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I was wondering is it possible to connect, a MacBook and a PC by a USB cable and then mount the PC's HDD/SSD on the MacBook?

Further more if this is possible, would there be any restrictions on the MacBook's side?, I know about lacking support for NTFS, but how about using programs such as Scalpel, and the Sleuthkit collection to restore deleted data, and such?

klanomath
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Alexander
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2 Answers2

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You can transfer files over WiFi or BlueTooth. For fast speeds you can plug both computers into a router via Ethernet cables and communicate over the network that way. These are the non-invasive approaches that don't require special cables or enclosures for the HDD you are copying from. You can also try a file sharing server like Samba that you run on one machine and use the other to transfer from. You won't need special drivers for NTFS if using one of these networked approaches.

Michael M-M
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  • Presumably, as the OP is discussing recovery software, the Mac is needed to run that. Potentially the PC is down & the Mac is to rescue it. That would preclude file-sharing. – Tetsujin Jul 30 '17 at 06:29
  • Will this technic allow me to read the hdd/ssd table list, and scan the underlying storage for deleted content? – Alexander Jul 30 '17 at 11:16
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In short, no.

USB needs a 'master' at one end & a 'slave' at the other. You cannot connect two computers that way - each expects to be 'master'.

You'd be far better off putting the drive in a USB enclosure then connecting that to the Mac.

NTFS write can be either enabled natively or using 3rd party software - How do I write to NTFS drives in OS X?

Tetsujin
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  • Alright thanks for your answer, and I thought as much, but it's better to hear it from people that have some experience. Thanks for taking your time about this :) – Alexander Jul 29 '17 at 19:07