HP Simplesave Desktop on Mac

[kk70007]

Is it possible to use an HP Simplesave Desktop external hard drive on a mac?  If I can, how?

[EricT]

Yes, you can use a SimpleSave. Use disk utility to reformat the drive. It'll erase all the HP stuff the drive comes with (you don't need it) and you'll have a clean drive. I did this last night and no problems. I'm now using it as a Time Machine drive. 

[old_geekster]

KK, Eric's work around doesn't sound to me like the drive is actually being used for the purpose it was intended.  It is intended to be an easy to use backup drive.  Deleting HP's software, completely nullifies this purpose.  The software is installed so the user doesn't have to jump through hoops to begin backing up their system.  If it is not going to be used in that manner, any other drive would suffice.

[EricT]

HP's SimpleSave software may make backing up easy, but Apple's iMacs already have simple backup software. Time Machine in the OS automatically sets up an attached hard drive and completely automates the backup process.

I bought the SimpleSave yesterday at Costco because the $99 price was right. I didn't care how HP was positioning the product. Even though it only lists Windows compatibility, I knew that with a Mac, a drive is a drive. It took five minutes to reformat the drive and it's working perfectly. And when you erase the unnecessary (for a Mac) HP software, documentation, etc., you recover a few GBs of space.

Message Edited by EricT on 11-02-2009 10:39 AM

[TechnoManager]

Hi Eric,

I also did the same thing, configured with Mac Timemachine after formatting the HP simple save hardrive. But I am not able to get rid of the "HP Launcher" thats displayed as a CD icon in desktop and in finder. Where you able to get rid of that and if yes can you please let me know. 

Thanks

Ed..

[payney]

how do i reformatt the drive? I keep geting an error that says "volume is to big".

Im running windows vista at this point

[EricT]

I got rid of the icon that showed in the menu part of the finder window by dragging the icon off the vertical menu until it made the "poof" sound and a cloud appeared. That worked.

[EricT]

Payney,

I suggest you ask the question in a thread where people are using Windows Vista. This is a thread about using the Simplesave on a Mac. 

[sillyolpun]

hey I'm trying to use disk utility to do this and I get the following error:  "Filesystem formatter failed'  Did this happen to you?  do you have any ideas?

[EricT]

When you say "to do this" I presume you mean to erase and reformat the drive? I used disk utility to erase and reformat as an HFS Plus with Journaling disk, and it worked.