Help with reformating a drive for OSX

[honeyshape]

Ive got a portable 80gb drive that i use with window.

I dont need to use the drive with windows any more.

I now want to turn this drive into a backup drive for my mac.

When I try to 'erase' the drive with disk utillity in OSX it crashes.

Is there a way to completly reformat the drive - it will only be used on my mac from now on.

any ideas?

www.myspace.com/tankengineband

[Artemiy]

1. Which Mac OS do you have? Make sure you have the latest system updates installed (latest Tiger is 10.4.6 with security update 003).

2. Can you try erasing the partition(s) first, then creating a new partition and formatting it?

[honeyshape]

I knew you'd come to my resue.

I'm using the lates version of tiger. 10.4.6

Ive try to erase the whole drive in disc utillity but it keeps crashing. Its formated at the moment NTFS and works fine on XP.

After It crashed on my mac the drive woundn't mount on my mac (it did before) - I resigned a drive letter to it in windows and then when I pluged it back in to my mac it popped up on my desktop again.

I try to erase it again but disc utilliy crash again.

Is it because its formated with NTFS - I try to reformat it in windows with FAT32 but the option wasn't there - only option was NTFS.

HMMMMMM.

www.myspace.com/tankengineband

[honeyshape]

Sorry Art,

I'm not to good with this kinda thing.

When you say erase the partion first, I guess you mean the thing that comes up like a sub directory of the drive.

- I'll try that.

www.myspace.com/tankengineband

[honeyshape]

Nope - Still crashes.

The main disk still shows in the disk utillity but the patition has gone. (after I restart it)

www.myspace.com/tankengineband

[Artemiy]

If the disk shows up with no partitions, try creating a new partition.

BTW, I just opened a new forum for "Computers and Software".

[honeyshape]

Crashs - perhaps the drive is damaged - it does work in windows though.

Computers and Software Forum - how do you do it, do you does sleep?

www.myspace.com/tankengineband

[analog_]

Wich interface (FW or USB) are you using?

Yam TX816, SY77, TG77; Kurz PC88; Rol Jv2080, VS1680, Fantom X6; Event 20/20; and my old MPC2000XL returned as midi MASTER

[honeyshape]

USB

www.myspace.com/tankengineband

[Artemiy]

"how do you do it, do you does sleep?"

I DOES ACTIVE LIFE

[honeyshape]

My drive DOES it DOES!

1. It's something to do with the power to the drive (meant to be via usb).
2. There are 3 ports on the drive, USB, FW, and Power which came with a lead that plugs into a usb port too.
3. When pluged into a computer I have to plug in USB and Power, this takes up 2 USB ports. although the drive saids it will power though usb, it seems that just one usb port doesnt provide enough power to make the drive go properly.
4. the FW doesn't send power to the drive (dumb)
5. so now if I want to use the drive the only way to get it going is via FW (thanks Analog for the hint)
6. problem is I have to plug all three cables in to get the thing going.
7. That means pluging in both usb and fw at the same time and hoping that the mac will see the fw first and only.

Prehaps i need to get a new case for my drive.

www.myspace.com/tankengineband

[analog_]

"7. That means pluging in both usb and fw at the same time and hoping that the mac will see the fw first and only."

A solution would be you buy a SELF POWERED USB Hub (with power Supply) just to send power to the drive. Do not atach the Hub to the MAC and use the FW connection.

Yam TX816, SY77, TG77; Kurz PC88; Rol Jv2080, VS1680, Fantom X6; Event 20/20; and my old MPC2000XL returned as midi MASTER