Aug 07, '03 09:16:00AM • Contributed by: mhellman
While the FW HD worked well for the move, I had major problems using it for backup of the iMac's files. When I dragged the folder to be copied to the external HD it would start, but then hit a problem with a file and stop the rest of the copy with an error code –36 or –50. The folders are in my home directory, so I have all the necessary permissions. This problem made the copy operation useless on all but the simplest folders. Using Tri-Backup helped in that it continued to copy other files after the problem occurred, but it still had errors on some files and could not copy them.
Thanks to some help from Alan Zisman (a poster on some Mac newsgroups), I've solved my problem, which had also plagued him earlier. Since I couldn't find the solution in a google search or in Apple's Knowledge Base I am posting it with Alan's permission. The problem only occurs when the FW HD is formatted for DOS/Windows, and disappears when it is reformatted as an OS X Extended volume. The problem is not unique to WD HD's, since Alan's is an Acom Data.
So you seem to have a choice: ease of transferring files from a PC to a Mac (but not the reverse) OR ease of use (really ability to use) with the Mac. Alan gets some of both by using the Mac formatting and making it a shared volume on his local network. But I've found that large file transfers over my local network are too slow to suit my taste, which is why I wanted to use the external drive for that purpose. While not a complete solution, it certainly helps to know the source of the problem and what you can and cannot do. It would be nice if Apple would fix the problem in a later update of the OS.
[robg adds: Another potential solution is listed in the Create HFS+ and FAT32 partitions on one external drive hint -- this explains how to have a bit of the best of both, though it requires use of the Terminal.]
