The NTFS file system, introduced with first version of Windows NT, is the
default file system for new installations of Windows XP, and if you're doing
an upgrade from a previous version of Windows, you'll be asked if you want to
convert your existing file systems to NTFS.
Don't worry. If you've already upgraded to Windows XP and didn't do the
conversion then, it's not a problem. You can convert FAT16 or FAT32 volumes
to NTFS at any point. Just remember that you can't easily go back to FAT or
FAT32 (without reformatting the drive or partition), not that I think you'll
want to.
The NTFS file system is generally not compatible with other operating
systems installed on the same computer, nor is it available when you've
booted a computer from a floppy disk. For this reason, many system
administrators, myself included, used to recommend that users format at least
a small partition at the beginning of their main hard disk as FAT32. This
partition provided a place to store emergency recovery tools or special
drivers needed for reinstallation, and was a mechanism for digging yourself
out of the hole you'd just dug into.
But with the enhanced recovery abilities built into Windows XP I don't think
it's necessary or desirable to create that initial FAT partition.
Converting to NTFS in Windows XP. There are certainly third–party utilities
that allow you to convert from FAT16 or FAT32 to NTFS, but you really don't
need any special tool to perform the conversion—the necessary program is
included on your hard disk as part of the Windows XP installation. To use
this utility to convert your D drive, for example:
1. Close all open applications. This process may require a reboot, so be
prepared.
2. Click Start, click Run, and then type cmd, and press Enter.
3. In the command windows, type:
convert D: /FS:NTFS
4. Press Enter.
That's it. If there are open files on the volume being converted, you'll
have to reboot your system for the process to complete. And if this is a
large drive that contains lots of files, the process could take a while to
complete. I don't recommend that you try to do anything else while the
conversion is occurring.
"bud" wrote:
>
> "BAR" <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote in message
> news:0A0F2A69-79EF-49CB-A148-(E-Mail Removed)...
> > Version is maybe the wrong definition.
> >
> > Perhaps you mean Type - Logical vs Primary.
> >
> > "ZMAN" wrote:
> >
> >>
> >> "Vincent Clarke" <(E-Mail Removed).(donotspam)> wrote in message
> >> news:C9B48BA6-777C-4E9C-B30E-(E-Mail Removed)...
> >> >I have my Maxtor 250GB HD partitioned as:
> >> > C: NTFS Primary, Boot Size=16GB
> >> > D: NTFS Logical Size=Remaining space
> >> >
> >> > Here's the problem... I can't do anything involving resizing or
> >> > joining
> >> > of
> >> > the two due to the C: drive having an NTFS version (argh! Can't
> >> > remember
> >> > the
> >> > # for sure... 3.1?) for WinXP (which it should, all good and proper),
> >> > while
> >> > D: has an NTFS version of 0 (zero). Now Partition Magic tells me that
> >> > it
> >> > won't perform any of the attempted operations while the two versions
> >> > differ.
> >> > It also has no built in utility to change or upgrade NTFS versions, but
> >> > does
> >> > offer that WinXP will 'upgrade' drives during installation
> >> > automatically.
> >> > Sooooooo here's my question: Can I easily change the second partitions
> >> > NTFS
> >> > version to the current WinXP version # (the same as the first
> >> > partition)
> >> > without losing data? I'd be willing to lose data from the C: drive
> >> > (which
> >> > is
> >> > primarily the OS) but want to keep material on the D:.
> >> > Thanks in advance for any help offered!
> >>
> >> Maybe you could use Partition Magic (under Partition, Convert) to convert
> >> D
> >> to Fat 32 and then back to NTFS. I don't know if it will let you do that
> >> but
> >> if it does it should convert back to version 3.1.
> >>
> >>
> well, partition magic, under partition properties and NTFS Info says, NTFS
> Version 3.1
>
>
>
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