Sharing data between Windows
and Macintosh systems
Seagate does not recommend that you use your
external hard drive to share data between the Windows
and Macintosh operating systems. This is due primarily
to all of the variables in OS types and versions, formats
and partitions, interfaces, and third-party connectivity
software packages. If you absolutely must use your
external hard drive to share data between Windows
and Macintosh systems, initialise your drive (before
you use it!) for a Macintosh OS, as described above,
and then purchase and install—on your Windows
system—available third-party software that allows your
Windows system to read from and write to a drive that
is formatted for a Mac OS.
Caution:
Do not leave your drive in its preformatted
FAT32, single-partition condition if you intend to
transfer data between the Mac and Windows systems.
Doing so will result in data loss.
Dismounting your drive with the Mac OS
Mounting is the beginning and dismounting is the end
of the conversation between your computer and your
external hard drive. Mounting occurs automatically
when you connect and turn on your drive, but you
must initiate the dismounting action yourself. If you
disconnect or turn off the drive before you dismount
it, neither your drive nor your OS understands that
the conversation is finished. It’s like hanging up the
telephone without saying goodbye.
Caution:
Never turn off power to the drive or physically
disconnect any cable attached to the drive when the
LED indicates disc activity. That’s like hanging up in
mid-sentence, and it will probably result in data loss.
How to dismount the drive in Mac OS
1. Close all windows and quit all running applications
that are stored on the drive or that are using data
that is stored on the drive.
2. In Mac OS X, drag the Seagate external drive icon
to the Trash icon in your Dock area.
3. You can safely disconnect or turn off your hard drive
when the drive icon disappears from your desktop
and the disc activity LED is not lit.
4. To turn off the drive, press the Power button.
External Hard Drive
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