Nowadays they are used almost everywhere cloud technologies data storage. The cloud is fast, convenient and most importantly, always at hand. However, we still cannot do without physical storage devices. Hard disks and SSD drives are used as system drives, and regular flash drives are still in use. Some drives are ready to use right out of the box, others need to be formatted; In addition, the kit includes proprietary utilities that the manufacturer recommends using. In this article you will learn how to properly prepare external drive to work in OS X.
The first time you connect an external drive to your Mac, it will automatically be mounted and ready to go. However, before relying on it, there are a few important things to check.
Note. I don't have a disk on hand to mock, so I'll show everything using an old USB flash drive as an example, but don't worry, in the case of hard drive The setup procedure will be similar.
The first point to consider is that most likely your new disk will be formatted in FAT32, instead of the most common extended and ntfs (for Mac and Windows, respectively). FAT32 is good because it has support for both reading and writing in both OSes. This is the easiest method if you need a universal drive, although it has some limitations.
First, FAT32 lacks journaling support, which would help prevent data corruption. Second, it does not support assigning file system permissions. Additionally, FAT32 drives typically have an MBR partition scheme, which does not work with Apple CoreStorage and therefore will not allow on-disk encryption. Thirdly, FAT32's file size limit is 4GB, which by modern standards is very, very bad.
Sometimes a disc comes with special software that can be used to partition the disc and create backups data. It can be convenient, but I still wouldn't recommend using it since OS X has all the tools you need to do so. Third-party disk management tools may cause compatibility issues that may result in data loss.
If you're only going to use your external drive with your Mac or other Macs, it's best to format it to the extended format that OS X uses by default. If there is a need to connect to Windows machines, then definitely use FAT32.
Disk partitioning
For all manipulations with drives, OS X uses Disk Utility, which is located in the folder Programs - Utilities. Well, let's launch it and start partitioning our external drive.
Step 1. Selecting a disk and number of partitions
Select our disk in the sidebar on the left and specify the partition table. If you need several volumes, indicate their number in the drop-down menu Partition scheme or using the button + , if there is an unallocated area on the disk.
Clue. If you select a disk in the sidebar, Disk Utility will display all of its partitions. For your primary drive they will be grayed out because it is not possible to format or change the partition table for boot disk. These options will be available for all other connected devices.
Step 2. Specify the partition scheme
The default partition scheme is usually GUID, but it’s better to open Options and check that this is indeed the case. And in general, for any operations with a disk, the proverb “Measure twice, cut once” is more relevant than ever, especially if the disk already contains some data.
Step 3. Check and confirm all changes
Once you've checked all the settings, the final step is to apply them. Click the appropriate button and wait for the process of partitioning our disk to complete.
Once the changes take effect, the disk will be removed and remounted into file system your Mac. Now he is completely ready to work.
Something else
If you want to go further, you can test the drive to make sure there is no bad sectors and other errors. For this you can use third party applications, such as Drive Genius or Tech Tool Pro, because Disk Utility does not have such functionality. But there is still one trick that will help you check disk errors using it. This method is based on Securely erase disk. As you may know, such erasing is done by writing each sector with zeros, thereby allowing us to understand whether there are bad sectors if the operation fails.
It is worth noting that the secure erase procedure and other similar hard drive operations that check each sector of the disk take quite a long time (several hours).
I wish all your disks trouble-free operation, may they work quickly and please you, dear readers. If you still have any questions about setting up external hard disk in Mac - ask them in the comments.
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More information about the devices presented in the catalog
External drives for laptops and computers are indispensable for active users who prefer to take care of safety important information. Storage devices make it easy to have all the information you need at your fingertips. Compact SSD hard drives for MacBooks, external drives for Macs, iMacs, and miniature memory cards offer large capacities, so you can choose the drive that best suits your needs.This section presents storage accessories designed for use with Apple computers and laptops. Hard drives for iMac, Mac, MacBook will appeal to users involved in video shooting, photography, and graphics. A wide range includes external mobile and stationary devices, as well as convenient and popular among users Photofast i-FlashDrive flash drives.
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see also.
– There are many selection criteria.
In contact with
However, if you don’t bother looking for expensive models with FireWire and Thunderbolt interfaces, but focus on the available USB options, everything becomes somewhat simpler.
The G-Technology product range is dominated by solid RAID arrays and high-capacity drives for connection via the high-speed Thunderbolt interface. But the series G-Drive mobile was developed as an alternative, simple, compact USB gadgets for personal PCs and Mac, as opposed to expensive server solutions. U this tough There are versions with a capacity of 500 GB and 1 TB, the dimensions of the device are 12.70 × 1.80 × 8.31 cm, weight 160 grams, price around $90.
