAT32 volumes larger than 32GB due to "technological limitations". Which is obviously untrue.
GGJstudios
macrumors Westmere
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balamw
Moderator emeritus
Microsoft artificially limited the OSes ability to create FAT32 partitions larger than 32 GB so it could still work for thumb drives, but would nudge people to use NTFS for larger volumes like HDDs.
The hard drive vendors, however, didn't follow this and still shipped larger drives with FAT32 and made utilities to do what the OS would no longer do. I had a 1TB WD external that shipped as FAT32.
B