PC to MAC file transfer external HDD

scoffmanscoffman
Posted:
in macOS edited January 2014
I am completely new to macs but am preparing to make the switch. I have used pc's for years but am getting fed up. I am waiting for the rumored new mac pro's. Anyway's my question is this, I want to set up an external HDD where I can put all my data I have on my pc now, to transfer to the mac later. Also I want it set up so later I can use it as a shared drive with the other 6 computers in my house, which are all pc's. As I understand it they have to be formatted differently. Any help would be appreciated. Thanks.

Comments

  • Reply 1 of 6
    MarvinMarvin Posts: 15,326moderator
    You can get a network drive, which you plug into your router. PCs and Mac can connect quite easily. Another cool thing is that you can open the ports for the drive on the router and access your files from outside your home network.



    Some routers let you plug in a USB drive and that gets shared in a similar way but you have to worry about what format you will be using. FAT32 format is best for Mac/PC but it is limited to 4GB files so no sharing DVDs e.g keeping a set of ripped DVDs that can be played on any machine in the house. Plus FAT32 strips off resource forks so it's not reliable for Mac stuff.



    HFS+ could work but you'd need to install Macdrive on your PCs.
  • Reply 2 of 6
    scoffmanscoffman Posts: 4member
    I think I am going to try the MacDrive option as the hard drive is going to be setup primarily for myself once i have a new mac. The other questions this poses is how to format the new hard drive to HFS+ on my pc? is this possible to do with Macdrive 6? Thanks
  • Reply 3 of 6
    MarvinMarvin Posts: 15,326moderator
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Scoffman View Post


    I think I am going to try the MacDrive option as the hard drive is going to be setup primarily for myself once i have a new mac. The other questions this poses is how to format the new hard drive to HFS+ on my pc? is this possible to do with Macdrive 6? Thanks



    It says that it does Mac formatting too. They give you a free demo for a few days so you can see if it'll do what you need.
  • Reply 4 of 6
    hi_qhi_q Posts: 31member
    I currently have external drives for SATA. I have a USB to SATA adapter and can plug any and I mean ANY SATA drive and use it as an external. It only set me back 20 bucks, however, it cannot be used for a startup device and does not have an enclosure. No worries, its perfect for my temporary situations anyhow.
  • Reply 5 of 6
    scoffmanscoffman Posts: 4member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Marvin View Post


    It says that it does Mac formatting too. They give you a free demo for a few days so you can see if it'll do what you need.



    Well, I went with a WD 500GB SATA HDD with a Nexstar enclosure, I used MacDrive 6 to format the drive to HFS+. It all seems to work, am currently copying my files to the drive, but am also keeping the real important stuff on another drive just in case. Will see if it works on a Mac someday. Now to try and wait for the new mac pro's. I am hoping for a March release.
  • Reply 6 of 6
    lfe2211lfe2211 Posts: 507member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Scoffman View Post


    I am completely new to macs but am preparing to make the switch. I have used pc's for years but am getting fed up. I am waiting for the rumored new mac pro's. Anyway's my question is this, I want to set up an external HDD where I can put all my data I have on my pc now, to transfer to the mac later. Also I want it set up so later I can use it as a shared drive with the other 6 computers in my house, which are all pc's. As I understand it they have to be formatted differently. Any help would be appreciated. Thanks.



    Scoffman



    See my post with regard to setting up a network with a PC, a Mac, a printer, a USB HD, AEBS and a 4 port USB hub.



    http://forums.appleinsider.com/showt...68#post1047068



    My system has been workig flawlessly for about 2 weeks.
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