Fat 32 to Ntfs

I upgraded from win98se to xp home. The files are still fat 32. Is there
any advantage to converting to ntfs? Will it cause more problems than
it's worth?
Thanks


--
Kass45

The biggest advantage, by far, is increased security. The ability to create
partitions larger than 32GB also comes in handy.

--
Ted Zieglar
"You can do it if you try."

"Kass45" <Kass45.1x5o65@pcbanter.net> wrote in message
news:Kass45.1x5o65@pcbanter.net...
>
> I upgraded from win98se to xp home. The files are still fat 32. Is there
> any advantage to converting to ntfs? Will it cause more problems than
> it's worth?
> Thanks
>
>
> --
> Kass45

In news:Kass45.1x5o65@pcbanter.net,
Kass45 <Kass45.1x5o65@pcbanter.net> typed:

> I upgraded from win98se to xp home. The files are still fat 32.


Yes, upgrading doesn't change any file systems.


> Is
> there any advantage to converting to ntfs?


Sure. For example, read here:
http://www.microsoft.com/resources/d...c_fil_duwx.asp

or http://tinyurl.com/7l95n



> Will it cause more
> problems than it's worth?


No, but note that conversion is a big step, affecting everything
on your drive. When you take such a big step, no matter how
unlikely, it is always possible that something could go wrong.
For that reason, it's prudent to make sure you have a backup of
anything you can't afford to lose before beginning.
To convert to NTFS, you use the CONVERT command. But first read
http://www.aumha.org/a/ntfscvt.htm because there's an issue
regarding cluster size that isn't obvious.


--
Ken Blake - Microsoft MVP Windows: Shell/User
Please reply to the newsgroup

NTFS is far better at securing your data than FAT32 so, i should say, that
this option alone is worth the coversion to NTFS. You are also not
restricted to 32GB partitions like you are with a FAT32 file system.
Details on converting are available on my website
http://xphelpandsupport.mvps.org Click the Win XP Faq button and take a look
at question 23
Although conversion should be relatively easy, it is worth backing up and
important files, just in case.

--
John Barnett MVP
Associate Expert
http://xphelpandsupport.mvps.org

The information in this post is supplied "as is". No warranty of any kind,
either expressed or implied, is made in relation to the accuracy,
reliability or content of this post. The Author shall not be liable for any
direct, indirect, incidental or consequential damages arising out of the use
of, or inability to use, information or opinions expressed in this post..



"Kass45" <Kass45.1x5o65@pcbanter.net> wrote in message
news:Kass45.1x5o65@pcbanter.net...
>
> I upgraded from win98se to xp home. The files are still fat 32. Is there
> any advantage to converting to ntfs? Will it cause more problems than
> it's worth?
> Thanks
>
>
> --
> Kass45

Kass45 wrote:
> I upgraded from win98se to xp home. The files are still fat 32. Is there
> any advantage to converting to ntfs? Will it cause more problems than
> it's worth?

NTFS is more secure than FAT32 and more robust. Converting should not
cause any problems. See the following article for a complete list of
steps that should be followed to have the best possible experience with
conversion:

http://www.aumha.org/win5/a/ntfscvt.htm
--
Tom Porterfield
MS-MVP Windows
http://support.telop.org

Please post all follow-ups to the newsgroup only.

Be aware, that converting to NTFS is a ONE-WAY street. You cannot go back.
--
XP-WNP
Today is the first day of the
rest of your life.


"Kass45" wrote:

>
> I upgraded from win98se to xp home. The files are still fat 32. Is there
> any advantage to converting to ntfs? Will it cause more problems than
> it's worth?
> Thanks
>
>
> --
> Kass45
>

Byte wrote:
> Be aware, that converting to NTFS is a ONE-WAY street. You cannot go back.

Partition Magic (http://www.powerquest.com/partitionmagic/features.html)
can convert NTFS to FAT32 without losing data.
--
Tom Porterfield
MS-MVP Windows
http://support.telop.org

Please post all follow-ups to the newsgroup only.

Kass45 wrote:
> I upgraded from win98se to xp home. The files are still fat 32. Is there
> any advantage to converting to ntfs? Will it cause more problems than
> it's worth?
> Thanks
>
>


Personally, I wouldn't even consider using FAT32 when NTFS is an
option. FAT32 has no security capabilities, no compression
capabilities, no fault tolerance, and a lot of wasted hard drive space
on volumes larger than 8 Gb in size. But your computing needs may
vary, and there is no hard and fast answer.

To answer your questions without getting too technical is
difficult, but has been handled quite well by Alex Nichol in the
article here:

FAT & NTFS File Systems in Windows XP
http://www.aumha.org/a/ntfs.htm

Somewhat more technical information is here:

Limitations of the FAT32 File System in Windows XP
http://support.microsoft.com/directo...;en-us;Q314463

Choosing Between File Systems
http://www.microsoft.com/technet/tre...p/filesyst.asp

NTFS file system
http://www.digit-life.com/articles/ntfs/

You can safely convert your current hard drive to NTFS whenever
desired, without having to format the partition and reinstall
everything. As always when performing any serious changes, back up any
important data before proceeding, just in case. A little advance
preparation is also strongly recommended, so you can avoid any
performance hits caused by the default cluster size:

Converting FAT32 to NTFS in Windows
http://www.aumha.org/a/ntfscvt.htm


--

Bruce Chambers

Help us help you:
http://dts-l.org/goodpost.htm
http://www.catb.org/~esr/faqs/smart-questions.html

You can have peace. Or you can have freedom. Don't ever count on having
both at once. - RAH

Tom, Partition Magic costs about $18.99, are you made of money or
did someone give it to you? But you are correct it will reverse it. Most
people will not buy Partition Magic just to reverse from NTFS back to FAT32,
only to repartition their harddrives.
--
XP-WNP
Today is the first day of the
rest of your life.


"Tom Porterfield" wrote:

> Byte wrote:
> > Be aware, that converting to NTFS is a ONE-WAY street. You cannot go back.
>
> Partition Magic (http://www.powerquest.com/partitionmagic/features.html)
> can convert NTFS to FAT32 without losing data.
> --
> Tom Porterfield
> MS-MVP Windows
> http://support.telop.org
>
> Please post all follow-ups to the newsgroup only.
>

If 19 bucks is money to you, you can't afford to operate a computer in the
first place.

BTW: Wait for the right deal from one of the big retailers and you'll pay
zero for PM. After rebates, naturally.

--
Ted Zieglar
"You can do it if you try."

"Byte" <Byte@discussions.microsoft.com> wrote in message
news:8460653A-10CB-46EB-9F75-20DAF775BEF1@microsoft.com...
> Tom, Partition Magic costs about $18.99, are you made of money or
> did someone give it to you? But you are correct it will reverse it. Most
> people will not buy Partition Magic just to reverse from NTFS back to
FAT32,
> only to repartition their harddrives.
> --
> XP-WNP
> Today is the first day of the
> rest of your life.
>
>
> "Tom Porterfield" wrote:
>
> > Byte wrote:
> > > Be aware, that converting to NTFS is a ONE-WAY street. You cannot go
back.
> >
> > Partition Magic (http://www.powerquest.com/partitionmagic/features.html)
> > can convert NTFS to FAT32 without losing data.
> > --
> > Tom Porterfield
> > MS-MVP Windows
> > http://support.telop.org
> >
> > Please post all follow-ups to the newsgroup only.
> >