The issue arises because Windows cannot natively read the file system used by the Linux operating system (e.g., ext4, XFS). The error message "device must be formatted" is the standard Windows response to an unrecognized file system. To enable data transfer between both operating systems using the external drive, it must be formatted with a file system that both Windows and Linux can read and write to. exFAT is a modern, cross-platform file system designed for this purpose, supporting large files and volumes and being natively compatible with Windows, macOS, and most Linux distributions.

A. A firewall manages network traffic and has no control over local USB drive access or file system recognition.

B. The cable is functioning correctly, as the device is detected by Windows (prompting the format message). The problem is software (file system) incompatibility, not hardware.

C. A PC firmware (BIOS/UEFI) update addresses low-level hardware compatibility and boot processes, not the operating system's ability to read specific file systems.

1. Microsoft. (2023, December 14). Comparing FAT32, NTFS, and exFAT file systems. Microsoft Learn. Retrieved from learn.microsoft.com/en-us/windows-server/storage/file-server/ntfs-overview. This document outlines the specifications and compatibilities of file systems, noting exFAT's cross-OS compatibility.

2. The Linux Kernel Archives. (n.d.). The Linux kernel user’s and administrator’s guide: Filesystems. Retrieved from www.kernel.org/doc/html/latest/admin-guide/filesystems/index.html. This documentation details the various filesystems supported by the Linux kernel, including native support for exFAT.

3. Tanenbaum, A. S., & Bos, H. (2015). Modern Operating Systems (4th ed.). Pearson Education. Chapter 4, "File Systems," explains the concept of different file system structures and the incompatibility issues that arise between operating systems that do not support the same formats.