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Converting from FAT32 to NTFS

 
 
John Wolf
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      6th Jul 2011
Have any of you ever tried this? If so what was the end result? I have my
Mac Boot Camp partition in the FAT32 format. Unfortunately I cannot move the
partition to a new and larger hard drive without it being in the NTFS format
As WinClone will not recognize FAT32. I fear incompatibility with some apps
after the conversion as is common on Windows operating systems. Thanks..

http://www.ntfs.com/quest3.htm

Convert FAT to NTFS

Q: Is it possible to convert a FAT32 Hard Drive to NTFS without losing all
data on the drive? I like to change from FAT32 to NTFS, my operating system
is Windows XP PRO, how can I do that? Without the lost of my programs?

A: Standard Windows utility that is called CONVERT serves this purpose

Just go to the Command Prompt and execute the command:

C:\> CONVERT C: /fs:ntfs
Where C: is a name of the drive you want to convert.

After machine re-boot conversion process will start and you'll have your
FAT32 converted to NTFS without of data loss.

--
If you were to die today where would you go? What's on the other side?
http://www.cerm.info/salvation.htm
http://www.cerm.info/sermons/audio/steet_preaching.WMA

Christians I challenge you to engage in evangelism all the time!
http://www.cerm.info/bible_studies/T...ul_winning.htm
http://www.cerm.info/sermons/audio/soul_winning.WMA

 
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Ken Blake, MVP
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      6th Jul 2011
On Wed, 06 Jul 2011 06:58:13 -0400, John Wolf <(E-Mail Removed)>
wrote:

> Have any of you ever tried this? If so what was the end result? I have my
> Mac Boot Camp partition in the FAT32 format. Unfortunately I cannot move the
> partition to a new and larger hard drive without it being in the NTFS format
> As WinClone will not recognize FAT32. I fear incompatibility with some apps
> after the conversion as is common on Windows operating systems. Thanks..
>
> http://www.ntfs.com/quest3.htm
>
> Convert FAT to NTFS
>
> Q: Is it possible to convert a FAT32 Hard Drive to NTFS without losing all
> data on the drive? I like to change from FAT32 to NTFS, my operating system
> is Windows XP PRO, how can I do that? Without the lost of my programs?
>
> A: Standard Windows utility that is called CONVERT serves this purpose
>
> Just go to the Command Prompt and execute the command:
>
> C:\> CONVERT C: /fs:ntfs
> Where C: is a name of the drive you want to convert.
>
> After machine re-boot conversion process will start and you'll have your
> FAT32 converted to NTFS without of data loss.



To convert to NTFS, you use the CONVERT command. But first read
http://www.aumha.org/a/ntfscvt.htm because there's an important issue
regarding cluster size that isn't obvious.

Also 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.

--
Ken Blake, Microsoft MVP (Windows Desktop Experience) since 2003
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John Wolf
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      6th Jul 2011
Thanks I will back it up using Disk Utility.


On 7/6/11 5:05 PM, in article (E-Mail Removed),
"Ken Blake, MVP" <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote:

> On Wed, 06 Jul 2011 06:58:13 -0400, John Wolf <(E-Mail Removed)>
> wrote:
>
>> Have any of you ever tried this? If so what was the end result? I have my
>> Mac Boot Camp partition in the FAT32 format. Unfortunately I cannot move the
>> partition to a new and larger hard drive without it being in the NTFS format
>> As WinClone will not recognize FAT32. I fear incompatibility with some apps
>> after the conversion as is common on Windows operating systems. Thanks..
>>
>> http://www.ntfs.com/quest3.htm
>>
>> Convert FAT to NTFS
>>
>> Q: Is it possible to convert a FAT32 Hard Drive to NTFS without losing all
>> data on the drive? I like to change from FAT32 to NTFS, my operating system
>> is Windows XP PRO, how can I do that? Without the lost of my programs?
>>
>> A: Standard Windows utility that is called CONVERT serves this purpose
>>
>> Just go to the Command Prompt and execute the command:
>>
>> C:\> CONVERT C: /fs:ntfs
>> Where C: is a name of the drive you want to convert.
>>
>> After machine re-boot conversion process will start and you'll have your
>> FAT32 converted to NTFS without of data loss.

>
>
> To convert to NTFS, you use the CONVERT command. But first read
> http://www.aumha.org/a/ntfscvt.htm because there's an important issue
> regarding cluster size that isn't obvious.
>
> Also 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.


