Is it possible to partition a portable hardrive, and format the partitions differently?

Question

Hi, I have a 1TB Portable HDD which I need to use on both PC and MAC... However I don't want to use the FATex format because it can only store files up to 4GB max. At the moment I use software on my pc to read the mac format (software called MacDrive)... However I would like to partition a small segment of the hardrive into NTFS, eg I want 900GB of the HDD in mac format and 100GB in NTFS. Is this possible to do?

Answer 1

Yes,you can. Use this software MiniTool Partition Manager. You can use it to partition the drive without a backup or reformat

Answer 2

In OS X, Disk Utility can do it, no problem.

-- Open Disk Utility.

-- Select the HDD at left (not the current partition, but the HDD by model number).

-- Select the "Partition" tab.

-- Click the + sign to add a new partition.

-- Drag the slider to resize it.

-- Choose the format from the drop list.

-- Click "Apply".



If you mean exFAT, it does not have a 4 GB file size limit. MS-DOS File System (also known as FAT-32) has the 4 GB file size limit. exFAT can only be used with OS 10.6.4 or later, and with Windows 7 SP1 or later. All FAT formats are crudely awful, and should be avoided for any large drive volume. Do you remember how the Windows format tool would always make the FAT partitions maximum 32 GB? That was to limit the lousy performance issue of FAT.



You can use NTFS with OS X by installing Paragon NTFS For Mac, US$20, link below.

Answer 3

yes, plug it in to the windows machine (as i dont know mac), then run and search for disk management, in here you will see the drive as the last item and from there you can remove the current partisions add the windows one and format it, partition the other space but dont format it. Then plug it into the mac and format the mac partition in there. A external works just like an internal you can format it any way you want up to 5 partitions on the drive.

Answer 4

you additionally could make 2 partitions, one Mac OS prolonged and the different NTFS, or make the wholecontinual one partition and format it NTFS... in case you do slightly greater advantageous to enable OS X to place in writing archives to NTFS. In Disk application, choose thecontinual (the icon that has the variety call / style of the truly hardware) at left. choose the "Partition" tab. examine the stats on the backside of the window to make certain if the partition scheme is grasp Boot checklist. if so, positive. If no longer, click the "thoughts" button and decide grasp Boot checklist. substitute the "quantity scheme" to "2 partitions". Make one Mac and the different NTFS. click the "Partition" button and wait. in case you elect to apply thecontinual for booting OS X inclusive of for diagnostics and equipment maintenance, you will wish Apple Partition Map (for a %Mac) or GUID partition table (for an Intel Mac). Any partition scheme could be utilized for a non-bootingcontinual with OS X. living house windows XP 32-bit (what a million/2 the those with computers are employing) is constrained to comprehend Boot checklist partition scheme or Apple partition map. you additionally can use NTFS for the two living house windows and OS 10.2 to ten.6 in case you employ the two "NTFS for Mac" or "NTFS-3G for Mac", hyperlinks below. to apply NTFScontinual quantity with OS 10.6, use the two of those comparable thoughts or use a application referred to as "NTFSMounter". This final decision isn't computerized. you ought to open NTFSMounter each and every time you start up your laptop or connect an NTFScontinual and decide thecontinual (even though if it relatively is the only NTFScontinual linked) in the NTFSMounter window.