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Paragon NTFS app to write to NTFS drive

P

pjny

macrumors 6502a
Original poster
Feb 18, 2010
798
159
I was thinking of formatting all my data backup drives to NTFS so I can transfer files from PC(win 7 64 bit) and MBP running. OS X 10.7.3 to an external backup drive.

I originally formatted ExFAT but some here say it's bad as a format.

Will Paragon NTFS cause any problems if I transfer data from Mac to the NTFS backup drive?

Thanks.
 
pjny said:
I was thinking of formatting all my data backup drives to NTFS so I can transfer files from PC(win 7 64 bit) and MBP running. OS X 10.7.3 to an external backup drive.

I originally formatted ExFAT but some here say it's bad as a format.

Will Paragon NTFS cause any problems if I transfer data from Mac to the NTFS backup drive?
Click to expand...
exFAT shouldn't be a problem in most cases for sharing data between some versions of Mac OS X and some versions of Windows. Paragon is fine for NTFS. However, neither will work for backups of your Mac's internal drive.

Format A Hard Drive Using Disk Utility (which is in your /Applications/Utilities folder)

Choose the appropriate format:

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

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.

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.

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.
 
Thanks. I've used exFAT since Lion was released and it's worked well for just storing data which is all I use the drives for. I have bootable backups on other NTFS and HFS+ formatted drives.
GGJstudios said:
exFAT shouldn't be a problem in most cases for sharing data between some versions of Mac OS X and some versions of Windows. Paragon is fine for NTFS. However, neither will work for backups of your Mac's internal drive.

Format A Hard Drive Using Disk Utility (which is in your /Applications/Utilities folder)

Choose the appropriate format:

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

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.

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.

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.
Click to expand...
 
pjny said:
Thanks. I've used exFAT since Lion was released and it's worked well for just storing data which is all I use the drives for. I have bootable backups on other NTFS and HFS+ formatted drives.
Click to expand...
I assume when you say you have bootable backups on NTFS drives, you're talking about Windows backups, since you can't create a Mac OS X bootable backup on NTFS. For non-bootable backups such as storing user data and not system files, exFAT should work fine with certain versions of both Mac OS X and Windows. See the bullet points for exFAT limitations.
 
I originally formatted ExFAT but some here say it's bad as a format.
Click to expand...

Found that out the hard way. I formatted my macbook's optibay HDD with exFAT to be shared between OS X and Windows 7. Failed within a day. After copying data to it from OS X, Windows was asking to initialize the partition.

I've had better experience on my exFAT-formatted external drive.

Might try Paragon NTFS now. How is it so far?
 
Quite frankly, your experience with exFAT does not surprise me. I have never heard of a problem with the two commercial NTFS drivers Paragon NTFS and Tuxera NTFS or with Tuxera's freeware NTFS-3G. I use NTFS-3G, but it needs a little tweeking to work with Lion. It is also slower than the commercial offerings. Of the commercial offerings, Paragon NTFS is generally considered better. Because Paragon is what you are considering, then go ahead. However, any of the NTFS drivers will give you trouble-free service.
 
Just my 2 cents worth.........
I have been using Tuxera NTFS but recently found it wouldn't write to my Windows drives, I tried everything in their FAQ's, uninstall/reinstall, even read the manual - just wouldn't work.
I'm using ML 10.8.1 BTW.
In frustration I installed Paragon - worked fine immediately.
Only other point, I haven't researched it yet, but apparently Paragon is a 1 year licence whereas Tuxera is permanent, not much help if it doesn't work though!
 
ibarnett said:
Just my 2 cents worth.........
I have been using Tuxera NTFS but recently found it wouldn't write to my Windows drives, I tried everything in their FAQ's, uninstall/reinstall, even read the manual - just wouldn't work.
I'm using ML 10.8.1 BTW.
In frustration I installed Paragon - worked fine immediately.
Only other point, I haven't researched it yet, but apparently Paragon is a 1 year licence whereas Tuxera is permanent, not much help if it doesn't work though!
Click to expand...

I had this same issue with Tuxera, I ended up buying Paragon.
 
Thanks :). Currently I only have the one external HDD where paragon would be useful. But Im thinking it might be a handy bit of software to have on my mac anyway. But if I have to keep repurchasing it each year then it could work out expensive. Unless its a one off fee?
 
Big Stevie said:
Thanks :). Currently I only have the one external HDD where paragon would be useful. But Im thinking it might be a handy bit of software to have on my mac anyway. But if I have to keep repurchasing it each year then it could work out expensive. Unless its a one off fee?
Click to expand...
You pay for it once, not every year.
 
Big Stevie said:
ibarnett said:
Only other point, I haven't researched it yet, but apparently Paragon is a 1 year licence whereas Tuxera is permanent
Click to expand...
Thanks. It was the following comment that made me wonder, perhaps I misunderstood...
Click to expand...
That post is in error. There is no time restriction on the Paragon license. From the End User License Agreement:
§ 4 Contract Duration

1. The contract runs without temporal limitation.
Click to expand...
 
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