Skip to main content
  1. Home
  2. Computing
  3. News

Tuxera Disk Manager works around El Capitan to format drives that work with Windows

Gabe Carey
By

tuxera disk manager works around el capitan to format drives that work with windows screen shot 2015 10 23 at 3 11 29 pm
For PC users working across both Windows and Mac, using an external hard drive can be a complicated task. That’s because, by default, Windows uses a file system called NTFS while Apple implements its own proprietary system.

Fortunately, thanks to the free market, this complication is an opportunity for some ambitious software companies. Among these is Tuxera. The small Finland-based company is known for its NTFS for Mac software, which brings the Windows file system standard to Mac, negating the need to reformat your hard drives when switching platforms.

Recommended Videos

Now, that same company is expanding on its roots with Tuxera Disk Manager, releasing next week. As the company explained to me in an email, third-party Disk Utility add-ons are blocked in El Capitan. Instead, any hope of working with an NTFS-formatted hard drive requires a comprehensive understanding of Apple’s Terminal command line tool.

Related

To alleviate some of the pain of keying hard drive maintenance commands manually, Tuxera Disk Manager provides a graphical user interface. The application simply displays a list of drives, each accompanied by a drop-down menu comprised of their respective volumes.

When a partition is selected, users are given the option to repair the drive or formatted to one of numerous file system options. Additionally, you can view information about your drives and eject or unmount a specific drive or volume.

As the company provided me with a beta version of Disk Manager, I was able to toy around with it for a little bit. To no surprise, it appears to be almost identical to Disk Manager without NTFS for Mac installed. If you do have NTFS for Mac, however, you’ll get the added privilege of being able to format and repair NTFS drives, a feature lacking in the built-in Disk Utility.

All in all, this program looks to be just a clever workaround for El Capitan’s new System Integration Protections. Now that Apple doesn’t want third-party dev meddling with its utilities, it’s getting harder for products like this to survive. Fortunately, at least for now, companies like Tuxera can still find a work-around.

Editors' Recommendations

Topics
Gabe Carey
Gabe Carey
Former Digital Trends Contributor
A freelancer for Digital Trends, Gabe Carey has been covering the intersection of video games and technology since he was 16…
These five new features will make you respect OS X El Capitan
these five new features will make your respect os x el capitan you

In case you hadn't heard, Apple has released details on the next big OS X 10.11 update, called El Capitan. This update focuses a lot on performance, but don't worry – there are still some sweet new apps and features for all you Apple fans out there. Here are the top five new features in the upcoming OS X, which arrives at an Apple computer near you this fall.

Amped up processor speed

Read more
The OS X El Capitan beta is hiding secrets about upcoming Apple hardware
retina imac new mac mini not easy to upgrade repair feature

Apple should've expected that putting out a beta of the new operating system to developers would result in someone digging deep into the guts of the OS to see what's there. A few lines of code buried in the OS files suggests that there might be a new iMac on the way with a 4K display, as well as Bluetooth remotes for the Apple TV, according to 9to5Mac.

In a list of compatible displays and resolutions, amidst a series of config settings, is a line that includes a series of Retina displays, one of which is titled "4096 x 2304 Retina." The current iMac offerings include a 21.5-inch 1080p display, and a 27-inch display in both 1440p and 5K resolutions. It's likely that the 4K display would be used as an update to the current line of 21.5-inch machines.

Read more
The next version of OS X is called El Capitan, focuses on refining Yosemite
os x 10 11 news el capitan 6

WWDC stands for Worldwide Developers Conference, and while the Apple's keynote speech often includes a few product announcements, it usually focuses on operating system tweaks and behind-the-scenes upgrades. As expected, the next version of OS X, 10.11, took center stage.

Let’s start with the name. OS X 10.11 is called “El Capitan” after the famous rock formation inside Yosemite itself. We think the name sounds a bit awkward after Yosemite, but it continues the new tradition of naming OS X after locations inside California, and ultimately the name isn’t a big deal. It’s the new features that are most important.
Performance improvements
There were very few rumors about OS X 10.11 ahead of WWDC 2015, which led many to believe the operating system would focus heavily on performance improvements. That appears to be correct.

Read more