How to EXT HD PC/iMac compatible?

Question

How to EXT HD PC/iMac compatible?

I recently lost, (can’t find anymore) my two 1TB ext hard drives from which I work on my iMac! Please have pity on me, this was my life’s work 😔

. I need to get old back up files off old CDROMs made on PC into my new iMac somehow.

i have a brand new ext HD which I can use to upload all these files from a PC with cdrom player,

but then what?

They won’t be transferable onto my iMac right?

I plug in PC formatted drives to my mac and it never allows drag and drop. I can view files in their folders but no action is permissable.

is there a universal formatting for new EXT HD’s?

How do I reconcile my old PC life with my new Apple life please? 🙏🏽 this is excruciating 😣 cheers in advance

iMac 24″

Posted on Oct 17, 2024 3:08 PM

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Answer 1

lkrupp

Level 6

16,315 points

Oct 17, 2024 3:29 PM in response to Glorfiedbyglamour

All you have to do is buy a CD/DVD reader/burner, plug it into your iMac and it should read those old CDROMS without issue. Apple sells its own for $79 but there a number of these devices that will do the job available on Amazon or Best Buy or just about any electronics store. You don’t need to copy those files to a PC formatted external drive first. You can copy them directly from the CDROMS.

macOS can read/write PC drives formatted as XFAT or FAT32. It can read but not write NTFS formatted disks.

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Answer 2

Oct 17, 2024 3:18 PM in response to Glorfiedbyglamour

Use the Disk Utility app on the Mac to reformat the external drive with ExFAT or FAT32.

Connect the drive to the PC and use it to copy your files from the CDs to the external drive.

Finally, connect that drive to the Mac again and copy your files back to the Mac.

Once you have done that, start a new backup strategy for your Mac:

Back up your Mac with Time Machine - Apple Support

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Answer 3

rkaufmann87

Level 10

143,374 points

Oct 17, 2024 3:20 PM in response to Glorfiedbyglamour

The EHDs that you want to use on both your PC and Mac need to formatted as exFAT. You can format the drives using Disk Utility on your iMac. As a general rule of thumb each computer should have drives dedicated to each, sharing EHD's between platforms is not really recommended. EHD's are not expensive.

Also, it sounds like you don't backup your Mac using Time Machine which is extremely risky and almost a 100% guarantee you will lose data. If somehow you are not familiar with Time Machine please read Back up your Mac with Time Machine. This WILL require a dedicated External Hard Disk , the drive I'd recommend is the OWC Mercury Elite Pro.

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Answer 4

Oct 17, 2024 10:43 PM in response to Glorfiedbyglamour

thank you all SOOOO much for your replies. I will do as you instructed and have new hope.

I didn't realize using these formatting methods it could work, also that superdrive could read old cdrom.

Ive really struggled to re-adapt back to apple from being long term PC, desite originally being Mac Chick early '90's and haven't gotten in the groove at all. Also, i hid my drives over a holiday and forgot where I put them. they. may have even been thrown out in the trash ;-0 OH well I start over.... thanks again

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