FAT32 to NTFS

[mistermickster]

I have just read that most home Windows XP systems run FAT32 file system. If that is the case, I will want to convert it to run NTFS.

How do I do that?

Thanks in advance.

[racer-x]

Click start - help. Do a search for "convert". It will explain how to convert fat 32 to ntfs.

[Gazorgan]

there's a program that comes with XP that will do it. I also believe there's an option under Disk manager. Basically you run it, and re-boot, it finishes on the reboot.

[dcsos]

REMINDER
Back up before FILE CONVERSION as it could fail

REMINDER..You can no longer boot your computer with a floppy disc to DOS if you do this (I mean you can but you won't see the hard drive any more in dOS..)
FDISK tells you the drive may not be formatted!
So consider leaving the boot drive Fat 32(FAT 32 is slightly faster as APPLICATION DRIVE) and formatting the EXTERNAL or SECONDAY with NTFS

[andruxa]

You should always use NTFS under XP, as it uses whole different engine to run OS (your computer), which is more stable under NTFS.
Do not need to worry about booting up with floppy, you will never have to. Worst comes to worst, ou can boot from a CD (choose option in BIOS). Converting is not recommended under XP, best is to backup data and then reformat the drive all together with NTFS system chosen after.

Good luck!

[whatsupnow]

1. click start.

2.point to all programs.

3.point to accesories.

4.click command prompt.

5.in the command prompt window type convert c:/fs:NTFS

This is when the drive you are converting is c:/ change to d:/ or whatever the drive letter as appropriate.

[khaymen]

NTFS is alot more stable than Fat 32. It also is alot more secure. And if I remember right, cannot be read if accessing from a fat32 drive over a network. (could be wrong on that, but I remeber having some problem like that over my home network with my wifes computer)

As far as converting from windows dos, I dont know if it is any different than converting it after a format.

[SaSi]

Convert (to NTFS) might fail if you have less than 15% of the disk space free. Otherwise, the only thing you should be afraid of is a power failure.

After the conversion, don't forget to defragment the disk. The conversion generates severe fragmentation even if the disk was defragmented before.

[Solarjetman]

REMINDER..You can no longer boot your computer with a floppy disc to DOS if you do this (I mean you can but you won't see the hard drive any more in dOS..)

You can boot your computer with the original install CD and view the files, or with the collection of boot floppies (a total of 6) if need be.

But yes, programs that run in DOS will not see the drive. The only trouble I had with this is Norton Ghost cannot write to NTFS. It can however backup a NTFS partition, you just need a FAT32 to save the file to.

[dcsos]

Do not need to worry about booting up with floppy, you will never have to. Worst comes to worst, ou can boot from a CD (choose option in BIOS).

Yes but what do you do if your sytem won't boot, ok now the sytem is booted to a CD..what do you do next??

What I do is leave the boot drive FAT 32 so I can run programs and fix my boot situation at the floopy prompt

or, I use my a: prompt and restore a image file that puts the os back in a month ago condition (i make a ghost of the OS and re-inflate it if all other repair efforts are unable to work..)

are you saying you do this from the cd boot...HOW?
all I get at the CD prompt is some useless WINDOWS recovery garbage..
are you saying you got that to work and no longer use the dos method of reparing windows?
---------------------------

[Solarjetman]

[quote="dcsos"]

are you saying you do this from the cd boot...HOW?

If you boot with the original install disk, it will eventually get to a point and ask what you want to do. I think the choices are install window, repair, and exit. If you choose repair (I think you press 'R') it brings you to a text prompt with some programs available to you to repair many problems. Things like copy, format, fdisk.

Its been awhile since I used it so I do not know how far you can go with this utility though. Now that I think about it, you may not be able to view personal files (like "My Documents"). It may only be system files. I will test it out and get back to you in a bit.

[NYPlayer]

whatsupnow

You are 100% correct that is the proper way to convert to NTFS without reformatting. It takes very little time to convert.

[Solarjetman]

I will test it out and get back to you in a bit.

Looks like I won't be able to report to you about it. I just discovered my floppy drive is not reading floppies, and I need a set of 3rd party RAID drivers because Windows XP pro does not have them included. Thus when I boot to CD, it cannot see my RAID.

