Question about HDD content transfer

[Random hero]

Firstly apologies if this is a really dumb question, bare with me folks,

I am seriously considering taking the plunge and investing in a MacBook Pro as my current laptop is worse than crap!

This will be my first ever apple computer (although I’ve had iPhones since day one, had 2 iPad a and a series 2 watch),

I am just wondering that once I have it all up and running, will I be able to access the content on my current external HDD (music, videos, photos) or does the fact that they have been saved by a windows device mean the apple device won’t be able to read them (if that makes sense)

Just wondering how much of a headache it’s going to be to access my content

Cheers

 

[0002378]

This is actually a good question, because what is important is the format of the external HDD. I ran into this same problem when trying to access my ext HDD, which had been written to by a Windows machine, on my Macbook Pro.

Your Mac will almost certainly be able to read the content, but it may not be able to write further content to the drive. I elaborate below.

Basically, make sure that the ext. HDD format is not NTFS. If it is, your Mac will be able to read it but not write to it, without either some hacks or buying software that makes your NTFS drive writable.

If your drive format is ExFat, for instance, that is good news - it will continue to be read-write compatible with both Windows and Mac - ideal for if you want to continue to be able to use it on both platforms. And, you will be all set.

Now, let's say your format turns out to be NTFS. What you can do is first copy all the content over to the Mac (which you can do without problems, since it is readable) or anywhere else, so you don't lose it. Then, re-format the entire drive, using a different format, depending on whether or not you want to be able to continue using it on Windows.

If you want to use it on both platforms, use ExFat or some other format compatible with both (re-formatting with ExFat has to be done on your Windows machine). If not, and you just want to use it on the Mac, format it (on the Mac) with one of the Mac-specific file formats like Mac OS Extended Journaled. This will ensure that, going forward, you have read-write access on the Mac.

This page explains different formats: https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/200...m-for-your-macs-internal-or-external-storage/

Also, this one talks about the ExFat format: https://lifehacker.com/5927185/use-the-exfat-file-system-and-never-format-your-external-drive-again

 

[Random hero]

Wowsers, didn’t expect an in-depth answer that quickly, amazing,

Will difinately use this when it comes to purchase time (I’m so excited

Appreciate you taking the time to answer

Thanks

 

[0002378]

Wowsers, didn’t expect an in-depth answer that quickly, amazing,

Will difinately use this when it comes to purchase time (I’m so excited

Appreciate you taking the time to answer

Thanks

Sure, no worries. And yeah, this is a great forum for new Mac users. People will get you up to speed on any Mac stuff you need to know. Lotta really knowledgeable folks here.

Feel free to also PM me if you have basic Mac questions. I'm not an expert, but I know a few things.

 

[Honza1]

Convenient alternative in case the external drive is huge : invest in software (NTFS for Mac) and you can not only read but also write. Seems to work. There is also free alternative, but I had limited success with it.
If you have current behemoth drives (multi Tb - you can get 10Tb single spinner now) - and is fully loaded - it is really difficult to copy the stuff somewhere (where?) and it takes forever to move stuff around anyway. I tried. Even USB3 is slow with those volumes of data.
But moving to ExFAT is basically best suggestion - it is usable by Win/Mac/Linux as far as I know.

 

[casperes1996]

There is also free alternative, but I had limited success with it.

The paid options I've seen are essentially user friendly wrappers for the free FUSE option, which does require substantial technical understanding to get running, since the FUSE system you'll be using is actually designed for Linux, though somebody has made a way of getting FUSE modules working perfectly on the Mac - it's all open source (FUSE = File system in a User Space Environment)

 

[Fishrrman]

OP:

Yes, you can "move stuff over".

However -- I suggest that once the new Mac comes, that you keep the PC up and running for a while afterwards, as you become accustomed to the Mac and learn "the Mac way" of doing things.

I also suggest that you approach "the moving of things" a little at a time. That is to say, get "music" moved over first, and when you're satisfied, move photos next. Get that done and transfer the movies, etc. If you run into difficulties, doing it this way makes things easier to get sorted out.

Depending on the size of the Mac's internal drive, you may not want to keep everything on the internal drive. Large libraries of movies and other media are sometimes best stored on an external drive (since they don't require access all the time).

I recommend that you use a separate drive "formatted for the Mac" (HFS+ with journaling enabled) for your regular Mac external storage.
Use a "cross-formatted" drive (i.e., ex-fat) for moving things from one computer to the other. A USB flashdrive of sufficient size can do this quite well.

 

[Random hero]

Thanks all, much appreciated,