--
Jer 2:13 (KJV)
For my people have committed two evils; they have forsaken me the fountain
of living waters, and hewed them out cisterns, broken cisterns, that can
hold no water.

 
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John Wolf
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      7th Jul 2011
What about disk space? Will NTFS lose me disk space on a 30GB partition?


On 7/6/11 2:26 PM, in article (E-Mail Removed),
"Yousuf Khan" <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote:

> On 06/07/2011 6:58 AM, John Wolf wrote:
>> Have any of you ever tried this? If so what was the end result? I have my
>> Mac Boot Camp partition in the FAT32 format. Unfortunately I cannot move the
>> partition to a new and larger hard drive without it being in the NTFS format
>> As WinClone will not recognize FAT32. I fear incompatibility with some apps
>> after the conversion as is common on Windows operating systems. Thanks..

>
> Nothing to worry about, NTFS has been around for a long, long time now.
> NTFS is as well supported as FAT ever was. The Microsoft conversion
> utility does an excellent job of converting over from FAT. I did it
> several times on various hard disks and I had no problems.
>
> The only thing you would have to worry about is if your Mac Boot Camp
> doesn't support NTFS, which would be ludicrous in this day and age.
>
> Yousuf Khan


--
Are there errors in the Bible? Do Animals go to Heaven? Is drinking Alcohol
a sin? Is the KJV the only translation to be used? If you want to learn, get
answers, and be able to defend the faith, CERM is your place.
http://www.cerm.info/


 
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John Wolf
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      7th Jul 2011
Okay I plan to run the command soon. I probably should backup my PC drive
soon.


On 7/7/11 11:07 AM, in article
(E-Mail Removed), "Yousuf Khan"
<(E-Mail Removed)> wrote:

> On 06/07/2011 8:56 PM, John Wolf wrote:
>> What about disk space? Will NTFS lose me disk space on a 30GB partition?

>
> If anything, it should gain you some space, because there will be less
> slack space. The effect would be minuscule but something is better than
> nothing.
>
> Yousuf Khan


--
Pro 11:30 (NIV)
The fruit of the righteous is a tree of life,
and he who wins souls is wise.

 
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Ken Blake, MVP
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      8th Jul 2011
On Thu, 07 Jul 2011 17:19:23 -0400, John Wolf <(E-Mail Removed)>
wrote:

> Okay I plan to run the command soon. I probably should backup my PC drive
> soon.



If you didn't see my earlier message, please note the following: first
read http://www.aumha.org/a/ntfscvt.htm because there's an important
issue regarding cluster size that isn't obvious.

--
Ken Blake, Microsoft MVP (Windows Desktop Experience) since 2003
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John Wolf
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      8th Jul 2011
I cant boot from a floppy as this is a Mac with BootCamp. So what do I do?
Avoid the conversion?

Converting a partition from FAT32 to NTFS can be done by an inbuilt utility
in the Windows XP operating system ‹ but it is important to realise that it
is a one-way process. You cannot convert back, except possibly by use of
Partition Magic 7.01, and that is not always successful. Windows XP has no
tool for converting from NTFS to FAT32.

There are a couple of things to do in advance if the conversion is to be
efficient. If you do not take these preliminary steps, you are liable to end
up with only 512 byte clusters, which is not a good idea.

What happens is that FAT32 partitions formatted by most Windows versions
except Windows XP itself (and possibly Windows 2000) have an odd multiple of
2 kilobytes in the ³system² sectors before the data area, where the File
Allocation Tables themselves and clustering start. Therefore, clusters 4 KB
in size are not aligned on 4 KB boundaries, as NTFS will want. CONVERT.EXE,
finding it cannot use 4K clusters, gives up and makes the clusters only 512
bytes (one half KB) instead. (For a table of the varying default cluster
sizes used by FAT16, FAT32, and NTFS for partitions of varying sizes, click
here.)

It is, therefore, important to realign the partition before conversion, by
moving all the data area up to a 4K boundary. (This will absorb odd sectors
at the far end which otherwise would not get used). For this, I suggest
BootIT NG, from BootitNG.com. This is a shareware program, priced at US$30
but with a 30-day fully functional trial. You may well find it valuable also
for its Disk Imaging and Partition Management capabilities.

