Why Is It Important To Format Hard Drives?
Hard Drives can run in various different formats. Mac OS Extended is exclusive to Apple Computers and NTFS is exclusive to Windows. The FAT systems, specifically FAT32, can be read by both Mac and PC computers. It is the commonly recommended volume format. Mac OS is able to read the Microsoft Windows file system format, however, it can not write to it. Microsoft Windows can not read the Mac OS Extended file system format at all. While both computer platforms can read the FAT32 format, there are a few other things to keep in mind:
- File sizes are supported up to 4GB.
- Some Mac applications may not run from the drive as FAT32 does not adequately handle the permissions structure of Mac OS X.
How Do I Format My Hard Drive For Use?
This process will apply to USB, Firewire, and Thunderbolt hard drives and thumb drives, as well as SD cards. Before you begin, make sure the drive is securely connected to the computer and powered on. The drive will need to be recognized by the computer before the formatting can begin.
Mac:
- Make a backup of ALL of your data contained on the drive.
- Navigate to Disk Utility (Applications/Utilities/Disk Utility).
- Select your External Drive.
- Select the Erase tab.
- Set the Volume Format to MS-DOS (FAT32).
- Finally, click Erase.
- Remember to properly eject the drive before disconnecting from the computer.
Windows:
- Make a backup of ALL of your data contained on the drive.
- Navigate to My Computer
- Right-Click on your External Drive
- Select Format...
- Choose the drive format you would like: exFAT or FAT32.
- Press Start. Once this process has been completed, you will be able to successfully use the external drive.
- Remember to properly eject the drive before disconnecting from the computer.