format new external hard drive for both mac and pc

If this is not the first time you’re using an external hard drive and experiencing such a problem, it is not likely to be an issue for you. Whatever happens, there are always ways to deal with it. But what if it’s not there? There can be many reasons for a Mac not reading a hard drive - poor connection, faulty cable or, in the worst-case scenario, corrupt hard drive data. When you plug in a hard drive into your Mac, you expect it to pop up in Locations in Finder - next to your remote disk and the computer itself. Your external drive not showing up on Mac? Here’s what to do We outline a range of straightforward solutions to an external hard drive not showing up on Mac in the following sections. However, if you're eager to fix this bug yourself, keep reading. Just tell them about your problem and receive quick and effective help with almost any possible tech issue. But there’s no need to panic! Just ask for help from a real pro, and they are easy to find!ĭownload MacKeeper and access your personal tech expert, available 24/7. If you can’t see such a device in the Finder, try typing its network address- smb:// ipaddress-in the Connect To Server dialog box.Fixing a problem with an external hard drive can be really hard for non tech-savvy users. Non-Apple NAS devices usually support SMB file sharing only. You may be able to reformat an NTFS NAS device later.

Most non-Apple NAS devices are also formatted as FAT32, but you should check before you buy. No Windows version of Time Machine exists any Windows backup program should do. The Time Capsule installer CD-ROM includes Windows versions of AirPort Utility and the Bonjour Printer Wizard, so the PC can set up and manage the Time Capsule and any printer attached to it. For file transfers, it supports the SMB protocol (used by Windows and Linux systems) as well as the Apple Filing Protocol (AFP). Macs and PCs can back up to the same Time Capsule drive.Time Capsule is formatted as a FAT32 drive, so Macs and Windows PCs can both read and write to it. Macs and Windows PCs can use almost any networked-attached storage drive over a wired or wireless network Apple’s Time Capsule is actually one of the best choices for shared backup. If you want to use FAT32 on a shared USB drive, use Mac OS X’s Disk Utility to erase and reformat a hard drive in what Disk Utility calls MS-DOS (FAT). FAT32 has some limitations: It can’t store files bigger than 4GB, you can’t boot a Mac from it, and it’s slow. It’s also the format that most USB flash drives use. There is a third format that both Mac OS X and Windows can read and write to natively: FAT32.

Format new external hard drive for both mac and pc