If you dual-boot your Hackintosh, you've probably noticed that Windows can't read hard drive partitions used by Mac OS X. Mac OS X uses the HFS+ hard drive format, which Windows doesn't support. Luckily, you can enable HFS+ support on Windows with the help of one or two Windows drivers (depending on your budget). Read past the break for a tutorial on how to access your Hackintosh's Mac OS X hard drive partition from Windows.
This tool is simple to use. Connect your Mac-formatted drive to your Windows system, open HFSExplorer, and click File Load File System From Device. HFSExplorer can automatically locate any connected devices with HFS+ file systems and open them. You can then extract files from the HFSExplorer window to your Windows drive. Connect your Mac-formatted drive on your Windows PC and select ‘Load file system from the device' from File in the menu bar. Some Mac drives are formatted with HFS+, a file system Windows can't read unless you use the right tools. To use HFSExplorer, connect your Mac-formatted drive to your Windows PC and launch HFSExplorer. Click the 'File' menu and select 'Load File System From Device.' It will automatically locate the connected drive, and you can load it. You'll see the contents of the HFS+ drive in the graphical window. Windows uses the NTFS file system. Similarly, Macs can use different file formats that are not recognized by Windows, although some formats are universal, like.jpg. Converting the files on your drive is possible, but it certainly won't be easy. In addition, a backup program designed for the Mac is generally not able to restore to a Windows PC. What is the video editor for mac.
Having read/write access for your Mac partition on Windows will come in handy if your Hackintosh becomes unbootable, because you'll be able to boot into Windows to recover your files (and possibly fix your Hackintosh's boot problem). On top of that, it's simply convenient.LATEST UPDATE (January 26, 2013): Added Apple's Boot Camp Drivers to the article.
Paragon HFS+ ($20)
Paragon HFS+ ($20) is a Windows application that mounts all of your Mac hard drives in Windows Explorer (a.k.a. My Computer) and gives you read and write access. There's a 10-day trial available. Paragon HFS+ runs in the background and automatically starts on bootup, so accessing your Mac drives will feel exactly like accessing normal Windows drives.
Paragon is the same company that makes NTFS+ for Mac OS X, my recommended solution for enabling NTFS write support on Mac OS X Lion. If you're looking for an alternative to Paragon HFS+, then you can also consider MacDrive ($50; 5-day trial), which is the solution that I'm currently using on my own Hackintosh. It has a higher price tag and doesn't offer much more than Paragon HFS+, but it's an option. If purchasing apps is not an option for you, check out the following section.
Apple Boot Camp Drivers (Free)
Apple's Boot Camp software is designed to help you run Windows on real Macs. Among other things, Boot Camp includes built-in HFS+ drivers for Windows. These drivers will mount your Mac hard drives in Windows Explorer and give you read access (but no write access). If you don't need to write any files to your Mac hard drives, using them is a free and relatively pain-free solution.
While the HFS+ drivers are normally packaged as part of Apple's Boot Camp Assistant software, you can download them separately below.
DOWNLOAD: HFS Driver v.4.0.2.0
The above download is a ZIP file; open the file in Windows by double-clicking it. Once opened, double-click the 'Add_AppleHFS.reg' file. This will add the Boot Camp drivers to your Windows registry.
Next, open either the 'For 32-bit Windows' or 'For 64-bit Windows' folder, depending on your copy of Windows. (To find out whether your copy of Windows is 32-bit or 64-bit, click on the Start Menu, and then right-click on 'My Computer' and go to 'Properties'.) Inside these folders are two device driver files. Copy these two files to C:WindowsSystem32drivers. This will install the actual drivers into Windows; reboot your computer afterwards. Once Windows has restarted, your Mac hard drives will be mounted, and you will be able to read files from them properly.
NOTES:
- This method has only been confirmed to work with Windows 7 and Windows 8.
- You must uninstall Paragon HFS+ or MacDrive from your computer before installing Apple's HFS+ drivers.
- To uninstall Apple's HFS+ drivers, delete the two driver files from C:WindowsSystem32drivers. Restart your computer. Then, double-click on the 'Remove_AppleHFS.reg' file to remove the drivers from your Windows registry.
SOURCE: Apple HFS+ Windows Driver (Download) [MacRumors]
Recovering data from a Mac hard drive to a PC is never an easy thing to do due to the incompatibility of the file system between Mac and PC. However, it's not without any solutions. If the file system of your Mac is the HFS+, congratulations, you can save your time by getting back your data directly without formatting. If it's not, you also get other ways to retrieve your data. Carry out the one best suited to your needs.
- Part 1: Recover Data from a Mac Hard Drive on PC in Two Ways
- Part 2: Recover Data from a Mac Hard Drive on Mac and Then Transfer Files from Mac to PC
Part 1: Recover Data from Mac Hard Drive on PC in Two Ways
Depending on the file system of your Mac hard drive, there are two ways to recover data from the disk on the PC. The less complex situation is that you want to recover data from an HFS+ hard drive, in which you can scan and retrieve your lost files with reliable hard drive recovery software, EaseUS Data Recovery Wizard. This powerful tool enables you to recover lost or deleted files from your Mac hard drive without formatting the disk to a Windows compatible format since the tool can recognize the HFS+ file system automatically.
Method 1: Retrieve Files from an HFS+ Hard Drive
Install the software on your PC, connect your Mac hard drive to your computer as an external storage device, then recover your data:
Step 1. Select and scan hard drive.
On EaseUS Data Recovery Wizard, select the drive where you lose your data and click 'Scan'. Wait patiently until this program finishes the scanning, it will find all your lost data on the drive.
Step 2. Find and preview found files on the selected drive.
Check 'Deleted Files', 'Lost Files' or use 'Filter', 'Search' to find the lost files on the selected hard drive. You can double-click to open and check the found files.
Step 3. Recover and save lost hard drive data.
Select all found lost hard drive files, click 'Recover' and browse another secure location to save them. Click 'OK' to confirm and finish the recovery process.
Method 2: Get Back Files from a Non-HFS+ Hard Drive
If the file system of your Mac hard drive is not HFS+ and you still want to recover data from it on a Windows computer, it will take you more time and energy to get things done. Since the data recovery software cannot recognize the Mac hard drive, you will need to format it. In addition, to avoid a second damage to the files on the disk, you first need to back up the existing files on the Mac hard drive with a third-party tool that can help the PC identify the hard drive. The detailed process:
View Mac Formatted Drive On Windows 8
Step 1: Use a tool like HFSExplorer to copy files from your Mac hard drive to your PC.
- Notice:
- Although EaseUS Data Recovery software will get back files from a formatted hard drive, it's better to make a copy first in case of rare data recovery failure.
Step 2: Connect the disk to your PC, use the free partition manager, EaseUS Partition Master, to format the hard drive to NTFS or FAT, which is depending on the size of your hard drive. (The Mac hard drive will be identified as 'Other' in the tool.)
Step 3: Follow Method 1 to recover data from your Mac hard drive on your PC.
Part 2: Recover Data from Mac Hard Drive to PC
If your Mac can still detect and recognize your hard drive, you can recover data from it first, then transfer the files to your PC with the help of an external hard drive.
Step 1: Download Data Recovery Wizard for Mac on your computer.
Step 2: Recover data from the hard drive to an external storage device.
Run Mac On Windows
Step 3: When the data recovery is done, connect the external storage device to your PC, then copy the recovered files to your Windows computer.
