

- #How should thumb drives be formatted for use on both windows and mac mac os x#
- #How should thumb drives be formatted for use on both windows and mac install#
- #How should thumb drives be formatted for use on both windows and mac software#
- #How should thumb drives be formatted for use on both windows and mac download#
This method can't really be recommended, but it is possible. Format to Fat32 and then place the same two files on the drive and it can be seen from within the router gui and also from within the computer network. The problem is that installing NTFS-3G is a major security risk by the project's own admission, as the mount tool runs with root permissions, leaving your system exposed to possible attack. I've been testing external drives with mine and a formatted drive with ExFat can be seen in the router usb settings but can't be navigated to.
#How should thumb drives be formatted for use on both windows and mac install#
You'll also need to install NTFS-3G, which allows you to manually mount and write to NTFS drives. Fuse for macOS, for instance, requires that you use the Terminal. While Paragon and Tuxera provide paid tools that integrate themselves with your Mac and do all of the necessary setup during the installation process, there are free tools that you can install, but they take some work. Tuxera NTFS is available from Tuxera for $31 after a 15-day free trial.
#How should thumb drives be formatted for use on both windows and mac software#
Tuxera also includes support for NTFS extended attributes and works with virtualization software like Parallels and VMware Fusion. It also features failsafe technology designed to protect against unexpected power loss or an unexpected unplugging of your drive, both of which could cause data loss or even damage the drive. Tuxera NTFS uses smart caching technology to speed up transfers, maintaining a sustained speed as files are moved between your external drive and your Mac. If you have more questions about formatting USB devices, please Contact Us.Like Microsoft NTFS, Tuxera's app lets you edit, copy, and delete files on NTFS drive on your Mac. So in a situation where you disconnect the USB while there is a write change taking place to the file system, there is a good chance you will corrupt the data. Meaning information can be writing to the flash drive at times in which you think the USB is idle. Also keep in mind that XP is a 15 year old operating system (at the time of this post) and Microsoft no longer supports the OS.Īs a closing note, the NTFS file system is not ideal for flash drives because it’s a dynamic file system.
#How should thumb drives be formatted for use on both windows and mac download#
If there is a Windows XP user out there, they can download the plugin from Microsoft to allow an XP operating system to see the exFAT device without wanting to format it. Given that Mac computers are on the rise, your best option is to format the drive as exFAT. So you must decide to accommodate the Windows XP users or accommodate the Mac users. If you format it as exFAT all computers (Windows and Macs) will see the drive except for Windows XP. There are some plugins to help the Mac deal with NTFS but our experience proves those add-ins to be unstable. If you format as NTFS it works great on all Windows machines, but Macs can only read from the device, they cannot write to it. So what if you have a file bigger than 4GBs? Well, you have to decide what is the lesser of two evils. Typically these large files are either video files or restore image files (for restoring a computer operating system from a single image file).
#How should thumb drives be formatted for use on both windows and mac mac os x#
If you have a single file bigger than 4GBs then you must use NTFS or exFAT. Likewise, Disk Utility has an option to format disks in the ExFAT format used by solid-state drives (SSDs) in Windows, and Mac OS X Lion can read. If a single file is larger than 2GBs you need to have the device as FAT32.

The one huge limitation with FAT and FAT32 is the single file size limitation. These two formats are the best file system for removable drives like flash drives because they support the quick disconnect function and chances are very slim you will destroy the device or files if you unplug the USB without using the Eject function (in Windows) or Un-mount function (in Mac).
