External Hard Drive for Macbook

PrettyBoy · 20-02-2016 11:55am #1

I've got a Toshiba 1TB external hard drive which I use to watch media on my television via USB. I was originally using it with a Windows laptop but recently changed to a Macbook. I found that it was not fully compatible with the Mac. I could see my files on the hard drive and drag them to the Mac but I couldn't drag files from the Mac to the hard drive. Google suggested that I had to format the hard drive to make it compatible.

Anyway, now I want to get one that's compatible with the Macbook straight out of the box. I'll be using it as a back-up, copying all of the files from the Toshiba 1TB hard drive I already have to it.

Is there any hard drive that is fully compatible with Windows and Mac computers straight out of the box with no need for formatting?

mordeith · 20-02-2016 12:32pm

I think if you format an external to exFat format it'll work on both Windows and Mac OS. Here's how to do that on a Mac. *formatting erases all your data so don't do it your current external unless you have a backup of that

'Mac OS X's built-in Disk Utility program can handle formatting devices in exFAT. To use the app, open the Applications folder, then the Utilities folder, and double click on the "Disk Utility" icon. Once the app has loaded, click on the "Partition" tab. Select the external hard drive from the left side column list, adjust the "Format" drop menu to the "ExFAT" option and click "Apply" to format the drive.'

ZENER · 20-02-2016 1:46pm

You can buy external drives pre-formatted for and "compatible" with Mac but they're usually a few quid extra. Do as Meredith says above and you can use any external drive and have the best of both worlds.

Just a word of caution though, you mention 1TB so I assume you're describing a small 2.5" portable drive ? DO NOT USE this as a backup drive ! By their nature they are prone to getting knocked about or to falling and in an instant your data is gone. For a real backup solution get a 3.5" non portable type drive or a NAS.

Ken

PrettyBoy · 20-02-2016 2:14pm

I did the format thing before but, while it allowed me to use it on my Macbook, it wouldn't let me watch media on my TV (via USB). It wouldn't recognise the device at all so I had to revert back to the standard setting which made it compatible with TV and Windows, but not Macbook.

I don't have another hard drive I can use so formatting isn't really an option. I'm really looking to just buy another new one as I feel I should have a back up anyway.

Zener, you're right I do have a 1TB 2.5" Toshiba HD - I wasn't aware that these were considered unreliable. I'm not very knowledgable when it comes to these things - is there any particular make/model that you'd recommend? My only requirement is that it's compatible with Mac.

mordeith · 20-02-2016 2:29pm

PrettyBoy wrote: »

Zener, you're right I do have a 1TB 2.5" Toshiba HD - I wasn't aware that these were considered unreliable. I'm not very knowledgable when it comes to these things - is there any particular make/model that you'd recommend? My only requirement is that it's compatible with Mac.

He's not saying they are unreliable per se, but rather due to their small size it's pretty easy to set them flying off a desk or treat them with less respect than a full size 3.5".

ZENER · 20-02-2016 2:52pm

PrettyBoy wrote: »

I did the format thing before but, while it allowed me to use it on my Macbook, it wouldn't let me watch media on my TV (via USB). It wouldn't recognise the device at all so I had to revert back to the standard setting which made it compatible with TV and Windows, but not Macbook.

Formatting it as exFAT or FAT will make it cross platform compatible but obviously the drive will need to be erased so not ideal. A new drive could be formatted before anything is put on it and as you mentioned you intended to buy a new one then this would be the better solution than paying extra for a Mac specific drive which won't work on your TV as it will be HFS formatted.

Zener, you're right I do have a 1TB 2.5" Toshiba HD - I wasn't aware that these were considered unreliable. I'm not very knowledgable when it comes to these things - is there any particular make/model that you'd recommend? My only requirement is that it's compatible with Mac.

A friend of mine had thousands of photos of her family on a portable drive, the pictures were of sentimental value as her husband had taken his own life and she intended keeping the pictures for her kids to remember him by. One day while I was there she had the drive connected up and was viewing the photos when one of the kids threw something onto the table and the drive (still connected and spinning) got knocked and hit the floor. I think you can guess the outcome.

I don't use spinning disks anymore, I use USB sticks or a portable SSD and I never keep anything of importance on them that I don't already have on my NAS.

Ken

beauf · 20-02-2016 2:59pm

ZENER wrote: »

...A friend of mine had thousands of photos of her family on a portable drive, the pictures were of sentimental value as her husband had taken his own life and she intended keeping the pictures for her kids to remember him by. One day while I was there she had the drive connected up and was viewing the photos when one of the kids threw something onto the table and the drive (still connected and spinning) got knocked and hit the floor. I think you can guess the outcome.

I don't use spinning disks anymore, I use USB sticks or a portable SSD and I never keep anything of importance on them that I don't already have on my NAS.

USB and SSD can also fail. Lifespan may even be shorter than a mechanical disk.

The issue not finding a media that doesn't fail. They all fail. Its just having not having more than one backup. Its a single point of failure. you need to have multiple copies of your data in different places.

beauf · 20-02-2016 3:08pm

ZENER wrote: »

...Just a word of caution though, you mention 1TB so I assume you're describing a small 2.5" portable drive ? DO NOT USE this as a backup drive ! By their nature they are prone to getting knocked about or to falling and in an instant your data is gone. For a real backup solution get a 3.5" non portable type drive or a NAS.

Ken

mordeith wrote: »

He's not saying they are unreliable per se, but rather due to their small size it's pretty easy to set them flying off a desk or treat them with less respect than a full size 3.5".

2.5" disks are designed primary for laptops and in theory have better shock protection than a 3.5" drive. As they are design to take a few knocks.

But certainly you are lot less likely to knock over something bigger and heavier than something smaller and light.

Most people these days just have a laptop, so having a copy (not your only copy) on a portable disk is far better than having nothing at all. Most people won't have a desktop or a NAS.

What they forget to do is have more than one copy of their data.

mordeith · 20-02-2016 3:11pm

beauf wrote: »

2.5" disks are designed primary for laptops and in theory have better shock protection than a 3.5" drive. As they are design to take a few knocks.

But certainly you are lot less likely to knock over something bigger and heavier than something smaller and light.

Most people these days just have a laptop, so having a copy (not your only copy) on a portable disk is far better than having nothing at all. Most people won't have a desktop or a NAS.

That's a fair point. I have a WD My Book (3.5") external but I also have backups on two separate 2.5" WD Passports. The price of these is low enough to guarantee piece of mind.

External Hard Drive for Macbook

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