USB drives and Macs.

om2om2
Posted:
in Current Mac Hardware edited January 2014
I'm a little confused.

USB drives: are they OK to use with Macs?



What I've read: get a Firewire drive, only option.



I've just bought a Freecom external drive.

It says it's Mac compatible.

Does that mean I can store files from my Mac?

Do I have to format first or something?

Can I use it to install another copy of the OS?



Thanks.





OM

Comments

  • Reply 1 of 7
    macs_finestmacs_finest Posts: 44member
    Are you talking about flash drives or external hard drives? If you are talking about flash drives, I think almost ALL work on macs and USB works great. If you are talking about hard drives, Firewire is extremely fast, but USB 2.0 is just as fast. If you have a computer that has USB 2.0 ports, then getting a USB external hard drive is fine. If you computer only has USB 1.1 ports, then you would definitely want to get a firewire one, because USB 1.1 is very slow compared to Firewire or USB 2.0. With any of these external hard drives, you can store any kind of Mac files on it, and it works great.
  • Reply 2 of 7
    banchobancho Posts: 1,517member
    Firewire *is* faster than USB 2.0 and often by a significant margin.



    That said, as long as your machine has USB 2.0 then any USB drive will work fine as well, just not quite as fast as Firewire.
  • Reply 3 of 7
    paprochypaprochy Posts: 129member
    The USB interface does not allow for a steady flow of information, rather, it sends data in chunks. Therefore you can't really "work" off of a USB2 HD, even though it's technically as fast as Firewire, so video editing or even just watching movies or listening to music can be unsuccessful. USB Hard drives are more for backing up data, not using it on a constant basis.
  • Reply 4 of 7
    om2om2 Posts: 67member
    if i have an external box and stick a hard drive in will this be ok?

    (external box has firewire.)



    or should i just get a ready made one?



    any recommendations?



    thanks.
  • Reply 5 of 7
    banchobancho Posts: 1,517member
    That'll work perfectly. In fact, if you want to splurge a bit get one that supports USB *and* Firewire then format it so you can use the drive with both Mac and Windows machines (you can use FAT32 but not NTFS for this). That can be pretty useful. Ready made ones are ok too but you'll probably save a few bucks by buying them separately and putting them together yourself.



    If you go for one that only supports one then I'd go with Firewire.
  • Reply 6 of 7
    om2om2 Posts: 67member
    how do i dual format?

    create two partitions?

    and format one for windows and one for mac?



    i've already got an ecnlosure that's got firewire and usb.

    one problem: noise.

    loud. very loud.



    i've jus bought a freecom external usb: whisper quite.

    don't thinkt hey have a firewire and usb one though.



    seagate: i've read these are whisper quiet as well.

    but the firewire models they have look horrible!



    western digital: they have some nice looking ones.

    but read a review or 2: one problem - noise.



    any recommendations for ready made external boxes?
  • Reply 7 of 7
    banchobancho Posts: 1,517member
    Just format the drive as FAT32 and both Windows and Mac can read it. No other special partitioning or formatting to do.



    I've got an adaptec external case for a drive that's silent and has connections for USB/Firewire. Really it just boils down to case quality. I'm guessing your new one is better than the old loud one.



    Good luck and if you need any assistance just ask.
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