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PC to MAC NTFS to FAT32 transfer problems? One final hurdle before buying!

Z

Zelnaga

macrumors regular
Original poster
Jun 4, 2010
235
68
Hi guys, I hear that if I stuck a windows (NTFS) external HDD (2TB) to the iMac it will only read the data?

I have a SEAGATE 2TB external HDD (USB2) full of videos and would at some point like to transfer to a larger HDD (3TB) but utilizing the latest thunderbolt tech (when it arrives) and im assuming that mac HDD would be FAT32?

Would there be a problem if I transfered the NTFS 2TB USB2 HDD to the Thunderbolt FAT32 HDD I got, seeing as it only write from one to another? or am I missing something here?

Help would be appreciated. How would I go about this?
 
FAT32 (File Allocation Table)
  • Read/Write FAT32 from both native Windows and native Mac OS X.
  • Maximum file size: 4GB.
  • Maximum volume size: 2TB
NTFS (Windows NT File System)
  • Read/Write NTFS from native Windows.
  • Read only NTFS from native Mac OS X
    [*]To Read/Write/Format NTFS from Mac OS X: Install NTFS-3G for Mac OS X (free)
  • Some have reported problems using Tuxera (approx 33USD).
  • Native NTFS support can be enabled in Snow Leopard, but is not advisable, due to instability.
  • AirPort Extreme (802.11n) and Time Capsule do not support NTFS
  • Maximum file size: 16 TB
  • Maximum volume size: 256TB
HFS+ (Hierarchical File System, a.k.a. Mac OS Extended)
  • Read/Write HFS+ from native Mac OS X
  • Required for Time Machine or Carbon Copy Cloner backups of Mac internal hard drive.
  • To Read/Write HFS+ from Windows, Install MacDrive
  • To Read HFS+ (but not Write) from Windows, Install HFSExplorer
  • Maximum file size: 8EiB
  • Maximum volume size: 8EiB
exFAT (FAT64)
  • Supported in Mac OS X only in 10.6.5 or later.
  • Not all Windows versions support exFAT. See disadvantages.
  • exFAT (Extended File Allocation Table)
  • AirPort Extreme (802.11n) and Time Capsule do not support exFAT
  • Maximum file size: 16 EiB
  • Maximum volume size: 64 ZiB
 
GGJstudios gave you all the options available. I personally use exFat to read and write back and forth between Windows 7 64 bit and Snow Leopard. It's been really easy to use and both support exFat. Snow Leopard started supporting exFat in version 10.6.5, but had problems with it until version 10.6.8. If you are just moving large files back and forth, exFat is great. One main drawback is that you can't use Time Machine on an exFat drive, only HFS+ drive. You would need another external drive to use for Time Machine only. There are other choices, but you do need to load programs and/or drivers to use them.

exFat works from Windows XP SP 2 all the way up to Windows 7.
Good luck.

You can format your external drive either from Windows or Mac, both have the capabilities to format to exFat.
 
dfine1966 said:
GGJstudios gave you all the options available. I personally use exFat to read and write back and forth between Windows 7 64 bit and Snow Leopard. It's been really easy to use and both support exFat. Snow Leopard started supporting exFat in version 10.6.5, but had problems with it until version 10.6.8. If you are just moving large files back and forth, exFat is great. One main drawback is that you can't use Time Machine on an exFat drive, only HFS+ drive. You would need another external drive to use for Time Machine only. There are other choices, but you do need to load programs and/or drivers to use them.

exFat works from Windows XP SP 2 all the way up to Windows 7.
Good luck.

You can format your external drive either from Windows or Mac, both have the capabilities to format to exFat.
Click to expand...

Thanks for this explanation. . . Is there a reason/advantage for me to use exFAT rather than FAT32 if I'm not transferring "large files" (over 4gb) between PC and Mac? Only files I'll be transferring is documents, photos and music files and wondering if I should format my HD to exFAT or FAT32.
 
There are negative and positives to use either. Instead of me writing all of the advantages and disadvantages, I found a web site that describes it a lot better than I could write. Here is the link. You will see the advantages and disadvantages here.

http://www.answers.com/topic/exfat

It a preference. Basically exFat will replace fat32 sooner or later. It basically was made to work on external devices with low overhead.

Quick negatives: Limited or no support outside PC/Mac environment at present — most current consumer electronics, such as televisions and A/V receivers, can only handle previous FAT versions. So if you are using the hard drive to send to PS3 or a TV, exFat won't work yet.

I have been using exFat, and transfer speeds seem faster than Fat32. Try both and see which you like.
 
Last edited:
dfine1966 said:
There are negative and positives to use either. Instead of me writing all of the advantages and disadvantages, I found a web site that describes it a lot better than I could write. Here is the link. You will see the advantages and disadvantages here.

http://www.answers.com/topic/exfat

It a preference. Basically exFat will replace fat32 sooner or later. It basically was made to work on external devices with low overhead.

Quick negatives: Limited or no support outside PC/Mac environment at present — most current consumer electronics, such as televisions and A/V receivers, can only handle previous FAT versions. So if you are using the hard drive to send to PS3 or a TV, exFat won't work yet.

I have been using exFat, and transfer speeds seem faster than Fat32. Try both and see which you like.
Click to expand...

Thanks
 
If you want to share data (read and write) of any file size on both windows and mac, then exFAT is the logical choice. I use it for my external drives.
 
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When they say 4GB maximum for file, is that per file?
 
GGJstudios said:
Yes, FAT32 has a 4GB per file limitation, which means you can't store a file larger than 4GB on a FAT32 volume.
Click to expand...

So if the iMac I brought is FAT32 HDD anxi wanted to transfer HD video content over 4GB from external HD to iMac HD, it won't allow me to do that? Sorry for questions I'm new to this stuff.
 
Zelnaga said:
So if the iMac I brought is FAT32 HDD anxi wanted to transfer HD video content over 4GB from external HD to iMac HD, it won't allow me to do that? Sorry for questions I'm new to this stuff.
Click to expand...
Wait. First, your internal drive on the iMac is formatted HFS+, not FAT32. If you have an external drive that is FAT32, you can't put a 4+GB file on it. If you're sharing an external drive with Windows, I'd recommend using NTFS, because it has no such file limitation. Read my first post on how to read/write/format NTFS with Mac OS X.
 
I just transfer data around my network and I don't have to worry about file systems. If you did want to move to a thunderbolt drive it's quite simple.

Plug in your current external as OSX can read NTFS then just copy over to your HFS+ formatted thunderbolt drive. I'm not aware of any PC tech that allows the use of thunderbolt yet so it's not like you could just plug that drive in another windows machine.

Or you can use boot camp to copy data around. But I prefer over my network. I have one external I share on another PC and I copy files from my imac to it all the time.
 
GGJstudios said:
Wait. First, your internal drive on the iMac is formatted HFS+, not FAT32. If you have an external drive that is FAT32, you can't put a 4+GB file on it. If you're sharing an external drive with Windows, I'd recommend using NTFS, because it has no such file limitation. Read my first post on how to read/write/format NTFS with Mac OS X.
Click to expand...

Hi GGjStudios - I encounter the following error while mounting my NTFS drive onto a mac. Could you please help me identify how to fix this? I'm 2 days old on the Mac and really need the help



Thanks
 

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siddharthkant said:
Hi GGjStudios - I encounter the following error while mounting my NTFS drive onto a mac. Could you please help me identify how to fix this? I'm 2 days old on the Mac and really need the help



Thanks
Click to expand...

Hi, ive had the exact same problem. Is anyone willing to help? Cheers.
 
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