Format Drive for Both Mac and PC – How?

[Jerry Hofmann]

You can format any drive to be FAT 32 with Disk Utility. Keep in mind though, the largest file that can be saved as a single file is 2 gigs. When they are over 2 gigs QT movies will break up into segments, and it’s likely that there’s trouble with that…

No problem with a large number of files, but problematic if any of them are larger than 2 gigs.

Jerry

Apple Certified Trainer, Producer, Writer, Director Editor, Gun for Hire and other things. I ski.

8-Core 3.0 Intel Mac Pro, Dual 2 gig G5, AJA Kona SD, AJA Kona 2, Huge Systems Array UL3D, AJA Io HD, 17″ MBP, Matrox MXO2 with MAX Cinema Displays

[David Roth weiss]

The only way to reliably move big files between platforms is to copy the files to a Mac formatted drive and install MacDrive on the Windows machine. If you search MacDrive on this forum, you’ll find a previous post in which I explain why it is the only truly workable solution.

David Roth Weiss
Director/Editor/Colorist
David Weiss Productions, Inc.
Los Angeles

POST-PRODUCTION WITHOUT THE USUAL INSANITY ™

EPK Colorist – UP IN THE AIR – nominated for six academy awards

A forum host of Creative COW’s Apple Final Cut Pro, Business & Marketing, Indie Film & Documentary, and Film History & Appreciations forums.

[Stuart Simpson]

We regularly use NTFS for Mac to write files to windows friendly NTFS formatted hard disks. No pesky 2GB limit.

https://www.paragon-software.com/home/ntfs-mac/

-Stuart
7 MacPros – Kona 3, Kona LH & Kona LHi
1 G5 – Kona LH
xbox360, Wii, PSP, PS3
https://www.speak.co.uk

[Ralph Chaney]

Looks like both MacDrive and Paragon are the answer. Seems like Paragon has the advantage of operating on either platform. As a Mac user, I can deliver a disk to PC users without them having to install an app to use the files.

Any other differences? They both sound good.

-R.

-> Ralph

[Ralph Chaney]

Thanks, David. I’ll check that out.

-R.

-> Ralph

[Chris Tompkins]

I’ve always just plugged the drive into a WIN box and formatted and then hooked it up to the make to lay the files onto. Seems to work.

Chris Tompkins
Video Atlanta

[Ralph Chaney]

Yes, Yes, Dave… the Tuxera is great!! Very transparent and magical. 15 day trial too.

Thanks much,
Ralph

-> Ralph

[David Roth weiss]

Ralph,

I have had a problem with a client on a Windows machine who was unable to read files off of a drive formatted with Tuxera. Was Tuxera at fault or was it the user? I don’t know, but it certainly made me uncertain about using Tuxera again.

David Roth Weiss
Director/Editor/Colorist
David Weiss Productions, Inc.
Los Angeles

POST-PRODUCTION WITHOUT THE USUAL INSANITY ™

EPK Colorist – UP IN THE AIR – nominated for six academy awards

A forum host of Creative COW’s Apple Final Cut Pro, Business & Marketing, Indie Film & Documentary, and Film History & Appreciations forums.

[Ralph Chaney]

I’ll bet you would have doubts. Our options and solutions are multiplying without commensurate ways of testing why things don’t work.

My newbie experience with it involved using the other party’s Windows formatted NTSF drive. Using THEIR drive I was able to transfer my Mac files. You know, they haven’t yet tried to read them…
But in this case Tuxera’s job was just to open up their drive so I could add to it.

It might be useful to have a designated “Windows Transfer Drive” at hand, one that was formatted by and for PC’s. Then use a tool like Tuxera to work with it.

I’ll certainly post here if my Windows person cannot read the “Tux-files”.

-R.

-> Ralph