Can I copy/transfer files from NFTS drive to iMac?

[romezone]

On Wednesday someone is coming by with their Windows based laptop. I have to pull files (some bigger than 4gbs) onto my iMac. Right now all my drives are HFS because I have an iMac. I was thinking of clearing one of the drives and reformatting it to NFTS, copy the files from the PC to the drive, then copy the files from the drive to my iMac. Will this work? Can my iMac copy files from an NFTS drive onto the desktop? Thanks.

 

[GGJstudios]

On Wednesday someone is coming by with their Windows based laptop. I have to pull files (some bigger than 4gbs) onto my iMac. Right now all my drives are HFS because I have an iMac. I was thinking of clearing one of the drives and reformatting it to NFTS, copy the files from the PC to the drive, then copy the files from the drive to my iMac. Will this work? Can my iMac copy files from an NFTS drive onto the desktop? Thanks.

Yes, Mac OS X can read NTFS natively. It just can't write or format NTFS natively. To make things simple, use the Windows PC to format an external drive and copy the files to it. Then properly eject from the PC and plug the external into your Mac. You can easily copy files from it to your Mac without installing any software.

FAT32 (File Allocation Table)

• Read/Write FAT32 from both native Windows and native Mac OS X.
  [*]Maximum file size: 4GB.
• Maximum volume size: 2TB
• You can use this format if you share the drive between Mac OS X and Windows computers and have no files larger than 4GB.

NTFS (Windows NT File System)

• Read/Write NTFS from native Windows.
• Read only NTFS from native Mac OS X
  [*]To Read/Write/Format NTFS from Mac OS X, here are some alternatives:
  • For Mac OS X 10.4 or later (32 or 64-bit), install Paragon (approx $20) (Best Choice for Lion)
  • For 32-bit Mac OS X, install NTFS-3G for Mac OS X (free) (does not work in 64-bit mode)
  • For 64-bit Snow Leopard, read this: MacFUSE for 64-bit Snow Leopard
  • Some have reported problems using Tuxera (approx $36).
  • Native NTFS support can be enabled in Snow Leopard and Lion, 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
• You can use this format if you routinely share a drive with multiple Windows systems.

HFS+ (Hierarchical File System, a.k.a. Mac OS Extended (Journaled) Don't use case-sensitive)

• Read/Write HFS+ from native Mac OS X
• Required for Time Machine or Carbon Copy Cloner or SuperDuper! backups of Mac OS X system files.
  [*]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
• Mac OS X: Mac OS Extended format (HFS Plus) volume and file limits
• You can use this format if you only use the drive with Mac OS X, or use it for backups of your Mac OS X internal drive, or if you only share it with one Windows PC (with MacDrive installed on the PC)

exFAT (FAT64)

• 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
• You can use this format if it is supported by all computers with which you intend to share the drive. See "disadvantages" for details.

 

[Hatsune Miku]

I use OSX Fuse and NTFS-3G, they work together so you can share files back and forthwith NTFS computers, they are both free

http://osxfuse.github.com/

http://www.macupdate.com/app/mac/24481/ntfs-3g