please help me!!!!

I'm sure it has something to do with Disk Utility. Sorry Im not much help. 😀

If you have properly installed the drive, you probably need to format it with Disk Utility. Until it has a valid file system on it, you won't see it on your desktop.

Launch Disk Utility form your Utilities folder, and you should see all of your installed disks in the left hand column. If you have three drives, you should see all three in this pane.

Each disk will show the size of the drive, followed by the manufacturer of the drive. Directly indented underneath each drive, you will see a 2nd Disk icon that represents the file systems on that disk. Usually there is only one file system per disk.

You should also see your CD/DVD drive in there also.

If you can't see all three disks, then you have some hardware issue with the installation. I would use the "More Information" button on "About this Mac" under the Apple menu to see if you can see the drive. If you CAN see all three disks, then the new one probably doesn't have a file system listed underneath.

Click on the new disk (MAKE SURE YOU HAVE THE RIGHT ONE!) and click on the ERASE tab. You should be able to choose a Volume format - use "Mac OS Extended - Journaled". Give the volume a name (this will be the name on your desktop), and click the erase button.

I think that should do it, and the disk should show up on your desktop.

HOWEVER - MAKE ABSOLUTELY SURE you have the right disk. You can't erase the disk you booted from, but you can erase your 2nd disk, and once it's gone, it's gone (without special software to get it back).

Make sure the disk you click on doesn't have a file system listed underneath it...

I don't have an extra disk to try this with, so I am not 100% sure of the exact steps, but I think that should work. As long as you work on the NEW disk, you shouldn't hurt anything...

Good Luck!

Please help

I am planning to buy a mac by this month end....
earlier I had a Toshiba with windows XP home...

I have saved all my data (photos, music, movies etc.) to an external hard disk..

Now I wanted to know that when I will attached this hard disk to macbook, will it recognize the files, and is it easy to copy all the data of hard disk and paste in the folders of mac, will it be ready to use and share????

Plssssssssssssssss help...

Thanks

Regards,

Fakhir

fakhir said:

I am planning to buy a mac by this month end....
earlier I had a Toshiba with windows XP home...

I have saved all my data (photos, music, movies etc.) to an external hard disk..

Now I wanted to know that when I will attached this hard disk to macbook, will it recognize the files, and is it easy to copy all the data of hard disk and paste in the folders of mac, will it be ready to use and share????

Plssssssssssssssss help...

Thanks

Regards,

Fakhir

Click to expand...

Just plug in the external drive and copy your files to the Mac. No tricks, no problems - - just copy.

stop being stingy! haha

Dude if you REALLY want something to work and you have a couple of bucks to do it, you might as well bring it to a third party mac specialist.... that's what I would do. I mean unless it's just installing ram... i don't think anyone should spend money to have someone do that for them. hahaha 🙂

joelsax said:

First of all thanks so much for your help!

My computer recognized the disk but... my new disk is 500 GB and it only shows 127 GB. I normally had 2 drives (80 GB each) and I want to increase capacity so I bought a 500 GB one.
I've made research and I've read something about a PCI card. But I don't know which one tu buy, how do I plug it or if this is a real solution that will show my 500 GB.

Do you know something about it?🙁

Click to expand...

If you got this far, at least you know that you have everything installed correctly!

Now it sounds like you may have hit some type of volume size limitation for the disk controller you are using.

Can you give me some more infromation on that type of interface your disk has? Even the manufacturer or model may help. I would also need to know how you connected it to your computer. Are you using an add-in controller card, or one of the existing connectors on your computer?

It sounds like you have a disk that is obviously newer than your computer, and has a greater capacity (500GB) than the connection you are using (obviously limited to 127GB).

Another option for you might be to go with an external disk and a fast firewire connection. It is not as elegant as an internal drive, but a heck of alot easier. That probably doesn't help though now that you have the drive.

You could also get an external enclosure for the drive and use the existing drive as well.

Let ms lookup some info on your machine and see if I can find out where the 127GB limitation is coming from...

There is an (p)ATA hardware limitation in those model Macs that only allows a max size of 137GB on drives. If you have a large disk like that, you have 3 options.

1) Purchase a PCI ATA card that doesn't have the limitation.
2) Put that large disk in an external FW enclosure
3) Return the disk for a smaller one.

Software option

google:
Intech ATA Hi-Cap Support Driver

It allows software bypass of the 127gb hd size limit.

That thing is still kicking around? Isn't it a ROM hack?

yellow said:

There is an (p)ATA hardware limitation in those model Macs that only allows a max size of 137GB on drives. If you have a large disk like that, you have 3 options.

1) Purchase a PCI ATA card that doesn't have the limitation.
2) Put that large disk in an external FW enclosure
3) Return the disk for a smaller one.

Click to expand...

Yellow beat me to it... 🙂

It looks like your hardware it limited in the maximum size drive you can use.

Here is some more detail on the options you have...

Installing a PCI ATA Card
This would be something that you would have to purchase and install in your machine. Then your new drive would connect to this card. The new card would support the larger size drive.

Using your existing connection
If you want to go with an internal drive, you are going to be limited to the 127GB you see now. That means either keep the drive you have, or exchange it for a smaller one.

External Drive
If you are OK with an external drive, then get a nice firewire enclosure for your existing drive, or return your drive, and get an external drive already in an enclosure. Either one will work fine.

I guess it comes down to how badly you need the extra space, and how you feel about an external drive.

if you can accept only 127GB, then either stick with what you have or exchange your drive for a smaller one.

If you want the full 500GB, then you have to get an additional card, or go external.

You can get external enclosures at lots of places, but I like the ones at OWC http://www.macsales.com. I saw some for $60-$80 for the enclosure.

If you want to get an add in card, OWC has a couple for about $65-$70.