Rhonda Tjernlund Posted June 15, 2016 Share Posted June 15, 2016 I bought a My Book external hard drive to back up and use hoping to move my pictures over to free up space on my computer. I don't have much experience using an external hard drive. I think I backed everything up and when I go into where i think I should find my pictures I see this... What do I need to do? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brian Posted June 16, 2016 Share Posted June 16, 2016 By default, a Mac will READ a Windows Drive, but NOT WRITE TO IT. So either you'll need to NUKE that EHD (clear off EVERYTHING) and format it for use with the Mac, or purchase a fresh external HD and format it for use with the Mac. There are programs out there that will allow you to go back and forth, but I personally don't trust them. From my POV and the way I personally do things, I pick a format (Mac OR Windows) and stick with it. Let me know what you want to do. Nuke that drive and set it up for a Mac, or if you want recommendations for an External HD, in which case I will need some sort of budget to go by. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rhonda Tjernlund Posted June 16, 2016 Author Share Posted June 16, 2016 I will try to format cuz it is pretty new and I bought the for Mac version so I just assumed that everything was ready for me. BUT I have Parallels(which I need to get rid of) on my computer and I think it read form that?? Should I be getting rid of the Parallels first and then still format the EHD for the MAC? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brian Posted June 16, 2016 Share Posted June 16, 2016 Do you know how to repartition and format the HD for use with the Mac? I can help if needed. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rhonda Tjernlund Posted June 16, 2016 Author Share Posted June 16, 2016 Any help would be greatly appreciated!! Thank you!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brian Posted June 21, 2016 Share Posted June 21, 2016 Haven't forgotten about you, just have been away from the computer. I will get to this question tonight. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brian Posted June 21, 2016 Share Posted June 21, 2016 Re-partitioning and reformatting a HD is pretty easy. There is just a few steps. First, you'll need to close out any Parallels software. If you want to get rid of Parallels, do that first and reboot. Keep in mind, when we do this ALL OF YOUR EXISTING DATA WILL BE ERASED FROM THE HD!!! So make sure you are 110% confident that there is absolutely nothing on that EHD that you won't miss, or is backed up somewhere else. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brian Posted June 21, 2016 Share Posted June 21, 2016 OK, Now for the steps: Head to your Applications folder then look for the Utilities Folder. In the Utilities Folder, you should see Disk Utility. Click on it. Now, your screen might look a little different since I'm on Mavericks, but you should be able to figure this out. What you want to do is select the FIRST LINE for the HD listing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brian Posted June 21, 2016 Share Posted June 21, 2016 From there, select the Partition Tab on the Right From there click the right down arrow next to "Current Layout" Select 1 Partition From there, we want to head towards the right column and give the HD a Name. Call it "WD 500GB" or whatever. It is Extremely Important to select Mac OS Extended (Journaled) for the format. You do not want Case Sensitive or any other formats. (More on this later.) As for the size, just leave it at the default. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brian Posted June 21, 2016 Share Posted June 21, 2016 Now this is a another important step. Before you click Apply at the bottom, head to the lower portion of the partition column and select the OPTIONS button. Select GUID Partition Table. It should be the 1st one in the list and then click OK at the bottom. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brian Posted June 21, 2016 Share Posted June 21, 2016 We are almost done. Two more steps. First, click Apply at the bottom. A Warning Box will appear asking if you really-really want to do this, click Partition. Wait a few minutes while the HD Partition and formats / mounts. When it completes, you should see it appear in the Finder like the internal HD or on the desktop if you have that feature turned on. A message may appear asking if you want to use the HD for Time Machine. Chances are the answer to this question will be a "No." The reason is, that you want 1.5 x's the size of the data that you are backing up. So if you have 500GB of stuff on the HD, you are looking for a Time Machine HD to be 1.5TB - 2.0TB large. Of course, this isn't a hard and fast rule, I only have a 1TB EHD acting as my TM drive, but I have less than 400GB being taken up my by software and files. So I can get away with a 1TB drive. For most folks, who have a "average" filled HD, I'd recommend using a 2TB EHD for Time Machine. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brian Posted June 21, 2016 Share Posted June 21, 2016 Post Script: For those wondering, Quote Why not use ExFAT?" I use that to bounce back and forth between my windows computer and Mac all the time, and never had a problem? My answer is simply, "...because I'm catering to the majority." Most folks who come into Ask Brian aren't really that technical; they come in, want stuff answered and then want to go do other things, like take Damien's updated classes. Which is fine. ExFAT can be unpredictable, so says Microsoft and they are the one's who invented it. When it comes to my answers, I am VERY CONSERVATIVE. So I'm not about to tell Jane Doe from Cutesy Name Photography to use ExFAT, only to have it blow up in her face two weeks from now, nuking all of her sessions and two weddings that need edited. I do not want to be responsible / liable if something goes horribly wrong. That's why I don't recommend using programs that act as translators to go back and forth between Windows and a Mac, nor will I ever recommend ExFAT for your "Average" person. If you know about ExFAT and know what do to if something goes wrong, go ahead and use that method. I'm still of the opinion that one should pick a format and stick with it. No going back and forth. It's either Windows -OR- Mac. Quote "...but what if I need to go back-and-forth?" Should I use a program that will act as a