Mac Help! Need to reformat ext. hard drive

[tutusue]

The Untechie Tutu strikes again!

I just purchased a 500GB Cavalry external hard drive for additional back up purposes. The included software and user's manual pertain to PCs only; no Mac info altho' it states it's Mac compatible but the software isn't. I don't need the back-up software anyway!

I plugged in the power cord and the USB 2.0 cable (yes, I have 2.0 ports...so does my computer! ). The drive's icon appears on the desktop. So far, so good. But, it ends there!

As a test, I tried to drag and drop a file onto the external's icon and got this message:
"The item <document name> could not be moved because <drive name> cannot be modified."

How do I reformat this drive for Mac OS Extended (Journaled)? I checked Disk Utility but it doesn't address "reformat". I highlighted the drive's icon and looked at the menu and could find nothing that addresses reformatting.

What's a tutu to do?

TIA...

[scrivener]

Re: Mac Help! Need to reformat ext. hard drive

You shouldn't need to reformat at all. First, check the drive to see if there isn't a physical switch that locks it. If you don't see anything like that, click the icon on the desktop and hit Apple-I. What kind of info do you get?

Edited:
I just looked at the disk utility, and if you do need to reformat, highlight the icon in the left panel and choose ERASE in the right panel. You should be able to choose the correct format in the pull-down menu, and to give your new drive a name.

[tutusue]

Re: Mac Help! Need to reformat ext. hard drive

Well...just plain, ol' DUH on my part! I thought I'd emptied the box but just found a piece of paper at the very bottom, under a partition. On that paper was a URL that pertains to further reformatting instructions! It was there that the Mac was addressed! Turned out I was on the right track with Disk Utility but I wasn't trusting my instincts! You were right on about ERASE, Scriv. Thanx...