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New External HDD shows up in Disk Utility but doesn't mount

H

hookem12387

macrumors 6502
Original poster
A new Hitachi external HDD i downloaded will open in disk utility, but wont allow me to partition to format (gives me an error) and wont let me run repair or anything else. Trying to figure this one out. Thanks

All it will let me do is erase the drive to FAT
 
I attached screengrabs when it was showing up and mounted as a FAT drive, and then how it goes away when I try to partition to format(only way I know how to format it is to use disk utility to format 1 mac os journaled partition
 

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And you can't format the drive as anything else but FAT and why partition the drive as one section? (that's what the 2nd screen grab looks like)
 
Try changing the partition map from MBR to GUID. (with the Partition tab open, click the "options..." button)

You will need it to be GUID, anyway, if you ever want to put a bootable partition on the drive (assuming you have an Intel Mac).
 
gr8tfly said:
Try changing the partition map from MBR to GUID. (with the Partition tab open, click the "options..." button)

You will need it to be GUID, anyway, if you ever want to put a bootable partition on the drive (assuming you have an Intel Mac).
Click to expand...

That worked!! Thanks so much! I had no idea I needed to do that. Really appreciate it
 
if the drive was used under windows, you will need to remove MBR.
GUID is good for intel mac only. if you are using ppc mac, you need to do Apple partition map.
 
gr8tfly said:
It only matters for booting - either can be read by either platform (10.4 or later for GUID).
Click to expand...

Thanks gr8tfly, that is pure gold and exactly the information I've been looking for, although sadly not the answer I would have liked:

my MBP's Nvidia card has failed (a known issue) and so I've been trying to access the MBP's hard drive in target disc mode from my G4 to get some files I need but obviously the reason it only appears in Disk Utility on the G4 but won't mount is because I'm running 10.3.9.

Simple... if frustrating. Guess I could try networking to it but I've spent long enough on this today (!) so think I'll pull the files off at work tomorrow and then, as I believe that Apple will replace the Nvidia card for free, I'd better get down to the genius bar asap.

Thanks again though.
 
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