Win XP File systems

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Is it possible to convert Fat 32 file system to NFTS without loosing the data
on the hard drive
 
Windows XP includes the convert.exe utility that allows you to convert to
NTFS without any loss of data. The downside to this is you'll end up with
512 byte clusters which is pretty inefficient, slow, and more prone to
fragmentation. The overhead of traversing a greater number of clusters to
retrieve and commit data will result in a degradation in file system (or
disk I/O) performance. Best to choose NTFS at the time of install.

Always prepare for the worst and have on hand the normal backups of anything
you can not afford to lose.


--
Regards,

Dave Patrick ....Please no email replies - reply in newsgroup.
Microsoft Certified Professional
Microsoft MVP [Windows]
http://www.microsoft.com/protect

:
| Is it possible to convert Fat 32 file system to NFTS without loosing the
data
| on the hard drive
| --
| Marchie Noir
 
Read the following article before converting to NTFS.

Converting FAT32 to NTFS in Windows XP
http://aumha.org/win5/a/ntfscvt.htm

[Courtesy of Alex Nichol, MS-MVP]

--
Carey Frisch
Microsoft MVP
Windows XP - Shell/User

Be Smart! Protect Your PC!
http://www.microsoft.com/athome/security/protect/default.aspx

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

:

| Is it possible to convert Fat 32 file system to NFTS without loosing the data
| on the hard drive
| --
| Marchie Noir
 
BlackMarket said:
Is it possible to convert Fat 32 file system to NFTS without loosing the data
on the hard drive
Click to expand...

You should lose no data. Windows XP Help returns this:
ConvertConverts FAT and FAT32 volumes to NTFS.

Syntax
convert [volume] /fs:ntfs [/v] [/cvtarea:FileName] [/nosecurity] [/x]

Parameters
volume
Specifies the drive letter (followed by a colon), mount point, or volume
name to convert to NTFS.
/fs:ntfs
Required. Converts the volume to NTFS.
/v
Specifies verbose mode, that is, all messages will be displayed during
conversion.
/cvtarea:FileName
For advanced users only. Specifies that the Master File Table (MFT) and
other NTFS metadata files are written to an existing, contiguous placeholder
file. This file must be in the root directory of the file system to be
converted. Use of the /CVTAREA parameter can result in a less fragmented file
system after conversion. For best results, the size of this file should be 1
KB multiplied by the number of files and directories in the file system,
however, the convert utility accepts files of any size.
For more information about using the /cvtarea parameter, see "File Systems"
at the Microsoft Windows XP Resource Kits Web site.(http://www.microsoft.com/)

Important

You must create the placeholder file using the fsutil file createnew command
prior to running convert. Convert does not create this file for you. Convert
overwrites this file with NTFS metadata. After conversion, any unused space
in this file is freed. For more information about the fsutil file command,
see Related Topics.
/nosecurity
Specifies that the converted files and directory security settings are
accessible by everyone.
/x
Dismounts the volume, if necessary, before it is converted. Any open handles
to the volume will no longer be valid.
Remarks
You must specify that the drive should be converted when the computer is
restarted. Otherwise, you cannot convert the current drive.
If convert cannot lock the drive (for example, the system volume or the
current drive), it offers to convert the drive the next time the computer
restarts.
The location of the MFT is different on volumes that have been converted
from previous version of NTFS, so volume performance might not be as good on
volumes converted from Windows NT.
Volumes converted from FAT to NTFS lack some performance benefits compared
to volumes initially formatted with NTFS. On converted volumes, the MFT might
become fragmented. In addition, on converted boot volumes, NTFS permissions
are not applied after the volume is converted.
Examples
To convert the volume on drive E to NTFS and display all messages, type:

convert e: /fs:ntfs /v
 
BlackMarket said:
Is it possible to convert Fat 32 file system to NFTS without loosing the
data
on the hard drive
Click to expand...


As Dave said, it is possible, but the cavet is the cluster size that you end
up with in such a conversion. There is a way around these limitations.
Obtain a copy of BootitNG. It is shareware with 30 days full functionality,
which should be enough time to do what you want. Read the article below. It
will guide you through step by step and using the "slide" function in
BootitNG will allow you to obtain the much more efficient 4kb cluster size.
It's what got me through the process. Quite simple, really.


http://aumha.org/win5/a/ntfscvt.htm
 
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.

regards,
ssg MS-MVP
 
In
BlackMarket said:
Is it possible to convert Fat 32 file system to NFTS without
loosing
the data on the hard drive
Click to expand...


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.
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.
 
Is it possible to convert Fat 32 file system to NFTS without loosing the data
on the hard drive
Click to expand...

Yes. Just make sure to tighten down all the data really well so it
won't become "loose" during the conversion to NTFS.
 
Chuck said:
You should lose no data. Windows XP Help returns this:
ConvertConverts FAT and FAT32 volumes to NTFS.

Syntax
convert [volume] /fs:ntfs [/v] [/cvtarea:FileName] [/nosecurity] [/x]
Click to expand...

Please do not advise people to do this blind. See other posts
 
S.Sengupta said:
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.
Click to expand...

Please do not advise people to do this blind. It is very likely to
result in 512 byte clusters. See my page
www.aumha.org/win5/a/ntfscvt.htm
 
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