How to connect Windows HD to Mac?

[Gary King]

In my Windows PC, I have 2 HDs. C: and D: (2 physicals.) D: is for data and documents, etc. and I wish to have it be connected to the Mac Mini that I have. How do I do this? I heard that I could simply take out the HD and put it in a Firewire case, then connect it? Can Mac write to NTFS? Or is life not really this simple?

Or should I partition a part of the HD as Mac journaling, then move my files to that partition?

Thanks in advance!

 

[Applespider]

Can Mac write to NTFS? Or is life not really this simple? :

Nope. Macs can read NTFS but can't write to it, unlovely proprietary system that it is... The only format that both can read/write to is FAT32

 

[xinxin]

Connect them via network.

connect them using ethernet cable.

Then use smb protocol to access windows hd from your apple.

To do this,

go to "go---> connect to server..." menu, and type:
smb://yourservername_or_IPaddress/d$ (supposing you want access d drive)

you should be able to see a authentication page. first line can be blank; second line is your XP administrator username, third line is administrator password.

After that you will have full control on winows drive.

Hope this is useful.

 

[Linkjeniero]

If you want to do it just one time, or you don't mind having both the PC and the mini on when you access the HD, you should connect the mini to the PC and access the data via network. If you want the disc permanently on your mini, then use a firewire or USB 2.0 HD case and reformat the drive to HFS+. If you want the disk to be useful for both computers, do the same, but format the drive to FAT32 (that's what I did with my dad's HD so he can use it in his iMac and in his office's PCs, and it works just fine).

 

[Gary King]

If I reformat the drive, then I assume I lose everything on it?

Can I move my NTFS files to my PC, format the drive, then move the NTFS files to the Mac drive? Or are the files not able to do that?