IN LaCie relied on a wide selection of memory capacity and stylish appearance. Regarding the first, in addition to the standard set with options from 500 GB to 2 TB, lightweight versions of SSD drives of 120 and 250 GB are available. They are even thinner, although it is problematic to call the base model massive, the thickness is only 15 mm, the length and width are 130 mm and 77 mm, respectively, the hard drive weighs 240 grams. Price from the manufacturer – $90.
A more advanced version of the drive, aimed at lovers of active life who value such qualities as the security of not only the gadget, but also the information recorded on it. For the first function, the hard drive is equipped with a rubberized sealed bumper that will withstand not only cold and rain, but also being run over by a car wheel, and you can also drop it on stones all day long. And if someone not very honest wants to encroach on confidential information, a driver package is provided to automatically encrypt anything and everything that is recorded on the hard drive. IN model range versions with memory capacities from 0.5 to 1.5 TB, the price is the equivalent of $115.
Seagate engineers made their version of the drive one of the smallest on the market, 135 × 76 × 9 mm, so the word “slim” in the name is more than appropriate. The range of memory capacities is from 500 GB to 2 TB, there is a set of utilities for creating automatic backup copies of important data, the processing of which is carried out in this moment on custom Mac. These include publications on social services such as Flickr and YouTube - useful feature for active bloggers. The price of the gadget is pleasantly less than its competitors, $79.99.
WD My Passport Air
The name is self-explanatory - the official description emphasizes that the hard drive was created specifically for a laptop. Firstly, it is dressed in stylish aluminum armor, and secondly, it comes with a solid set of drivers and utilities for fine tuning drive control systems. Moderately compact, 112 × 83 × 11 mm, equipped USB interface 3.0, there are 500 GB and 1 TB versions. Initially, the price tag was set at $150, but then the situation changed and today you can find offers on the same Amazon for only $89.
My first acquaintance with SSDs occurred in 2010, when a 13-inch MacBook Pro was . Yes, yes, the same one that preceded the active promotion of ultrabooks and the refusal optical drives in laptops. It also spawned a wave of clones, forcing competitors to bang their heads against the wall in attempts to create a solution with a similar set of characteristics. They were able to, but only after a couple of years, but Apple also does not stand still, releasing the ideal, in my humble opinion, laptop Retina MacBook Pro 13″. But let's return to the SSD. The solid-state drive managed to significantly increase the performance of the laptop, and the newcomer, weak even compared to the one-year-old MacBook Pro (the 1.3-gigahertz low-voltage Core 2 Duo in the Air was significantly inferior in performance to its full-fledged analogue even in the Pro model of the previous generation), demonstrated miracles of speed during everyday work with OS. Applications launched literally in the blink of an eye, the system flew, everything was fine, except for one thing - an SSD is much more expensive than a traditional mechanical hard drive, and users who were accustomed to storing hundreds of gigabytes of information on their computer had to curb their appetite and put their personal files in order. But it’s not always possible to refuse this or that content, and in this case an external drive will help. A Mac can work with any device of this kind, but it’s nicer when an accessory is created specifically for Apple technology. My Passport for Mac from W.D. just from this series and I will talk about it in this article.
Silver, but not metal
WD specialists tried to create a product that is maximally adapted to Apple devices, and we are talking not only about functionality, but also about design. Actually, this is not the company’s first experience in producing accessories for Mac. It is enough to remember such products as and. The shape of the new product resembles the latter: convex top and bottom panels, corners rounded under the so-called “magic radius”, and black and silver color design. Although in in this case more silver than black.
It seems that the drive is hidden in a metal case, but in fact it is high-quality plastic with an aluminum finish. Although silver is only the top and bottom panels, side face - black. I like this solution, the accessory looks similar in style to the MacBook, but at the same time it has its own original design, which WD has been using for portable external drives for many years.
There are no extra holes, decorative elements or buttons on the My Passport for Mac body. There is only a Micro-USB 3.0 connector with a power circuit - it is slightly wider than a standard port:
Thanks to the use of such a connector, there is no need for external unit power supply or using two ports simultaneously on a laptop or PC (in the past, external drives were often equipped with a special cable with two full-size USB plugs- one of them was used to power the drive). It is also worth noting that USB port 3.0 produces 900 mA versus 500 mA for USB 2.0, so about efficient work There is no need to worry about the drive, and situations when it may not be detected or may not start due to lack of energy do not arise.
