Member Avatar for JBYRD64

I just got a Western Digital My Book Essential 500GB USB 2.0 external hard drive.
It is pre-formatted to to FAT32, yet I keep reading that is should be reformatted to NTFS for Windows XP.
As of now I'm still using my 10yr old IMB desktop with Windows XP
It has a 2.2Ghz Intel Celeron and 1.5GB of RAM
I've read that if I do format it to NTFS that it may not work with other operating systems?
I've also read that Windows XP will work fine with it formatted to FAT32
Can anyone clear this up for me?
Should I reformat the drive?

I'm planning in the near future to get a new PC laptop and hopefully someday a macbook.
If I get a laptop that runs Windows 7, will it work with the reformatted drive?

Member Avatar for JBYRD64

I just spoke with my engineers at work and they said that if I leave it FAT32 then it will be compatible with a Mac, when I do finally get my Macbook.
The only limitation is a 4GB file size limit on it, which I don't work with any files that large.

Does anyone know if there are any issues with Windows XP that I should worry about if I do leave it FAT32 format?

Be a part of the DaniWeb community

We're a friendly, industry-focused community of developers, IT pros, digital marketers, and technology enthusiasts meeting, networking, learning, and sharing knowledge.