Preparing/Fomratting Your External Drives for Use
If you would like to receive a guide that includes pictures please email Ed Williams at the address below.
If you have any Questions or problems Ed Williams is available between 9:00 & 10:00 AM at 443-3540 for phone calls and Wednesday afternoon labs 1:00 to 5:00 PM for help.

Ed Williams
Lab Coordinator/technician
Ejwill02@syr.edu
315-443-3540


Your external hard drive from Other World Computing should come pre formatted to use with your MacIntosh computer and its OS X operating system. If you intend to use your external drive on both Windows based and Apple computers it is strongly recommended that you purchase the additional Mediafour’s Macdrive software. This will allow you to use your external drive on a Windows based computer as well as a MacIntosh OS X based computer.

You will not be able to use your external hard drive with a non-MacIntosh computer, or a MacIntosh operating a Windows system, unless you buy this software. This software also enables you to store files over 4 GB in size, which is common when editing video. 5 minutes of raw, unedited video requires approximately 1 GB of storage.

Warning: If you have used your drive and have saved any files on it you will want to copy them to your computer or they will be erased and you’ll lose them in the formatting process. Highlight the files and drag them to the computer desktop.

Formatting Your External Hard Drive for Apple OS X computers

Make certain you are in column view

Apple OS X computers
You can format the drive with Apples OS X’s Disk Utility.
Double click the hard drive icon on your computer desktop.
(Path: /Applications/Utilities/Disk Utility)


Click the applications folder.
In the next column click utilities folder.
Double click the Disk Utility to have it open and run.

Plug your external drive into the fire wire port on the side of the computer. If your external drive has an AC power adapter, plug that into the wall as well and turn it on.

Within 60 seconds or so an orange fireware drive icon should appear. Click on and highlight the drive listed as Other World Computing. Apple OS X will not allow you to erase the drive that it is running from, which is your internal hard drive.

Next to volume format it should read “Mac OS Extended (Journaled)”. Under that is Name. You might want to use your first initial and last name.
Then uncheck the check box labeled “install Mac OS 9 Disk Driver”.

Next just click the erase button at the lower right and it will prepare the drive for use.

If you use one of the lab machines you’ll need to have a Professor, TA, or Lab Monitor do this for you because student login does not have rights.

Warning: If you have used your drive and have saved any files on it you will want to copy them to the desktop or they will be erased and you’ll lose them in the formatting process. Highlight files and drag them to the desktop.







Formatting your External Hard Drive for Windows based computers with Macdrive

Warning: If you have used your drive and have saved any files on it you will want to copy them to the desktop or they will be erased and you’ll lose them in the formatting process. Highlight files and drag them to the desktop.

Install Macdrive. (Insert disc. It should auto-run, follow prompts.) If it asks you to check for updates and you’re connected to the Internet choose “yes” and allow it to run. When it finishes installing it will reboot your computer

Connect your external drive using either the USB or Firewire cable and port. Plug in the AC adapter if necessary. Note: firewire is always the preferred portal because it is faster.

Double click the “Getting started with MacDrive “ icon on the taskbar. It is located in the lower right by the clock.

Click Partition on a Mac hard disk. It is the third option in the middle block and then click the next button.


Click on and highlight the drive listed as Other World Computing. Down in the lower left click “add” with the green “+” symbol,

Next to Name chose a name for your external drive. You might want to use your first initial and last name. Next to format it should read “Mac OS Extended (HFS+).

Click O.K., then next, and next again. Confirm and when the “Save Changes” dialog box pops open, Click yes to save and prepare your external drive for use

If you have any Questions or problems I am available between 9:00 & 10:00 AM at 443-3540 for phone calls and Wednesday afternoon labs 1:00 to 5:00 PM for help.

Ed Williams
Lab Coordinator/technician
Ejwill02@syr.edu
315-443-3540