[flail]

Objective: Transfer files from my PB to a friend's Windows PC.

I want to use my external HD, and I think the disk system I want is FAT32, which both OS X and Windows can read and write.
I remember doing this with an iPod, and I was able to format it to FAT32 using Windows Explorer and then do a transfer, but I only have a nano and I need to transfer larger files.

When I try to format my ext HD in XP, the only option I have is NTFS.

Anyone know how I can format to FAT32 in XP?

If you have anyother solution, I'm open to ideas. I don't know how to set up an ethernet transfer, if anyone could give me directions on how to do that on a Windows machine that would be excellent.

Thanks guys!

[scrouds]

can you format it to FAT32 on the mac side?

[flail]

Originally Posted by scrouds can you format it to FAT32 on the mac side?

Not from what I can see in Disk Utility.

[SpecMode]

Using the Windows XP command prompt, type the following command:

format volume /fs:FAT32

Here is Microsoft's XP 'Format' utility doc page:
http://www.microsoft.com/resources/d...us/format.mspx

[TMT]

How big is the disk, or the partition you want to create?
On Windows, with the Explorer, you can't make FAT32 partitions that are bigger than 32 GB, when you use the command line to format a disk, you can have bigger partitions (as far as I remember).

The PC Exchange - option in Disk Utility (or however a English OS X calls it) IS Fat 32.
But be careful, FAT32 disks bigger than those 32 GB seem to be a little unstable, you could end up with only two cryptic named empty folders on it.

[SpecMode]

Hrm...I'm pretty sure I've used a FAT32 partition on an external HDD much larger than 32GB without issues. (I could be wrong, it might have been FAT16 -- which, IIRC, is the filesystem Windows-formatted iPods use natively). Either FAT16 or FAT32 should work fine with both systems.

[TMT]

You can produce FAT32 partitions that are larger - with disk utility on the mac or partition magic on a PC.

Wiki:

Windows 2000 and XP placed a limit on the size of FAT32 partitions they can create at 32 GB; Microsoft says this is by design but does not explain why, and those versions of Windows are quite capable of reading and writing larger FAT32 partitions created by other means.

Some people have no problems at all, but i've seen 4 drives go bad in 2 weeks - mine included.

more...

[flail]

Originally Posted by TMT The PC Exchange - option in Disk Utility (or however a English OS X calls it) IS Fat 32. But be careful, FAT32 disks bigger than those 32 GB seem to be a little unstable, you could end up with only two cryptic named empty folders on it.

I'd love to know where to option is to format to "PC Exchange" This is all I see..

[chucker]

Originally Posted by flail I'd love to know where to option is to format to "PC Exchange" This is all I see..

MS-DOS File System.