FAT32-->NTFS Loss of Data???

[tommybs]

hi,
i wonder if i lose any data and files when I use this command CONVERT {DriveLetter}: /fs:ntfs so i can change my drive in to a ntfs and finally dont have to care about 4gig limits! is there any data loss if i do that?
thx
tommybs

[Popee]

I did it about 2 months ago with no problem. However, I would make sure that you have some room left on whatever drive you are converting. Don't do it on a drive that is already at capacity.

[dcsos]

Other than the fact that the SECTOR SIZE will de different from an ORIGINALLY formatted NTFS drive you should have no problems.
Experts tell me though there's no data loss, the real way to make an NTFS drive is to format a blank surface., because the sector size used by coversion is different and "inferior(?)" to a raw formatted version

Also, If you do this to your boot drive WATCH OUT as a floppy disc can no longer read files on the BOOT DRIVE!!!!

[Nelson37]

You won't lose any data UNLESS something goes wrong during the conversion, such as hard drive error, power outage, etc. Whereas if you set up a new drive as NTFS, then copy your old stuff over, this is better.
Although you will have to boot from the NTFS drive to do the copy.

It is almost always better to avoid drive conversions of this type, or almost any type, for that matter. Whenever possible go back to square one and partition and format as desired.

[rkr1958]

Be careful. A couple of years ago I helped my brother-in-law (my wife's brother) upgrade from W95 to W98SE and convert from FAT16 to FAT32. This should have been no problem but his wife's (my wife's sister-in-law's) Quicken files got corrupted in the process. (I'd assume that they had current backups). Even though she didn't have current backups (say one a week) she blamed ME for the data loss. My recommendation is if you have any critical, irreplaceable data back it up before you convert. It make take some time but it's worth it especially in the unlikely, but still possible, event that things go wrong.