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LaCie Little Big Disk
User Manual
Tech Tips
Mac OS Standard (hFS)
Mac OS Standard refers to the file system used by Mac OS 8.0 and earlier. Only use this file system if you are creating a
volume smaller than 32MB, using a Mac with a 680X0 processor or creating a file structure that will be need to be used by
Macs running Mac OS 8.0 or earlier.
UNIX File System
This is the file system based on UNIX, and is preferable for users developing UNIX-based applications within Mac OS 10.x.
Unless you have a specific reason to use the UNIX File System, you should instead format your drive using Mac OS Extend-
ed (HFS+), because it provides Mac users with a more familiar operating experience.
Mac OS 9.x Users:
You will be able to format the drive in one of two formats, HFS (Mac OS Standard) or HFS+ (Mac OS Extended), using
Silverlining Pro (for specific instructions, please refer to the Silverlining User’s Manual, in the Silverlining folder).
5.1.2. Windows Users
There are basically two file system formats for Windows: FAT 32 and NTFS. The following information will hopefully make
choosing one or the other a little easier.
FAT 32
FAT is an acronym for File Allocation Table, which dates back to the beginnings of DOS programming. Originally, FAT was
only 16 bits, but after the second release of Windows 95 it was upgraded to 32 bits, hence the name FAT 32. In theory, FAT
32 volume sizes can range from less than 1MB all the way to 2TB. It is the native file system of Windows 98 and Windows
Me, and is supported by Windows 2000 and XP. When FAT 32 is used with Windows 2000 and XP, though, volume size is
limited to 32GB (by the Windows partition utility, i.e. Disk Manager), and the individual file size is limited to 4GB.
NTFS
This acronym stands for New Technology Filing System, and it is the native file system for Windows NT, Windows 2000 and
XP. NTFS offers several features that are not available with FAT 32; i.e. file compression, encryption, permissions, and audit-
ing, as well as the ability to mirror drives and RAID 5 capabilities. The minimum supported volume size for NTFS is 10MB,
with a maximum of 2TB, with no limit to file size. Volumes created in NTFS can only be directly accessed (not through
shares) by Windows NT, Windows 2000 and XP, without resorting to help from third-party products.
Guidelines for Choosing FAT 32 Or NTFS
Use FAT 32 if:
• You want to access your data on any Operating System - FAT 32 is compatible with Windows 98 SE, Me, 2000, XP, NT,
