Help with Western Digital External HD

[MacGeek7]

I purchased a Western Digital External HD which arrived today and I've been trying to erase it and reformat it for Mac instead of the Fat-32 for Windows. However, it just won't work. I plan on using it for Time Machine and I'm not sure if I trust a Windows formatted HD for my backups/other data.
I'm not stupid with it comes to things like this but I just cannot for the life of me figure out why it won't work. I attached a screen shot of the error - thanks in advance

 

[blodwyn]

I purchased a Western Digital External HD which arrived today and I've been trying to erase it and reformat it for Mac instead of the Fat-32 for Windows. However, it just won't work. I plan on using it for Time Machine and I'm not sure if I trust a Windows formatted HD for my backups/other data.
I'm not stupid with it comes to things like this but I just cannot for the life of me figure out why it won't work. I attached a screen shot of the error - thanks in advance

OK, I'm dredging my memory back to when I had a problem like this a while ago. I seem to remember finding a post somewhere that had something like the following...

Use disk utility to partition the disk into two partitions. For the first partition choose 'GUID' under the options. Having done this you go back to one partition and you should be able to format as HFS+


Edit: This post may help

 

[velocityg4]

Or just simply go to partitions in disk utility. Open the partitions tab and select one partition then choose Mac OS X extended Journaled and click erase (format/partion I do not remember which word is used at the moment).

 

[merl1n]

Or just simply go to partitions in disk utility. Open the partitions tab and select one partition then choose Mac OS X extended Journaled and click erase (format/partion I do not remember which word is used at the moment).

This won't work. If this is a new WD drive, it came pre-formatted for Windows (Master Boot Record).

In order to format it for the (intel) mac, you are correct that he uses Disk Utility, but one step is missing.

Select the actual device in the left column and click the "Partitions" tab.
Change "Current" to "1 Partition" (this enables the Options button)
Click the Options button and change the partition mapping to GUID. Click OK
Name the Disk and click the Apply button below.

This will reformat the drive and make it ready for Time Machine backups.