how to make ntfs drive writable on mac without losing data.

[liamfordorme]

Hi, I am a new mac user and have come across a problem. I have a 2TB external hard drive that is 1.2TB full and in ntfs format. I need to to be able to write to this hard drive, which means formatting and losing all my data on the hard drive (i don't have enough memory anywhere else to backup what is currently on the drive in order to format it and return the data to it afterwards).
I was hoping someone here knows a way to get around this? i had an idea to partition the remaining 800GB to fat32 and copy most of the files to that partition, then partition the remaining free space and copy the rest to fat32 partition, then format the remaining memory to fat32 so my entire drive is fat32. The problem with this is that i have no idea how to do this (or if its even possible).

Can anyone help?

 

[maflynn]

You need something like NTFS for Mac That will give you read/write ability for NTFS volumes.

 

[simsaladimbamba]

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.

 

[Gpulvi]

I've been using Tuxera for a long time with no issues.

I've also installed it in my office's iMac, my own rMBP and in a Mac Mini with no reported issues.

 

[liamfordorme]

You need something like NTFS for Mac That will give you read/write ability for NTFS volumes.

This is what worked for me. There was no need to reformat, it works just as it would on windows. thanks very much for your help. Also thanks to the other answers given on this thread, all was helpful