Formatting the drive from ntfs to fat32 is complicated especially with the smartware drives. I have a wd mybook home external drive that is not detected by windows 7or xp. If you have already written any data to the drive, back it up before proceeding to the next step. You need to tell us what it is you are trying to do and if you have some specifi. Solved problems converting cd disc format from udf to ntsf. Now ntfs works fine with computers and is the standard file system, but for some reasons, developers decided that. You do realize that formatting will wipe all the files on the drive. By this way, you can easily format an external hard drive for mac and windows. Hi, i have a new ssd drive 128gb and i was experiencing some poor performance.
Wd discovery indicated that the drive was readonly. To get around this problem or prevent it from being a problem later you could format the drive as an ntfs partition. The sd card association who define the sd card specifications mandate the use of exfat for cards larger than 32gbytes. Be sure you selected the correct drive icon for the my passport external drive. Choose ntfs and then click apply next to complete formatting. I converted my flash drives file system using these steps and it worked flawlessly. How to format or partition an external hard drive for mac. It should delete an internal operating system on the drive as well. Right click the partition and select format partition from the given list.
I want to store hd movies and i want to change it from my vista laptop. Western digital my book live 3tb wdbacg0030hcheesn 3. Click ok to continue the process if the backup has already been made. Formatting actually reformatting a solid state drive ssd is a quick and simple process to restore the drive to a clean state, similar to when the drive was new. Once you have done that, turn the console on, wait till it boots up, then connect the drive to the console, and see if that works. So ive finally managed to get a decent 200gb microsd for my go, and was wondering what format youre all using. Choosing the right format for your external hard drive b.
Run the tool and youll see the drive you want to format is loaded. It is interesting to note that this method cannot be used to reconvert ntfs file system back to fat32. Unfortunately, win7 nor xp will no longer recognize it after formatting when it is attached to a usb. Macs can read ntfs drives, and can read and write to fat32 drives. The below steps for formatting external drive is for windows 10 and also works the same with an old version of windows. If you have files on the my passport drive and you want to keep them. Is there any possibility to reformat wd my book live exact model. This is just a very quick tutorial on how to format your usb or external drive to another file format. Enter a name for the external hard drive in the name field. Formatting my book essential to ntfs muvipix community.
I currently have a corrupted ntfs external drive that i want to reformat in a format that can be read by linux and windows suggestions. My book external hard drive western digital wd it is formated in exfat. Select ntfs for the file system type and check the quick format checkbox. Formatting your wd my passport will erase any documents you have on the drive. How to convert a macformatted drive to a windows drive. The western digital my book, for example, comes formatted to ntfs, but you can reformat it to exfat for use with macos read our western. Tuxera disk manager lets you fully manage your hard drive and stored data regardless of the operating system.
Ntfs partitions have a file size limit only limited by the partition size. Right click on the drive icon for the external drive and choose format from the menu. If your product is not listed above, please visit the product page. Format new external drive as an ntfs partition it services nmu. Fat32 and ntfs are the most common formats, but whats the difference. If you are looking to sell or donate your old drive, you will want to not only reformat your drive, but also erase all the data in a separate action. Format usb drive to ntfs using windows file explorer. Avoid formatting your wd my passport without backup. We cant rule out the possibilities of human errors resulting in the accidental formatting of the wd my passport external drive. Therfore, you can connect backup plus desktop to a windows pc without formatting the hard drive. The question is whether my book live will work after it as a common external or network hdd under windows. Now you have solved the puzzle on how to convert exfat to ntfs using cmd in windows. To be compliant, card manufacturers must ship according to these file system format specifications and compliant host devices must adhere to the formatting guidelines so will certainly not default to ntfs and are also very.
Overwrite exfat format of 8tb external drive with ntfs. Fat32, ntfs, and exfat, lets have a look whats the difference between these formats. Well explain what they are and how to choose the best file system for your needs. Ill store my media files on it while keeping the internal hard drive clear for apps and the os. Buying and using an external hd is one thing, getting the most out of it is quite another. I want to reformat my 1tb ntfs drive to a format that can be read by linux and windows but wont cause freezing issues when copying files to and from it on ubuntu. By following the steps in this post, i learned how to format my hard drive to ntfsfat32exfat file system with minitool partition wizard free edition. However, ntfs is not fully compatible with mac computers. One reason that you may wish to format your usb from fat32 to. It came formatted via fat32 from the vendor with a footnote in the instruction manual that i might want to reformat it in ntfs mode. So you figured, fine, ill just get an external hard drive. Ntfs is a commonly used file format for windows systems and external devices. Is it safe to convert usb drive format from fat32 to ntfs in drivers and hardware.
