Using portable hard drive on both Mac and Windows?

bis22bis22
Posted:
in Genius Bar edited January 2014
Is there any way I can format my portable hard drive to be used on both Mac OS 9&X and Windows XP? I can't find out a way to partition it to be half HFS+ and half MS-DOS, and I do have a program called MacDrive that lets Windows recognize HFS+ volumes, but it requires an annoying restart after installation (would have to install it every time I want to use it in my situation), plus I don't really trust it. All I want to do is be able to copy files onto it from Windows XP and still be able to boot OS 9 & X from it. Any thoughts?

Comments

  • Reply 1 of 10
    billybobskybillybobsky Posts: 1,914member
    format half with hfs -- leave the other half not formatted... format the other half with windows...



    i am not absolutely sure that that will work but it seems reasonable...





    bruce
  • Reply 2 of 10
    bis22bis22 Posts: 34member
    Ok, sounds like that might work. But what exactly do I have to do to format it on the Windows machine?
  • Reply 3 of 10
    billybobskybillybobsky Posts: 1,914member
    this may or may not work.... the order may need to be changed ie format half with windows first and then mac or vice versa...



    attach harddrive to windows machine, under my computer right click on the hard drive and select format -- choose your options... i dont know what they are so... format...



    and i assume you know how to do the same on a mac...



    Bruce
  • Reply 4 of 10
    defiantdefiant Posts: 4,876member
    ahem..



    http://www.mediafour.com/products/macdrive/



    Quote:

    MacDrive software makes Mac disks act like normal PC disks, so it?s a great way to get files both from Macs to PCs and from PCs to Macs.



  • Reply 5 of 10
    bis22bis22 Posts: 34member
    Quote:

    Originally posted by Defiant

    ahem..



    http://www.mediafour.com/products/macdrive/











    I don't think you read my entire post.
  • Reply 6 of 10
    alcimedesalcimedes Posts: 5,486member
    just format the entire drive as FAT32. (from your mac) the Mac will read it, and the PC will read it.



    it will also work on both Win9x machines and Win2k/XP boxes.



    although i will admit i've had it do some funky stuff on occasion.
  • Reply 7 of 10
    defiantdefiant Posts: 4,876member
    Quote:

    Originally posted by bis22

    I don't think you read my entire post.



    probably true-
  • Reply 8 of 10
    gargoylegargoyle Posts: 660member
    Quote:

    and I do have a program called MacDrive that lets Windows recognize HFS+ volumes, but it requires an annoying restart after installation (would have to install it every time I want to use it in my situation)



    Why would you have to reinstall macdrive each time ?



    Quote:

    plus I don't really trust it.



    Why?
  • Reply 9 of 10
    bis22bis22 Posts: 34member
    [QUOTE]Originally posted by Gargoyle

    [B]Why would you have to reinstall macdrive each time ?



    Cause I would be using it at school and after I log out it reverts the main hard drive, so I have to install it for every session I use it. That's pretty much the big issue I have with MacDrive. It's pretty annoying.



    Not really sure why I don't trust it. I might just be paranoid.
  • Reply 10 of 10
    bis22bis22 Posts: 34member
    Well I tried leaving part of the drive as free space, but when I tried to format it in Windows (98) it said the capacity was only about 600MB, but I did a full erase anyway and it just told me the system didn't have enough memory and I needed to free some up.
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