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Question

Can a WD external drive originating in PC share w/Mac Pro

Jan 4, 2012 7:38AM PST

Moving from a Dell with external drive back up to a MacPro system. The external drive has 15 years of Quicken, photos, Turbo Tax, so unable to erase any content. The question is can the same WD external drive be partitioned to back up the Mac? AND support both the PC and MacPro? If yes, please provide step by step instructions? If not is the Time Capsul my best option for the Mac back up?

Discussion is locked

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Answer
Scary.
Jan 4, 2012 7:43AM PST

If you read the Computer Help forum the stories about the last copy of your stuff on some external drive repeats too often. But hey? It's your files at risk.

1. Yes. But it's usually not required. Just format it FAT32 or MS-DOS and you're done.
2. Yes. There may be caveats but up to the point of your second question, Yes.
3. Yes. And again there may be caveats but same answer as your second question.
4. No. Since you don't have a backup copy I will never give any advice that will put a member's files at risk.
5. That's a very nice backup system. I'd get a new blank drive and let it use that. Also, be sure to create a backup copy of what you can't lose.
Bob

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Answer
Another point,
Jan 4, 2012 8:49AM PST

as you are moving to a Mac Pro, you have tons of room to install a few more drives in it.

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Answer
(NT) RE:Can a WD external drive originating in PC share w/Mac Pro
Feb 11, 2012 2:25AM PST
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Not something you need to be spreading around.
Feb 11, 2012 9:00AM PST

"your Apple WILL be a "real" Windows machine for all intents and purposes, and will run much better and more securely."

A Mac running Windows under Boot Camp or VM is NOT more secure than a PC running Windows.

It "may" run better but it will be just as vulnerable to the thousands of nasties that are out there attacking Windows machines


P

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(NT) RE: Not something you need to be spreading around
Feb 11, 2012 12:05PM PST
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(NT) RE:Not something you need to be spreading around.
Feb 11, 2012 1:05PM PST
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No problem,
Feb 11, 2012 10:04PM PST

there are those that believe that as the Mac has no active viruses out there, yet, that this rolls over to the entire machine regardless of what OS they have installed on it.