To reconvert back to fat32, you will need to format the entire drive which will definitely cause data loss. This is the second drive i purchased, the first had to be retu. Quickly format an external hard drive for mac and windows pc. If it doesnt pop up with the message stating drive detected, then try going to settings system storage, see if its. As always, let me know if you have any issues during the formatting or partitioning process. The only downside to ntfs on an external drive is that on some external drives, converting to ntfs makes the drive read only, so check the drives documentation either print or online to see what will or wont happen by converting. After full reformat of external drive wd mybook to ntfs.
Thus, if you wish to format ntfs on mac, then you must be using an external storage unit. Maybe im having a bad day but what you are asking doesnt seem to make any sense. Ntfs will allow you to save individual files larger than 4 gb and does offer better file checking to avoid damaged files. How to format your usb to fat32, ntfs or exfat youtube.
Go the disk management and attempt to format the partition from there. Is it safe to convert usb drive format from fat32 to ntfs. Your backup plus desktop is formatted as ntfs for compatibility with windows out of the box. I have several usb external storage drives connected to my pc tower. In this guide we show you how to use those windowsformatted drives in macos. Convert fat32 to ntfs without formatting or losing data. As to size for each partition, it depends on your own demands. Ntfs is less supported in nonwindows devices like android phones, routers, maybe some nases, etc. How to format usb drive to ntfs windows 10 all 4 ways. You just need to know how to format external hard drive for ps4. If windows doesnt recognize the partition type then simply delete the partition and recreate it.
How to format external hard drive to use on mac and pc. Im trying to format my new 1tb my book essentials hard drive from fat32 to ntfs and am having problems. How to format an external hard drive the easy way in 2020. Windows explorer indicated the file system as exfat. I know the wording but i dont understand what to use should i have formatted this before i put files on it. I read in another older thread about it and i want to post here my. Ntfs vs fat32 formatting windows xp sp2 dell community. For instance, you might wish to format as sd card, pen drive, external hard disk, etc.
It could make transferring the files between those two operating systems much easier because you dont need to back up and reformat each time. Id recommend formatting this in ntfs for slightly better performance. I would like to recommend this fabulous format tool to more friends who need to perform disk formatting. If you own a windows computer, the hard drive in your system is probably running the ntfs format, which stands for new technology file system. Set the ntfs as the target file system, tick quick format and click start to start the formatting. I have a western digital my book 250 gb external harddrive connected via usb 2. A silly manmade mistake will permanently remove all of the contained pictures, videos, audio files, and docs instantly from the wd my passport. If you have ever tried to format a usb thumb drive or memory stick, you may have noticed that the only file system options you have are fat and fat32. To be compliant, card manufacturers must ship according to these file system format specifications and compliant host.
Formatting external drive wd my book 8tb from exfat to ntfs. However, with some slight tweaking of settings, you can actually format your removable storage devices in ntfs format, including external hard drives, etc. In this guide, well show you how to format an external hard drive so you can not only get rid of the. If youre worrying about losing data during partition formatting, back them up to a safe place before you start. I need help formatting this my book elite 2tb to fat32, so i can play it on my dvd usb. From the volume format menu, choose mac os extended.
Rightclick the disk here take ext3 partition for exampleyou need to format and choose format partition. Alternatively, you can create 2 partitions on the external hard drive. I had to reformat the drive to ntfsthe wd my book 8tb external usb 3. I chose to create two partitions on my seagate expansion one for backup, the other for personal use. There are three common file system types to format an external usb or hard drive, ssd drive, sd card and etc. I highly doubt ill be removing it from the go, as itll be storage for media files, documents, etc. How to format drives in ntfs on a macin 3 easy steps tuxera. You have options when it comes to formatting a usb drive for use in a pc. Doing such a backup, the utility could not write to the drive in question. Format usb flash drives with fat, fat32, or ntfs partition types.