From: Rob Danielson <>
> I understrand that they are both FAT 32ish but I've had over a dozen
> students lose files by assuming the PC format was fully compatible.
> Problems arise when the directory is damaged and it become necessary
> to repair it. If the volume is repaired on a PC, it usually will not
> mount on a Mac and we've found no way to revert this that will mount
> on a PC. Platform exchangeability seems to create more opportunities
> for problems than working only on one platform. Most external
> firewire drives are PC formatted out of the box.We follow Other World
> Computing's suggestions and initialize if not format all new drives
> out of the box with OSX disk utility for Mac usage. MacDrive is the
> only fairly safe way we've seen to accomodate use on PC and Mac. Rob
> D.
>
>
I've not tried MacDrive, so cannot comment on it.
The best exchange format for CD-R is ISO9660, but that does not help
with other types.
I've always worked exchange drives PC formatted and so far have not had
to deal with a corrupt drive. In my exchange practice I don't have my
only copy on that drive, however. So I'd probably just erase and
reformat and try the copy again.
What little problem I've had has been where the mac formatted the disk
PC. If the PC does the format it's been ok for me.
I've done this with PCMCIA Type III hard drives, laptop IDE hard drives
in a external case, PCMCIA, firewire and USB, and 3.5" optical disks on
a firewire drive. My USB dongle works fine for transfer too, that's PC
formatted. I've not yet got into CF transfer, that's next. But I've done
it with SD cards.
I do tend to reformat the drives occasionally, moving back and forth
more and more space tends to disappear into a black hole somewhere if I
don't. Probably mostly OSX writing hidden files.
Walt
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