USB Drive, FAT32, XFS, READ ONLY and LinkStation Pro Duo.
EXTERNAL USB DRIVE, Lessons learned and the LinkStaton Pro Duo.
1. About any External USB drive should work.
2. Disk Formats available are, FAT32, EXT3 and XFS.
3. XFS is the Default format and the same format used by the LinkStation Pro Duo.
4. EXT3 is another format that only the LinkStation or Linux can read.
5. FAT32, is the older Windows format that is still accessible by any Windows system.
My personal recommendations.
1. Buffalo recommends XFS format for your External USB hard drive.
2. My recommendation is to use FAT32.
Why FAT32?
1. FAT32 can be read by any Windows computer.
2. If you use anything other than FAT32 and your NAS dies, you’re dead in the water.
3. With any of the other format, you will have to wait until you repair or buy ANOTHER Buffalo NAS, to be able to read / access the files on your External USB drive, if you’re using Windows.
4. Another advantage of the FAT32 is, should the need arise,
you can simply UNPLUG the External USB Drive and take it with you,
and access all your data from any Windows computer.
READ ONLY PROBLEM? (ReadOnly)
1. If you use FAT32, from Windows File Explorer you get an ACCESS DENIDED message, when trying to DELETE a file, when mapping to the USB drive through the NAS.
2. But you can still delete files on the External USB via the WEB Access page.
3. You can also delete files if you remove the External USB Hard drive from the NAS,
and connect it directly to any Windows computer.
4. It’s a little inconvenient but the External USB drive is the Backup to the Backup,
and using the Default XFS format, you’re stuck with the NAS and only the NAS,
as the way to access your BACKUP files, if you’re using a Windows based system on any XFS formatted drive.
BOTTOM LINE:
With XFS & EXT3, your putting all your egges in ONE basket.
With FAT32, you have two independent sources of all YOUR data.
BUFFALO,
PDF files are FREE, Please come up with a NEW, downloadable MANUAL,and save your users a lot of grief and troubleshooting. The FORUM is full of useful UNDOCUMENTED info, when are you going to let the rest of the world in on the information. Why do we have to search for answers, there all there on your web page, simply update your manual.
As always, hope this helped at least one person, OBie…
Message Edited by OBie on 08-21-2009 08:21 PM
Message Edited by OBie on 08-21-2009 08:47 PM
