Multipurpose External Hard Drive

Can I use the same external hard drive for my PC and my Xbox as long as I let the Xbox format it first? In other words, can I use it as my computer backup and still running xbox games from it?

:)

 

External hard drive choices

So what external hard drive do you recommend?

This article reviews HDD, SSD and a Hybrid
The Xbox One hard drive upgrade guide • Eurogamer.net

They think this one is overall best option Toshiba HDTB120EK3CA Basics 2TB USB 3.0 2.5 Inch Hard Drive - Black:Amazon.co.uk:Computers & Accessories

Thoughts?

 

Hard Drive Storage Limit

if adverts for "compatible" external hard drives are any indication it would seem the external storage patch should be coming some time soon although I note it wont be in the first patch released.

Xbox One 1TB Portable Hard Drive by DIGISTOR™-DIG-82153

 

Hi mate,

Unfortunately once your external hdd will formatted by the console your PC won’t see this partition anymore. Reason for this is the device has been formatted to XBOX mode, no NTFS type.

I hope this will help.

BR,

/Mac

 

While it is true that the device will be formatted to "XBOX" mode, I think a PC can read more types other than NTFS. FAT32 comes to mind. So I guess my question becomes, can a PC read whatever "XBOX" mode is?

 

I'm pretty sure the only way you could use the hard drive on PC and the Xbox One would be to partition it first. The first partition would be for Xbox One and the second partition for PC.

 

Hi Neve! In fact, there IS a way (and it doesn't involve the Dark Side. Now, I haven't personally tested this method, but it sounds fairly straightforward. PCs can indeed read both NTFS and FAT32 file systems. The problem is, when the Drive is formatted,
something called the "MBR" or Master Boot Record is overwritten. When an MBR is in Xbox One format, the PC no longer recognizes it, and vice versa.

The following link has a tool which allows you to temporarily re-write the MBR so that the PC can once again read it. (Make sure to select the correct drive, and NOT your computer's hard drive.) When done, you can switch it back to Xbox mode, and your console
should be able to read it again.

I should say that I make NO warranties with this program, and the developer makes a little warning statement about not being responsible for loss of data, but only because he hasn't tested it on all brands of drives. If you have a standard External Drive,
my guess is that it should work fairly universally, but again, no promises or guarantees, YMMV.

If you decide to give it a go, let us know how it works for you!

digiex.net/.../13583-xbox-one-external-usb-storage-device-converter-xbox-one-formatted-usb-drives-pc.html

 

The reason it wont work is the security of your Xbox and should never be allowed, why make it easy for all the low life just waiting for some weak spot and ruin your gaming.

 

Not entirely sure of the mechanism, Yap, but my understanding is that files used/read by the PC and Xbox are independent from each other. You can't engineer a file, put it on the External Drive using a PC, and have the Xbox recognize it, nor vice versa.
This is simply a tool for people who want to use their storage space in two places, instead of having a large chunk of it just sitting there unused, tied to one device.

 

I have come to an impasse after reading all these replies. The answer to my original question appears to be,
YES, you can use the same hard drive to simultaneously store data from the PC and the Xbox One. However, it should be noted that you
must use third party software to achieve the desired results
(which seems a little hacked together in my eyes). Therefore, I choose not to use the same hard drive for storing all my data since it doesn't seem to be a part of Microsoft's current plan.

As for the future, I would love to be able to partition a single hard drive that I could use for the Xbox and PC simultaneously without having to use any third party software. Furthermore, because I am uncertain about supporting third party software that
I have not personally used, I shall mark this reply as the answer while giving credit to
Jaymo1978 for providing an alternative for people that want to take a chance.

 

Why doesn't Microsoft tell you this when you format your hard drive? This is really inconvenient.

 

A good question! I feel like I'm [Mod Removed - Profanity]. I bought an 8tb external hard drive for my xb1 because it said i need an external hdd if i want to be able to record videos
in 1080p longer than 2 minutes. But after i connected the ex hdd it said i have to choose if i want to use it for games or data! THX Microsoft

I thought i could use it for both. This was definitely the last xbox i've bought! I can
[Mod Removed - Profanity] myself and don't need a company for that...!

 

It is not possible. Xbox format the HDD for itself inserts files into it. And it determines the HDD as an Xbox to connect to this HDD but you can not save anything on it. If you try to do this, it will prompt you to format the HDD.

 

Hey Xbox Gamers!

As this is a pretty old thread, I will be locking it down. I want to thank all the ambassadors and posters for their input. If anybody has any questions or issues with their hard drives, please create a new post. Cheers!