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    How to easily transfer large files between MACs and PCs?

    Discussion in 'Apple and Mac OS X' started by StrongerThanAll, May 11, 2009.

  1. StrongerThanAll

    StrongerThanAll Notebook Deity

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    I have an external HD and i would like to share files between my mac and my parents' PC, what file system should i use?

    am i stuck with using:

    1. FAT32
    2. HFS+ and HFS+explorer?

    How do usb drives work? do they use FAT32?
     
    StrongerThanAll, May 11, 2009
    #1
  2. S.SubZero

    S.SubZero Notebook Deity

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    External hard drives are.. hard drives. You can format them to whatever filesystem the OS can format them to.

    If your plan is to move the USB drive between the two machines, reading and writing from both, this might be tricky. If the two computers are networked, simply making the external drive a shared drive off one machine would make it available to the other, without regards to filesystem type.
     
    S.SubZero, May 11, 2009
    #2
  3. D3X

    D3X the robo know it all

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    Personally I think FAT32 isn't adequate since you are restricted to 4GB maximum size.

    HFS+ is really annoying on PCs and the use of MacDrive is the only real solution to support the file system, but it's really buggy and shotty. I've screwed up my MAC partition a few times already with MacDrive and I only use it to read(not write) after learning my lesson.

    So actually, I use NTFS with the following solutions.
    1.) MacFuse + NTFS3G (free solution, but slower transfer speeds)
    2.) Paragon NTFS (fast transfer speeds but costs money).
    Personally I use Paragon, it's easier and mounting is completely seemless. MacFuse + NTFS3G is almost seemless but it keeps popping up about "securely mounted - do you want to force mount". I haven't noticed about slow transfer speeds though.
     
    D3X, May 11, 2009
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  4. dlhuss

    dlhuss Notebook Consultant

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    dlhuss, May 11, 2009
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  5. Chris27

    Chris27 Notebook Deity

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    why don't you just network the two computers so you don't have to worry about different disk formats.
     
    Chris27, May 11, 2009
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  6. JWest

    JWest Master of Notebookery

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    I use a thumb drive for most files- DVD's for larger files or groups of files.
     
    JWest, May 12, 2009
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  7. haquocdung

    haquocdung Notebook Virtuoso

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    good idea :D
     
    haquocdung, May 12, 2009
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  8. StrongerThanAll

    StrongerThanAll Notebook Deity

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    true, i just don't know how to set them up.

    also, i usually transfer files between friends using the external HD, so i guess the best solution would be NTFS...

    :( is NTFS3G buggy?
     
    StrongerThanAll, May 12, 2009
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  9. dlhuss

    dlhuss Notebook Consultant

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    No. Works perfectly fine for me. I don't even know it's there.
     
    dlhuss, May 12, 2009
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  10. Xirurg

    Xirurg ORLY???

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    ^me too actually.
     
    Xirurg, May 12, 2009
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  11. StrongerThanAll

    StrongerThanAll Notebook Deity

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    So do i just install it and i can just do everything through the finder?

    in other words, do i need to open any programs and convert stuff?
     
    StrongerThanAll, May 12, 2009
    #11
  12. D3X

    D3X the robo know it all

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    Nope. If you have MacFuse + ntfs3g installed, everything will work through the finder. No programs or conversions.
     
    D3X, May 12, 2009
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  13. StrongerThanAll

    StrongerThanAll Notebook Deity

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    [​IMG]

    has anyone got this message before? is it ok for me to force?
     
    StrongerThanAll, May 12, 2009
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  14. D3X

    D3X the robo know it all

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    That's the message I was talking about earlier. I haven't had issues forcing it though, but I also don't know how to avoid having that message pop up.
     
    D3X, May 12, 2009
    #14