XP on FAT32; Norton

[Lloyd]

I recently installed XP Pro on a second FAT32 partition
and most things are fine. There are a lot of neat
features in XP, and it does seem to be "more stable," as
has been claimed. But my Norton Systemworks seems to
think I'm using NTFS and the optimizer just doesn't work
right. The weirdest part of this is that I _can_ run the
optimizer from the C:\ partition, under w98se, and run it
from that platform on the XP partition... (hmmm... let's
try that again: I can optimize the XP partition from the
W98 partition, but I can't optimize the XP partition from
the XP partition.)

I have also lost some of the other features in Norton.
The overwriting/"wipe" for free space, for instance, is
not even on the menu on the XP partition. I have some
other minor issues with software that seems to assume an
NTFS installation just because the XP is there. Any
insights or suggestions?

I am also amazed at how much disk space XP takes up! I
have it on a partition twice the size of the C:\, but
still takes up over half of a 10 gig partition. With
basically the same applications, the XP partition

 

[Paul Russell]

Disable System Restore and turn off disk indexing to help free space.

 

[Stimpy]

-----Original Message-----
I recently installed XP Pro on a second FAT32 partition
and most things are fine. There are a lot of neat
features in XP, and it does seem to be "more stable," as
has been claimed. But my Norton Systemworks seems to
think I'm using NTFS and the optimizer just doesn't work
right. The weirdest part of this is that I _can_ run the
optimizer from the C:\ partition, under w98se, and run it
from that platform on the XP partition... (hmmm... let's
try that again: I can optimize the XP partition from the
W98 partition, but I can't optimize the XP partition from
the XP partition.)

I have also lost some of the other features in Norton.
The overwriting/"wipe" for free space, for instance, is
not even on the menu on the XP partition. I have some
other minor issues with software that seems to assume an
NTFS installation just because the XP is there. Any
insights or suggestions?

I am also amazed at how much disk space XP takes up! I
have it on a partition twice the size of the C:\, but
still takes up over half of a 10 gig partition. With
basically the same applications, the XP partition
.

Curious why you chose to run XP on a FAT32 partition. NTFS
is a far superior file system to FAT32. Also, why are you
stuck on Norton Sys Optomizer? Is XP configuring itself in
some manner that you do not approve of? Just curious.

 

[Guest]

I still need my w98 to support some hardware that XP
doesn't support, that's part of the reason. I also read
somewhere that there can be problems moving files from
FAT32 to NTFS drives; I move files, A LOT.

If you _KNOW FOR SURE__ that this is wrong, I will
consider NTFS. I don't know what "far superior" means
without a functional context. I know NTFS is more
efficient in the way it uses clusters, but it is often
true, in my experience, that "advances" in technology lead
people around by the nose (and pocket book), and not
always with justification. I already deal with losing
applications and hardware every time there's an "advance"
in operating systems; don't need it. I'm in XP now only
because Microsoft stopped supporting w98.

As to Norton, part of it is that I'm a creature of habit
and run utilities sometimes just out of boredom. I also
try to keep my drives clean of crud and detritis. But
you're right, I guess, in that I don't really "need" to
optimize with Norton. Aside from a few issues, I like XP.

I am serious, btw, about wanting to know more about this
NTFS/FAT32 and file transfer issue. I'd like to try
running on NTFS, but it's not a big priority for me.

Thanks for responding.

 

[Guest]

Thanks. But I seem to have enough space to do what I do.
The drive is 40 gigs; it's only the partition that's
packed, and I don't store much work on the HDD (too many
major data losses from frequent power failures and, a
while back, a spate of virus attacks.

It's getting Norton to work right that concerns me, but
thanks anyway.

 

[Guest]

Here is the scoop on FAT32 vs. NTFS:
NTFS has file security and sharing rights written into the
file system. FAT does not. When you move an NTFS file to a
FAT partition, all the security and rights information is
lost. When you move a FAT file to an NTFS partition, no
data is lost and NTFS creates security and rights data for
that file and itegrates it into the files header data.
As far as being backwardly compatible with older software,
I have yet to see any 98se software that will not run on
XP (except some older drivers that use pre-DOS 5.0 system
calls).
If I were you, I would completely dump 98se and go with
the XP. It really does have some nice system managment
features that 98 just doesn't have. I teach networking and
hardware btw... I'm not just some hack.
What kind of hardware do you need to support in XP?

 

[john]

Well, I have 2 drives (dual-boot) both with NTFS OS's on the first partition
& FAT32 on the second partitions.

I can boot up OS1 - Drive 1, then move files from ANY of the 4 partitions to
any other partition.

I can run a prog. .exe from my XP-1 OS, but install the program on the 2nd.
(FAT32) partition and run it from that way.

I can fire up XP-1 and from there via Windows Explorer, create shortcuts on
games installed on any of the other partitions and run them.

I even have a 1.55GB movie in MPEG format which I copied & pasted to my 2nd
(FAT32) partition & run it via my main OS with my DVD software.

I'm running Diskeeper in 'Set it and forget it mode', where I can defrag any
of the four partitions from either of the OS's.

It normally takes 30secs -1 min. to do the NTFS ones, BUT for the others -
take a nap while you're waiting.

Nuff said?

 

[Guest]

It's a scanner, and both Microsoft and Paperport
specifically say there are no XP drivers available. I
need it as a copy machine and for fax.

Thanks for the info on NTSF and FAT32. I don't copy from
98 to XP, only the other way around (i.e., scanned docs),
so it sounds like I can do that and enjoy the benefits of
NTFS.

I also do have at least two applications that won't run on
XP: Avast virus scanner jammed me up so bad on
installation that I had to re-format and start all over
again, which was actually OK because it gave me a chance
to fool around with a dual-boot system so now I feel
confident about putting Lynux on yet another partition;
but I lost important data (email) -- and Pagis (what I run
the scanner with because the original PaperPort software
wouldn't even install on 98 -- but it does work fine on my
son's ME setup; bios? This is a newer, p4/2gig asus... I
just don't know, but that's my guess.

I gotta say, though, that I am appalled by the WASTE in so-
called "advances" as I've experienced things. I've thrown
away more perfectly good stuff (hard and software) than I
can enumerate here, and I'm not going to replace a scanner
just to accomodate XP, at least not as long as this dual-
boot option is available -- unless you have any ideas(?).

Again, thanks.