kentikins Posted September 14, 2013 Share Posted September 14, 2013 I've been give an WD My Passport Edge which is specific for Mac. It's got some software locks and encryption. Anyone know how compatible it is with Windows? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Xernicus Posted September 14, 2013 Share Posted September 14, 2013 Sure thing man, It'll be compatible with Windows once you format it to NTFS. If you're using Windows XP, you're going to need to change the volume type from GPT to MBR. That can get kinda tricky, if I recall correctly... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
phil21191 Posted September 14, 2013 Share Posted September 14, 2013 Does it have any data on it that you need to remove, or is it new? The only think that makes it mac specific is that it comes pre-formatted for HFS+ instead if exFat/Fat32/NTFS other than that it is just a generic USB 3.0 external HDD (USB 3.0 drives will work on USB 2.0 at reduced speed) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kentikins Posted September 14, 2013 Author Share Posted September 14, 2013 Does it have any data on it that you need to remove, or is it new? The only think that makes it mac specific is that it comes pre-formatted for HFS+ instead if exFat/Fat32/NTFS other than that it is just a generic USB 3.0 external HDD (USB 3.0 drives will work on USB 2.0 at reduced speed) Sure thing man, It'll be compatible with Windows once you format it to NTFS. If you're using Windows XP, you're going to need to change the volume type from GPT to MBR. That can get kinda tricky, if I recall correctly... Should of explained things a bit clearer. The hard drive is brand new and I use it to backup my mac. As I'm going to Uni, I just wanted to know as the hard drive is password protected will I be able to unlock it and transfer items from the hard drive on to a PC and vice versa. I don't currently have access to a PC so I can't test my hard drive. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
phil21191 Posted September 15, 2013 Share Posted September 15, 2013 Should of explained things a bit clearer. The hard drive is brand new and I use it to backup my mac. As I'm going to Uni, I just wanted to know as the hard drive is password protected will I be able to unlock it and transfer items from the hard drive on to a PC and vice versa. I don't currently have access to a PC so I can't test my hard drive. The password protected bit is completely irrelevant as it will be formatted for Mac file systems which windows doesn't handle without additional software. Do you have any software that you have install to use the password protection? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kentikins Posted September 15, 2013 Author Share Posted September 15, 2013 The password protected bit is completely irrelevant as it will be formatted for Mac file systems which windows doesn't handle without additional software. Do you have any software that you have install to use the password protection? Nope, the password programme does not need to be installed onto the computer, just appears as a disc: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
phil21191 Posted September 15, 2013 Share Posted September 15, 2013 Okay, either way as the drive is currently formatted for a Apple/Mac filesystem it won't work for windows. However you could move all the data across to your mac format the drive as NTFS then move the data back on to the external hard drive. This may mean you lose the ability to use the password protection but it will allow you to use it between a mac and pc/windows freely Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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