Standard LaCie storage devices will prompt you to run LaCie Setup Assistant when they are first connected to a computer (Windows or Mac). LaCie Setup Assistant helps you to quickly format the storage device according to your needs.
Read the information below carefully if you:
Mac OS Extended (HFS+): Compatible with Mac only. Mac OS Extended refers to the file system used by Mac OS X.
exFAT: Compatible with Mac and Windows. exFAT is used as an alternative to FAT32 since it does not share the same limitations. It is therefore an excellent cross-platform file system.
FAT32: Compatible with Mac and Windows. A FAT32 partition can reach 2TB when formatted on a Mac. The individual file size is limited to 4GB. FAT32 is not recommended due to limited performance.
Mac File System Formats |
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Use HFS+ if: |
…you will be using the storage device on Macs only. |
Use exFAT if: |
…you will be using your storage device with both Windows and Mac computers. |
Use FAT32 if: |
…you will be using your storage device with Windows and Mac computers, and at least one of these computers is incompatible with exFAT. |
exFAT: Compatible with Mac and Windows. exFAT is used as an alternative to FAT32 since it does not share the same limitations. It is therefore an excellent cross-platform file system.
FAT32: Compatible with Mac and Windows. A FAT32 partition can reach up to 32GB when formatted with Windows. The individual file size is limited to 4GB. FAT32 is not recommended due to limited performance.
NTFS: Compatible with Windows and Mac (Mac requires third-party drivers for write access.). The native file system for Windows. NTFS offers several features that are not available with FAT32: file compression, encryption, permissions, auditing, and mirroring drives. The maximum volume size is 2TB when initialized in the MBR format. The more recent GPT format does not assign limits to file or partition sizes. Volumes created in NTFS are native read and write for Windows. Earlier versions of Mac OS X 10.5 or higher may read and write to the NTFS partitions with the help of third-party drivers.
See the table below for a comparison of NTFS and FAT32.
Windows File System Formats |
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Use NTFS if: |
…you will be using the storage device only with Vista, Windows 7 and Windows 8 since performance is enhanced when compared to exFAT or FAT32. This file system is compatible in read-only mode with Mac. |
Use exFAT if: |
…you will be using your storage device with both Windows and Mac computers. |
Use FAT32 if: |
…you will be using your storage device with Windows and Mac computers, and at least one of these computers is incompatible with exFAT. |
The steps listed below can help you to format and partition a storage device. For more information on choosing the optimal file format, refer to About File System Formats above.