Prob reading a NTFS formatted drive on an "new" old MBP

[VWsyncro]

I'm having trouble transferring a Photoshop Elements 9 library from an old pc to a "late 2008" Macbook pro with 10.6.3 installed. Trying to help out a totally non-techie friend who got a 17 early (or maybe late) 2008 MBP. FYI, I'm not very techie myself. So here's the story...

I backed up the PSE 9 catalog from the PC to an external HD formatted in the NTFS file format. The drive has a bunch of folders on it--of which the backup is only one. The file size of the backup is about 8.3 GB. I then plugged this drive into the MBP so I could restore the PSE 9 catalog from this backup on the MBP so that my friends album structure and keywords would be maintained. No dice.

The only thing I see when I plug the external HD into the MBP are the .jpg files. I don't see any of the folders, including the backup I just created. I thought 10.6.3 was able to read (but not write to unless you turn on that functionality on the terminal) NTFS-formatted disks. Is this correct?

Why would I not see any of the folders only the .jpgs? It is kinda weird, all I see are the jpg files, and, I cannot even toggle between finder views-- the jpgs are only viewable as icons. Can someone help me?

I cannot reformat the HD as it is not mine and it contains a lot of other unrelated data that needs to be preserved. Is there another way to get the MBP to see the folders on the NTFS formatted drive?

Thank you for any help!

 

[GGJstudios]

I thought 10.6.3 was able to read (but not write to unless you turn on that functionality on the terminal) NTFS-formatted disks. Is this correct?

Yes, native Mac OS X can read but not write. I'm not sure why you're not able to successfully read, but you might try a few things. First, make sure you're booted into 32-bit mode, rather than 64-bit mode. Also, you could try one of the following methods of enabling NTFS read/write, even though you only need to read.

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

 

[VWsyncro]

Hey thanks for the response.

I installed the trial version of Paragon and I hooked the external HD back up the MBP 4.1. It didn't work. I can still only see the jpg files, not the folders. I check'd and now I can read and write on the disk, so Paragon seems to be working just fine.

Is there something I need to check for on the external HD?

Other ideas?