Mac memory stick not readable by PC
Hi Folks, I have a bit of a problem I am hoping someone can shine a light on.
I am doing some scan cleaning for someone, I finished and put them back on the memory stick, sent them back and have just recieved a message that the stick is blank.
He is on a PC while I use a Mac, I had no problem downloading them at my end but it seems he can't read them on return. When I erased the stick, disk utility formats to macOS by default, any way round this so he can read them at his end? any way I can erase the stick other than using disk utility?
They are tiffs so its not an odd file format or anything..
Thanks
Gari
Re: Mac users with advice please!!
When I erased the stick, disk utility formats to macOS by default, any way round this so he can read them at his end?
There's the problem. Can you look into the preferences of the formatting utility to see if there any choices in formats. I know with Toast CD burning software you can select the format style. You've got to format the slick for PC is the solution.
Or tell the fella to buy an Intel Mac. Ha ha ha.
Re: Mac users with advice please!!
It sounds like you may have formated the device as a Mac OS file system. You should have used FAT or FAT32 as the format type. If it is formated in Mac OS format, there is not much he can do that I am aware of to mount the device. If he has access to a Mac, he could read them. It might be easier to upload them somewhere on the Net and then let him download them.
Re: Mac users with advice please!!
Thanks guys, the stick is formatted to Mac OS as you both say, I cannot find an option to format for anything other than Mac OS or Unix. Disk Utility has no preferences as I can see..
Walter, you are right of course, some people just can't see the right path no matter how much light we shed on it eh?!!!
Cheers again
Gari
Re: Mac users with advice please!!
Format it from the PC.
Otherwise use Macdrive
Cheers,
Edwin
Re: Mac users with advice please!!
Thanks for the link Edwin, I have emailed the link to the guy and await an update.
He can format the stick his end but then he loses all the tiffs, I need to be able to format for windows this end really
Cheers
Gari
Re: Mac users with advice please!!
Let him find someone with a Mac who can read the files. Save them on the Mac hard drive. Then reformat the stick for windows, and write them to the stick from the Mac.
Mac can read both formats. The Mac format is more efficient, but is limited to Macs.
Re: Mac users with advice please!!
There used to be software called "Dave" that would allow PCs to see Mac format drives. Google it...
Re: Mac users with advice please!!
Gari, in the disk utility there is a function called "erase," and with that you have options for how to format it. So click the erase button and chose something that's cross-platform compatible (such as FAT 32).
Re: Mac users with advice please!!
For what its worth, here's what Memorex says in their documentation for their 1GB "TravelDrive" (flash drive): "Once you have changed the format of the traveldrive from FAT or FAT32 to another format, it may not be able to be used on a PC. It will become a Mac-only device." I imagine the comment is generic, and applies to all similar USB flash drives.