Backing Up FAT32 to NTFS

[Guest]

My laptop's hard drive is FAT32 and contains around 8GB of data
I just purchased an external 20GB hard disk which is also FAT32
My problem is that I can't create a system recovery backup because the max filesize on FAT32 is around 4GB
If I reformat my external hard drive as NTFS to get round this, will I be able to create a system recovery disk (from FAT32 laptop to NTFS external disk) and if I ever need to recover from it will it cause problems

Thank

Bil

 

[Lhach]

You can just plainly convert to NTFS without losing data. Click START then
RUN.
Type in "cmd" without the quotes and press enter. A command prompt should
appear.
Type:: convert X: /fs:NTFS
Where X: is the drive you wish to convert, most likely C:
You can use this command on your external drive as well.

Recovering should not be a problem if you just convert your external drive
because you would be backing up a FAT partition and restoring to a FAT
partition.

G'luck!
--Lhach

 

[Bob Harris]

The answers depends on exactly what backup software you are using.

For example Norotn GHOST 2002 will not make a backup TO a partition that is
NTFS. It will make a backup of a partition that is NTFS, so long as the
backup is TO a partition that is FAT32. Also, GHOST 2002 does not do USB,
but GHOST 2003 does, to some degree. \

Other backup software has other rules/limitations.

The Microsoft sotware called Ntbackup.exe can write to/from NTFS and handles
USB, at least when you are creating the image, but then, that is doen form
within Windows. I am less certain how to use it to do a recovery of the
primary (i.e., boot partition).

I can recommend TrueImage version 7, since I know that can handle all
combinations of FAT32, NTFS, USB, firewire, etc, and it makes a bootable CD
(or floppy set) for you, in case the boot partition is one you need to
recover.

Both GHOST and TrueImage will automatially split the backup file into pieces
that fit the target file system, or to a user specified size (e.g., CD
sized).

My laptop's hard drive is FAT32 and contains around 8GB of data.
I just purchased an external 20GB hard disk which is also FAT32.
My problem is that I can't create a system recovery backup because the max

filesize on FAT32 is around 4GB.

If I reformat my external hard drive as NTFS to get round this, will I be

able to create a system recovery disk (from FAT32 laptop to NTFS external
disk) and if I ever need to recover from it will it cause problems?

 

[Guest]

Thanks for your help - now I can sleep again!
Bill


----- Bob Harris wrote: -----

The answers depends on exactly what backup software you are using.

For example Norotn GHOST 2002 will not make a backup TO a partition that is
NTFS. It will make a backup of a partition that is NTFS, so long as the
backup is TO a partition that is FAT32. Also, GHOST 2002 does not do USB,
but GHOST 2003 does, to some degree.
Other backup software has other rules/limitations.

The Microsoft sotware called Ntbackup.exe can write to/from NTFS and handles
USB, at least when you are creating the image, but then, that is doen form
within Windows. I am less certain how to use it to do a recovery of the
primary (i.e., boot partition).

I can recommend TrueImage version 7, since I know that can handle all
combinations of FAT32, NTFS, USB, firewire, etc, and it makes a bootable CD
(or floppy set) for you, in case the boot partition is one you need to
recover.

Both GHOST and TrueImage will automatially split the backup file into pieces
that fit the target file system, or to a user specified size (e.g., CD
sized).

My laptop's hard drive is FAT32 and contains around 8GB of data.
I just purchased an external 20GB hard disk which is also FAT32.
My problem is that I can't create a system recovery backup because the max

filesize on FAT32 is around 4GB.

If I reformat my external hard drive as NTFS to get round this, will I be

able to create a system recovery disk (from FAT32 laptop to NTFS external
disk) and if I ever need to recover from it will it cause problems?

 

[Alex Nichol]

My laptop's hard drive is FAT32 and contains around 8GB of data.
I just purchased an external 20GB hard disk which is also FAT32.
My problem is that I can't create a system recovery backup because the max filesize on FAT32 is around 4GB.
If I reformat my external hard drive as NTFS to get round this, will I be able to create a system recovery disk (from FAT32 laptop to NTFS external disk) and if I ever need to recover from it will it cause problems?

Yes provided the software that you use to do the recovery 'knows' NTFS.
For XP, for example, you can have the OS installed on either file
system, and it will be able to read a mixture of both. If OTOH you have
to do the recovery by booting (say) a DOS floppy, that will not be able
to handle the NTFS. It is safer to use a back up program that
automatically splits the backup into a set of files, each only (say) 2GB