As for the dimensions, My Passport for Mac fits easily into your pocket and does not take up much space in your bag. In size it is slightly larger than / and weighs only 150 g:
I will also add that the thickness of a 1 TB drive is 15 mm, while the twice as capacious model is 6 mm thicker:
In progress
My Passport for Mac comes with an interface USB 3.0, which means impressive speed. In fact, the device operates with the highest possible performance for a mechanical hard drive when the data exchange rate is 90–100 MB/s. For comparison, the built-in drive in the MacBook Pro (regular models, not Retina) operates at approximately the same speed. That is, if you wish, you can make an exact copy of the hard drive or SSD built into your Mac through Disk Utility and by connecting My Passport for Mac to another Apple computer, load your workspace with external storage. In this case, the speed of the system will be very good level. In the past, I conducted a similar experiment with a USB 2.0 drive, but the speed was uncomfortable. Now there are no problems.
What is important is that the accessory in question is literally “out of the box” formatted in the file system Mac OS Extended(formerly known as HFS Extended). That is, without unnecessary movements, you can either make an exact copy of the system that I mentioned above, or work with Time Machine, automatically creating backup copies of personal data. Naturally, nothing will prevent you from reformatting the drive to any other file system, be it NTFS, exFat, etc.
If your computer does not support USB 3.0, then it does not matter. The standard is backwards compatible and My Passport for Mac works without problems with USB 2.0. Unless the data transfer speed will be approximately three times lower than the maximum and will be about 30 MB/s.
But still, when the drive is operating at full speed, working with it is much more pleasant. DVD rips are “uploaded” in 15–20 seconds, backup copies are updated quickly, music tracks and photos are copied in just seconds. At the same time, the device operates quietly, does not make noise, does not hum or vibrate. Its active status is indicated only by an inconspicuous indicator near the USB port.
1 TB is enough for most users, including for backup copies of Time Machine, and for additional content. If you want to carry everything you own with you, then your choice is a flagship with 2 TB disk space. You can throw a dozen TV series into it, and several dozen films, and an archive of working software, and an entire personal photo album, and a favorite music collection with hundreds of hours of sound. The gadget can also be used to work with large video files in Final Cut or iMovie. Amateur video editing of My Passport for Mac in USB 3.0 mode is quite satisfactory.
To work with the drive, no additional software is needed, but the kit still includes a proprietary utility WD Drive Utilities, providing access to some additional features. Thus, the program allows you to quickly check the status of the hard drive via SMART, carry out full diagnostics, set a timer to automatic shutdown in idle mode, format or register the gadget with WD technical support.
Let's sum it up
An external drive for a Mac user is a very important accessory that I recommend everyone to buy. Firstly, you will always have a backup copy of your personal data. Moreover, the backup process occurs automatically thanks to Time Machine, and we are not talking about the banal saving of files. The backup copy stores your entire workspace with applications, documents and settings. What if something happens to your computer - anything can happen in life - in this case, you can always easily and without unnecessary movements restore the system on any other Mac in the same form as it was on your computer. The same applies to moving to another Mac.
My Passport for Mac, thanks to its large volume, will not only allow you to create and store backup copies, but also eliminates the small volume built into modern Mac SSD. Of course, you can order a custom configuration with a 768 GB or terabyte SSD, but this costs too much money. It’s cheaper and more profitable to buy an external drive, especially since thanks to USB 3.0 support, the operating speed of the review hero is comfortable for any task.
If there is a need to format a hard disk or USB flash drive so that the devices are compatible with Mac and Windows, then this is easy to do. It is important to know that formatting the device will delete all data, so in order not to lose information, it is better to make a backup copy right away.
To format the device you need:
- Run Disk Utility, find /Applications/Utilities/ ;
- Connect your device;
- Click on the disk name in the left corner of the Desktop and then click the Erase button;
- Click on the “Format” drop-down menu, select “MS-DOS (FAT)”. Here you can rename the device;
- Click the “Erase” button to format your device for compatibility with Mac & Windows PC.
Formatting is usually a quick process, but it all depends on the size of the files on the device you are formatting.
As a result, a flash drive or external hard the disk will be compatible with Mac OS X, Windows 95, 98, Windows XP, Vista, 7, and even Windows 8. This formatting method is ideal for USB flash drives, external hard drives, which are designed for use under multiple OSes.
The main disadvantage of using FAT32 is its file size limit. So, the device to be formatted should have no more than 4 GB. If you use exFAT to format a device larger than 4GB, it will result in incompatibility with older versions of OS X and Windows.