translator or run Windows programs on my Mac?" You buy a Mac to run a Mac. If you want a Windows computer, then don't buy a Mac. Translator Programs (for lack of a better term) are programs who act in between the NTFS Filesystem and Journaled HFS+ Filesystem. For the most part, they seem to work fine, but are not bullet-proof. If anything happens to that software, and glitches or bugs/crashes during a data transfer, your files could be destroyed. I would hate for someone to be dumping images from something like a Wedding using one of those type of programs. You might be fine for years, and then all of a sudden, "Poof..." the images are gone. Then come the panicked posts begging for help. It's happened before in Ask Brian 1.0 (Facebook.) Extreme Data Recovery is not cheap. Like $1500+ not cheap. As far as what program to use if someone needs to go back-and-forth. I'd say a cloud program like Dropbox, or something similar. Something that you can copy to and then download. If something goes wrong, re-upload a copy of the original file from the source computer and try it again. Yes, I know it's long. It's boring to wait. I'd rather be bored sitting at home, than freaking out in a courtroom because I got sued. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brian Posted June 21, 2016 Share Posted June 21, 2016 Quote "But what about FAT32? A Mac can read-and-write to that format. So can Windows." Yep! If you don't want to use Dropbox and have an existing HD acting as a NAS (Network Attached Storage) and is formatted to FAT32, go that route. Just be sure to NOT go larger than a 32GB Partition. Once you go above 32GB with FAT32 on a HD, things get kinda weird and unpredictable. So says Microsoft. Oh, if you do want to use this method, I'd partition and format the FAT32 HD on a Windows computer. Even though a Mac can do it, I personally still want to setup that partition with a Windows computer. It doesn't have to be a fancy computer either. A Windows XP computer should be able to do it fine. Heck a Windows 98SE with a USB 2.0 port should be able to do it. I just don't format Windows drives on my Mac. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brian Posted June 21, 2016 Share Posted June 21, 2016 Quote What is this NAS you speak of? You could go out and buy a device that is a Network Attached Storage Unit. (Think mini file-server or a EHD that has it's own IP address.) The easiest and probably cheapest way is to use a Router that has a USB port on it, and attach a EHD to it. Then access the HD over the network. Otherwise, you are sharing a HD and have it hooked up to a computer, in which case you'll need to setup a Workgroup Network, and blah-blah-blah. Of course, you'll need to setup the EHD on the Router and do stuff to get it to work. Stuff I won't tell you how to do for free. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rhonda Tjernlund Posted September 14, 2016 Author Share Posted September 14, 2016 On June 21, 2016 at 3:28 PM, Brian said: OK, Now for the steps: Head to your Applications folder then look for the Utilities Folder. In the Utilities Folder, you should see Disk Utility. Click on it. Now, your screen might look a little different since I'm on Mavericks, but you should be able to figure this out. What you want to do is select the FIRST LINE for the HD listing. This is what I am seeing. so Select my first line of the External hard drive, right? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brian Posted September 14, 2016 Share Posted September 14, 2016 Select the External WD My Book 1234... (in your screen shot.) for the EHD. Get it off that Fusion Drive!!! You are making me nervous!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brian Posted September 14, 2016 Share Posted September 14, 2016 I'm still on Mavericks, so my screen shots will look slightly different in Yosemite or El Capitan. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rhonda Tjernlund Posted September 14, 2016 Author Share Posted September 14, 2016 Yup I moved it to the WD MyBook 1234 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rhonda Tjernlund Posted September 14, 2016 Author Share Posted September 14, 2016 I didn't have the Current part but this is what I have right now. Look good? Hit Apply? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brian Posted September 14, 2016 Share Posted September 14, 2016 Looks good! The only thing I would change is the Partition Name from "My Book for Mac" to something else. But that's just me. I you only have one EHD, then it really doesn't matter. Now if you have multiple EHDs, then a naming scheme becomes more important. So to answer your question, yes...click Apply. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rhonda Tjernlund Posted September 14, 2016 Author Share Posted September 14, 2016 ok, It says it was done successfully! YAY! NOW, what is the easiest way to get my pictures off my internal hard drive to external hard drive? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brian Posted September 14, 2016 Share Posted September 14, 2016 Head to the finder, then open up Finder Preferences. Click the check box next to display External Hard Drives and such. Everything but network drives. Then its a simple copy and paste from one hard drive to the next. But before you get into that, I would open up the EHD and create a file / folder tree. This way you can be organized from the start. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rhonda Tjernlund Posted September 23, 2016 Author Share Posted September 23, 2016 Ok so once I copy and paste the files over to the External Hard drive, I can move those same files that were on my computer to the trash right? It doesn't appear their is a move option from computer to EHD, is there? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brian Posted September 24, 2016 Share Posted September 24, 2016 7 hours ago, Rhonda Tjernlund said: once I copy and paste the files over to the External Hard drive, I can move those same files that were on my computer to the trash right? Right. After you verify that everything is "Shipshape and Bristol Fashion," feel free to delete the originals on the internal HD. That being said, there are no take-backsies with this, so be 110% sure that what you are deleting is perfect on the EHD. Undeleting files on a Mac can be a real pain in the arse. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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