Connecting Windows PC to LaCie HD over network

[tech4all]

We're trying to connect a Windows PC to a Mac Mini's LaCie external HD. The LaCie won't show up on the network on the Windows PC. However, the LaCie HD shows up fine on my PowerMac G5.

PC is running Windows XP Home Edition

Any ideas?

Thanks

 

[Blue Velvet]

To start with: is the Lacie formatted in FAT32?

 

[tech4all]

Thanks for reply

To start with: is the Lacie formatted in FAT32?

Under the Get Info it says for the Format: "Mac OS Extended". So no, according to that, it is not FAT32 formated. And I'm guessing that's the reason the PC is not seeing it....

 

[Blue Velvet]

If you want full read & write capability to the Lacie by both PC & Mac, it must be formatted in FAT32 (MS-DOS).

But... FAT32 will only support a max. 32gb partition if formatted with a PC but you may be able to use it fully if you format it using the Mac.

Regardless of what you do, that external HD will need to be backed-up and reformatted unless you use a program like MacOpener on the PC which will enable the PC to work with Mac disks.

Once it's formatted correctly, you also have to set the drive's properties so that it's shared properly.

 

[tech4all]

Thanks for the info.

Quick question: When formatting to FAT32, is it possible to go back to the previous format Mac OS Extended? Or is it once you go to FAT32, you can't go back?

Thanks again.

 

[Blue Velvet]

Quick question: When formatting to FAT32, is it possible to go back to the previous format Mac OS Extended? Or is it once you go to FAT32, you can't go back?

You can go back but only by completely erasing and re-formatting the drive again.

 

[tech4all]

You can go back but only by completely erasing and re-formatting the drive again.

Cool thanks, one last thing (hopefully)

Is the erasing/reformatting process to go back to the original format the samething as before when you would go from Mac OS Extended to FAT32? I know there different formats, but it's like the same idea/principle just reversed?

I know this is probably common stuff, but I'm not too experienced with formating like this.


And lastly, probably should have asked this earlier, but how would you go about reformatting the LaCie HD (Or any HD that can't be formated with the OS X recovery CDs)? Would that be done somehow through Disk Utility?


Thanks so much again for your assistance

 

[Blue Velvet]

Reversing the idea: Yes.

Disk Utility: Yes.


Be warned. This will completely erase the drive. Back it up first...

 

[stevep]

Assuming you're talking about sharing over a network, and not physically moving the drive from one machine to another....

I may be completely wrong, but I don't think that disc formats matter on a TCP/IP network with SMB (assuming this is the sort of network you're using). After all, my iBook (HFS+) can talk to my XP box (NTFS).
The problem is that OSX doesn't share out more than the Shared Folder by default. You can set other folders to be shared (do a Get Info and set the permissions) but those options don't seem to be available in the Get Info dialog for an external drive.
One possibility is some extra software: Sharepoints ( http://www.macupdate.com/info.php/id/8658 ). I've not used it but I believe it adds a bit of OSX Server-like capability to allowing shares.
The simplest work-around without changing your existing setup is a 2-hop file transfer - ie transfer the files from WinXP box to the mac, and then from the mac to the Lacie drive (and the same two hops in reverse to get files from the Lacie to the XP box) -not elegant but it works.
Unless someone else knows differently of course.....

 

[brap]

Yeah, Samba shares are filesystem independent. If they weren't, nothing would work, anywhere, ever!

Now, if you're attaching the firewire drive directly, BV is right, FAT32 is the way to go -- unless you want to back up with permissions, in which case HFS+ and MacDrive6 on the Windows machine is what you want.