Download the BOOTITNG.ZIP file to its own folder, extract the contents of
the ZIP file, then run BOOTITNG.EXE, which will make a bootable floppy. Boot
this floppy. For purposes of Partition Management, there is no need to
install the program to hard disk, so click Cancel Install, thus entering
Maintenance. Click Partition Work. Highlight the partition you intend to
convert. Click Slide, which has an option check box to Align for NTFS only.
Click OK. As it has to move almost every sector on the entire partition,
this will take a very long time ‹ schedule it for a meal break, or start it
to run overnight. (If it finishes quickly, that probably means that the
partition was properly aligned already.)

Then restart the computer, boot Windows XP, being sure to logon as an
Administrator, and defragment the disk. This ensures that there is, as far
as possible, a contiguous area for the NTFS Master File Table. It is best if
there is a fairly substantial amount of free space while you do it.

Now use the Windows XP convert tool: Go to Start | All Programs |
Accessories | Command Prompt (or, from a Run box, type CMD) and, assuming
you intend to convert C:, give the command:

VOL C:


On 7/7/11 8:51 PM, in article (E-Mail Removed),
"Ken Blake, MVP" <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote:

> On Thu, 07 Jul 2011 17:19:23 -0400, John Wolf <(E-Mail Removed)>
> wrote:
>
>> Okay I plan to run the command soon. I probably should backup my PC drive
>> soon.

>
>
> If you didn't see my earlier message, please note the following: first
> read http://www.aumha.org/a/ntfscvt.htm because there's an important
> issue regarding cluster size that isn't obvious.


--
If you were to die today where would you go? What's on the other side?
http://www.cerm.info/salvation.htm
http://www.cerm.info/sermons/audio/steet_preaching.WMA

Christians I challenge you to engage in evangelism all the time!
http://www.cerm.info/bible_studies/T...ul_winning.htm
http://www.cerm.info/sermons/audio/soul_winning.WMA

 
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John Wolf
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      8th Jul 2011
I cannot find this app on this site. Boot IT NG

http://www.terabyteunlimited.com/products.htm


On 7/7/11 8:51 PM, in article (E-Mail Removed),
"Ken Blake, MVP" <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote:

> On Thu, 07 Jul 2011 17:19:23 -0400, John Wolf <(E-Mail Removed)>
> wrote:
>
>> Okay I plan to run the command soon. I probably should backup my PC drive
>> soon.

>
>
> If you didn't see my earlier message, please note the following: first
> read http://www.aumha.org/a/ntfscvt.htm because there's an important
> issue regarding cluster size that isn't obvious.


--
Psa 40:8 (KJV)
I delight to do thy will, O my God: yea, thy law is within my heart.

 
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Yousuf Khan
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      8th Jul 2011
On 08/07/2011 4:13 AM, John Wolf wrote:
> I cannot find this app on this site. Boot IT NG
>
> http://www.terabyteunlimited.com/products.htm


It looks like it's been renamed to BootIt Bare Metal.

Boot Manager, Partition Manager, and Drive Imaging - BootIt Bare Metal
http://www.terabyteunlimited.com/bootit-bare-metal.htm

Anyways, I wouldn't worry too much about alignment issues with the data
after conversion. It's not likely to be a huge performance degradation
over the optimized one. So I'd still suggest the Microsoft Convert
utility. Sometimes people just overthink things.

Yousuf Khan
 
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Ken Blake, MVP
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Posts: n/a
 
      8th Jul 2011
On Fri, 08 Jul 2011 04:13:00 -0400, John Wolf <(E-Mail Removed)>
wrote:

> I cannot find this app on this site. Boot IT NG
>
> http://www.terabyteunlimited.com/products.htm



Go to http://www.terabyteunlimited.com/bootit-bare-metal.htm

Boot It Bare Metal is the new version of Boot It Next Generation.


> On 7/7/11 8:51 PM, in article (E-Mail Removed),
> "Ken Blake, MVP" <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote:
>
> > On Thu, 07 Jul 2011 17:19:23 -0400, John Wolf <(E-Mail Removed)>
> > wrote:
> >
> >> Okay I plan to run the command soon. I probably should backup my PC drive
> >> soon.

> >
> >
> > If you didn't see my earlier message, please note the following: first
> > read http://www.aumha.org/a/ntfscvt.htm because there's an important
> > issue regarding cluster size that isn't obvious.

>
> --
> Psa 40:8 (KJV)
> I delight to do thy will, O my God: yea, thy law is within my heart.


--
Ken Blake, Microsoft MVP (Windows Desktop Experience) since 2003
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