External HD

[jani]

MacOS X can read and write FAT, FAT32/VFAT, but only read from NTFS.

Windows cannot read from a Mac file system without plugins, and I'm not sure you can get those.

[Giedo]

thanks Jani, Andrew!
I guess I'll have to format the HD from my Windows system in FAT format.
Is there a place online where I can find how to do just that? Or can I just choose the format type when plugging in the first time?

[Giedo]

Hello there,

I would like to know if my new Apple ibook will recognize an external hard drive when it is formatted for my windows PC?
(or does a windows pc recognize it when the drive is mac-formatted)

Regards, Giedo

[Woodcorner]

In addition to jani's perfect reply I'd like to add that OS X starting with version 10.3.5 offers limited support for writing to NTFS volumes, meaning it might work in some circumstances...

As for using Mac-formatted drives on a PC, check out either MacDrive or TransMac. Quality varies...
http://www.versiontracker.com/dyn/moreinfo/win/16901
http://www.versiontracker.com/dyn/moreinfo/win/13831

Cheers,

Andrew

[jani]

thanks Jani, Andrew!
I guess I'll have to format the HD from my Windows system in FAT format.
Is there a place online where I can find how to do just that? Or can I just choose the format type when plugging in the first time?

It depends on whether it's pre-formatted or not, but usually you can just right-click on the drive icon, select "Format", and select "FAT32" from a pull-down list.

IF I recall correctly, that is.