Initizalize disk
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- pr2
Anyone knows if i initialize Disk that already has some contents on it will it format it and make the contents unusable?
I have 70GB of files that were put on that external HD on a Mac and now when i plug the disk into my PC it asks to initialize it...
- lvl_130
initialize or format?
- 7point340
have you tried anal sex...?
- pr2-1
In Disk Management it asks to Initialize the disk.
- designbot0
I would plug it back into your Mac to see what happens before doing anything else.
- ribit0
Initialize is same as format.
Doing that doesn't actually destroy the data (can still be scavenged), but if you want the data, stop now and try Diskwarrior (rebuilds Directory from scratch), or Data Rescue II, or a data retrieval company...
- ribit0
oh wait... Its just the PC thats asking to Initialize.. Well it would, as it doesn't recognize the Mac-formatted disc.. (Is it Mac formatted or DOS or...?) Unless you install MacDrive or something like that...
- designbot0
Warning: Initializing a disk erases all information on the disk. Before initializing your disk, recover all the information you can and copy it to another disk or a network file server.
- designbot0
After thinking about this some more, it seems that you probably formatted the drive initially on Mac...the options are something like:
Mac OS Extended
Mac OS Extended (Journaled)
Mac OS Extended (case sensitive) UNIX File SystemIf you used any of these formats, a PC will not recognize the drive. What you want to do is format the drive as FAT (MS-DOS FAT) This way it will be recognized on both PC and Mac.
So to sum it up. If you want to use it on both...plug it back into your Mac and back it up somewhere. Then reformat the drive as FAT and put your data back onto it. After that you wont get this silly message on PC asking if you want to format the drive.
- acescence0
keep in mind that files can't be larger than 4gb on FAT32
- vaxorcist0
If it works on the Mac and the PC wants to initialize it, it's not formatted in a way the PC can read.
An easy solution is to buy a cheap portable HD that's already been formatted in a windows-friendly way, and copy whatever you want to use on your PC to the new drive... or use a USB jump drive, etc...