So, you just bought an external hard drive and wanted to use it on your Mac. But somehow, macOS doesn't allow you to write data to the drive. That's all because it's been initialized with Windows NT File System (NTFS), which is primarily for PCs. Apple Mac machines support a different file system. This tutorial goes through the steps of partitioning an empty external hard drive using Disk Utility, which comes with every Mac. The steps here are using Mac OS X 10.6.7 and should be similar for.
Unlike internal hard drives, most external hard drives come already partitioned and formatted. However, if you need multiple partitions for your business data, you may need to remove or shrink the existing structure. Windows 7's Disk Management utility allows you to do just that through a simple, graphical interface. During the process, you'll also need to decide on formatting. Using the FAT32 file system will keep the drive compatible with other operating systems, but if you'll only be using the drive in Windows 7, NTFS is a good choice.
By Mar 03,2018 18:05 pm After you buy a new external hard drive which comes in with only one partition from the manufacturer, when you intall it in Mac or PC, you always would rather to partition external hard drive into separated partition to store different types of files. Partitioning your hard drive can help organize your data and make your life more convenient. But many users think it is an arduous task to partition hard drive, so in this tutorial, we will goes through the detailed steps of partitioning an empty external hard drive in Mac and PC. Part 1. How to Partition an External Hard Drive on Mac Step 1. Open a Finder Open the Finder by clicking on the icon on the dock.
Alternatively, you can open the Finder through launching a Spotlight by tapping on 'CMD SPACE' and typing 'Disk Utility' then press the 'Return' key. Highlight the External Hard Drive to be Partitioned On your left column, identify the hard drive you intent to partition then highlight. The hard drive you are looking for should be right above Macintosh HD. On the right side of the column, there is a row of tabs. Click on the one written 'Partition' and a 'Volume Scheme' section will appear. The blue area shows the space taken up by your hard drive. The white area shows the free space that can be used for partitioning.
Below the rectangular box, there are a '+' and '-' symbols, click on '+' sign to add a new partition. How to do External Hard Drive Partition on Windows Yes, you can partition your hard drive into a couple of logical units you desire. Partitioning your hard disk, you reduce the chances of your vital data being corrupted, thus separate data from operating system. This is how to partition your hard drive using window. Select Disk Management Right click on the 'Computer' icon and select 'Manage'. Click on 'Manage' and select 'Disk Management' below the 'Storage' folder. While on Disk Management, you will see all partitions and disks on your PC.
Format Your New Partition Once again, go through the settings you made previously and then click on 'Finish' box. A pop-up window will appear on your screen, asking you to partition your new volume. Click on the 'Format' disk first and make sure that you retain the previous settings and then click on 'Start' option. You will also receive a warning concerning formatting but go further and select 'OK'. If you followed the preceding steps correctly, you will notice that the new volume you created has been added to the Disk Management window.
Most people use external hard drives to store vital information and in a way keep it safe. The problem is such information can be loss due to virus infection, formatted hard drive, or files accidentally deleted. And people usually use external hard drive device in order to keep their important information safe and secure. But what to do when data loss happened due to varies reasons like deleted the files mistakenly, formatted the drive, virus infection. Therefore, ensure that you at least have reliable software to be in the safe side. That is why you need iSkysoft. Related Articles & Tips.