I just used my floppy drive two days ago. I wonder what caused it to stop working. Looks like I have a project to do tonight!

EDIT: fixed my problem. It will let you view files in the root directory, and Windows folder. Nothing else. the fdisk comand is not included, but copy and format are, along with a couple dozen others.

[andkiich]

Sounds like a situation where you'll need to do a clean instal of Windows if you really want NTFS file system. I'd recommend this anyway as I've never had a Microsoft product upgrade and then act right afterwards.

[txpharoah]

NTFS is alot more stable than Fat 32. It also is alot more secure. And if I remember right, cannot be read if accessing from a fat32 drive over a network. (could be wrong on that, but I remeber having some problem like that over my home network with my wifes computer).

Nah, that's just networking errors. They can share files just fine.

Sounds like a situation where you'll need to do a clean instal of Windows if you really want NTFS file system. I'd recommend this anyway as I've never had a Microsoft product upgrade and then act right afterwards.

The best answer is also the hardest: clean install of Windows.

However, keep trying other methods, because I sure hate to re-install programs, especially if you didn't build the system yourself and you have to search for drivers. If it's an OEM system, be careful dumping the system to restart. You may get more problems than can be handled if it loses drivers and OEM-installed software.

[Popee]

I am running XP. A few months back, when I decided to get into video and realized the FAT32 limitations, I decided to convert my D drive to NTFS. I did not empty the drive first or delete anything from it. I just bit the bullet and did the conversion. My system however was on drive C.

Now I have a FAT32 drive (C) that I boot from, and a NTFS drive (D) with all my video stuff. Funny thing, but after hearing all the talk about throughput, and being required to have a 7200 rpm drive for capture, I was a little nervous about my D drive. However, it is a Maxtor 5400 rpm drive, which I use exclusively for video capture and I have never had a dropped frame. Go figure.

[Dennis1968]

Experienced the same problem, my Maxtor 160 gig is 5400 RPM at UDMA 133, my other drives are at 7200 RPM at UDMA 100. both interface formula are fast enough to handle 720x480 MPEG-2 captures. Unlike the TiVo PVR (Linux OS with a HD 5400RPM at UDMA 66 recording SVCD mode (480x480), a Windows system can not record 720x480 MPEG-2 video properly on any 5400 RPM at UDMA 100 hard drive. Go Figure that!

[dcsos]

Well thanks for the details, Solarjetman ..I find the recovery console less than helpful so I alway fix my own intsllations by hand..

But as TXPHAROAH says you hav'ta know when the time has come to to stop wasteing time repairing and go to re-install windows instead

[zanos]

There's really no advantage to using NTFS except when capturing and even then it's debatable. This file system uses up so much of your computers resources that it completely slows down your system to a crawl.

[txpharoah]

There's really no advantage to using NTFS except when capturing and even then it's debatable. This file system uses up so much of your computers resources that it completely slows down your system to a crawl.

Yeah, there's always a trade-off.

[indolikaa]

There's really no advantage to using NTFS except when capturing and even then it's debatable. This file system uses up so much of your computers resources that it completely slows down your system to a crawl.

What about in the case of Win2K?

[txpharoah]

Win2K uses MUCH less as compared to any XP.

[sterno]

If you do a FAT->NTFS conversion instead of reformatting the drive you'll get a 512-byte NTFS cluster size. You don't want 512-byte clusters, at least not unless you're running 500MB drives or something.

[txpharoah]

If you do a FAT->NTFS conversion instead of reformatting the drive you'll get a 512-byte NTFS cluster size. You don't want 512-byte clusters, at least not unless you're running 500MB drives or something.

If that's true:

[vitualis]

There's really no advantage to using NTFS except when capturing and even then it's debatable. This file system uses up so much of your computers resources that it completely slows down your system to a crawl.

Many people including myself will disagree. It is more secure, and supports a whole lot of functions not supported in FAT32.

And if I remember right, cannot be read if accessing from a fat32 drive over a network

Not true. If you have an NTFS drive that is shared, you can read and write to it from, e.g., a Win98 computer on the network. I do it all the time. My server is WinXP and uses NTFS. One of my PCs runs Win98 and it reads/writes from to the server just fine.

Regards.