Converting system partition to NTFS

[Ludwig77]

I have heard that while NTFS is a good format for data partitions, the
system partition should be FAT32 so that you can repair or
troubleshoot via command line because your GUI won't boot up.

But my system partition is running out of space. Now, I could move my
My Documents to another partition, but I was wondering if my initial
assumptions are even correct and if there are any significant
consequences to converting my system partition to NTFS.

If I could do this, then I could merge my system partition with the
adjacent one.

 

[philo]

I have heard that while NTFS is a good format for data partitions, the
system partition should be FAT32 so that you can repair or
troubleshoot via command line because your GUI won't boot up.

But my system partition is running out of space. Now, I could move my
My Documents to another partition, but I was wondering if my initial
assumptions are even correct and if there are any significant
consequences to converting my system partition to NTFS.

If I could do this, then I could merge my system partition with the
adjacent one.

Though it's true that you can access a FAT32 partition from a win9x boot
floppy...
there are a number of reasons that NTFS is preferable.

NTFS has better fault tolerance, so it's much less likely you'd need to be
repairing problems anyway.

If a problem should arise, you can still access the drive from the repair
console.


Additionally, NTFS has better security
better cluster size for "larger" partitions
plus Fat32 has a file size limit of 4 gigs...which makes it unusable for
large videos etc.


To merge your partitions you'd need to first convert your fat32 partition to
NTFS
then use a third party utility such as Partition Magic to merge them...
but there is a catch 22.

Since there is always the possibility of a serious error while merging
partitions
it's *required* that you back everything up first and confirm all your data
are good.

Since you need to make a back up...I figured that once backed up...
you might as well just "blow away" your present installation
then start over and do things right.


If that all sounds like too much work...and you end up just moving "My
Documents"
to your other partition...the *correct* way to do it is not to drag and
drop...
but you need to right click...go to "properties" then select "move">

 

[John John (MVP)]

The native and preferred file system for Windows XP is NTFS, unless you
have very compelling reasons to do otherwise you should always install
Windows XP on NTFS. "...so that you can repair or troubleshoot via
command line because your GUI won't boot up" is not a very compelling
reason to install Windows XP on FAT32, this is a notion perpetuated by
well meaning Windows 9x users who think that FAT32 is better because it
allows you to boot to DOS and access your disk if you run into problems.
You should put this idea to rest, there are better tools than DOS to
use to service a non booting Windows XP installation and these tools can
read NTFS without problems.

If you want to convert your FAT32 drive and if the drive was formated by
an operating other than Windows XP read the information here before you
proceed: http://aumha.org/win5/a/ntfscvt.htm

John

 

[1PW]

I have heard that while NTFS is a good format for data partitions, the
system partition should be FAT32 so that you can repair or
troubleshoot via command line because your GUI won't boot up.

But my system partition is running out of space. Now, I could move my
My Documents to another partition, but I was wondering if my initial
assumptions are even correct and if there are any significant
consequences to converting my system partition to NTFS.

If I could do this, then I could merge my system partition with the
adjacent one.

Googling using key words from your post yields:

<http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/using/setup/expert/russel_october01.mspx>

Although the above was authored over seven years ago, it's still
applicable today.

HTH

Pete

 

[Ken Blake, MVP]

I have heard that while NTFS is a good format for data partitions, the
system partition should be FAT32 so that you can repair or
troubleshoot via command line because your GUI won't boot up.

You've already gotten three replies, from philo, John John, and 1PW,
telling you that what you have heard is wrong. I'll add my voice to
theirs, agreeing that all partitions should be NTFS unless they need
to be accessed by other operating systems that are not NTFS-aware.

Moreover your having multiple partitions on the drive is not
necessarily a good idea. I recommend that you read this article I
recently wrote: "Understanding Disk Partitioning" at
http://www.computorcompanion.com/LPMArticle.asp?ID=326

But my system partition is running out of space. Now, I could move my
My Documents to another partition, but I was wondering if my initial
assumptions are even correct and if there are any significant
consequences to converting my system partition to NTFS.

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.

If I could do this, then I could merge my system partition with the
adjacent one.

You would need third-party software to do this. Windows XP doesn't
have that capability.

 

[Ken Blake, MVP]

Nice article, not "geeky" and full of common sense.

Thanks very much.

 

[Ken Blake, MVP]

Yep.

Excellent article!

My thanks to you too.

 

[Patrick Keenan]

I have heard that while NTFS is a good format for data partitions, the
system partition should be FAT32 so that you can repair or
troubleshoot via command line because your GUI won't boot up.

Sorry, this is not true, because a bootable XP CD understands NTFS. You
can also use non-XP CDs such as Linux-based disks.

It's true that you can't boot with a Win9x boot diskette, but then, many
systems now don't even have floppy drives.

But my system partition is running out of space. Now, I could move my
My Documents to another partition, but I was wondering if my initial
assumptions are even correct and if there are any significant
consequences to converting my system partition to NTFS.

No there are not. There are instead benefits.

Pretty much the only reason that you might use FATxx for a disk is when that
disk is going to be *directly attached* to a system that does not understand
NTFS, such as a Win9x system. If the disk is accessed via a network, the
FAT/NTFS is not at issue.

If I could do this, then I could merge my system partition with the
adjacent one.

You also can't do that with the tools provided with XP.

If you need a larger system partition, you either need 3rd party tools or
you need to back up, boot from the XP install CD, wipe the drive of its
partitions, recreate as desired, then format and reinstall XP.

And if you need a larger system partition and are looking at reworking the
system in this way, now would be an appropriate time to consider just
starting over with a new hard disk that's much larger. For reference,
where I am, half-terabyte (500 gig) hard disks are under CDN$100.

If you take this approach, you don't have to worry about backing up at the
moment; simply remove the existing drive and set it aside during the OS
setup, add it back in later and copy your data into place. If there are
settings that you forgot about, such as mail logins, you can easily swap the
drives out and boot from the old one, recover the information you need, and
swap back.

HTH
-pk

 

[Herbert Eppel]

Hello,

For some reason the Acer laptop I bought around 18 months ago came with
FAT32 and not NTFS as expected, and I have been thinking of converting
it to NTFS for some time.

However, having read the warnings at
<http://aumha.org/win5/a/ntfscvt.htm> I was and still am somewhat
concerned about the possibility of messing things up, not least because
the laptop doesn't have a floppy drive so that I can't actually follow
the instructions at <http://aumha.org/win5/a/ntfscvt.htm>.

In view of the fact that the drive was formatted under XP, am I right in
concluding from John's statement that the alignment process is only
necessary *if the drive was formatted by an OS other than XP* that I can
do the conversion directly, i.e. without the alignment?

Thank you.

Herbert Eppel
www.HETranslation.co.uk

 

[John John (MVP)]

We have no way of knowing how Acer prepared the drive, many OEM's still
use rather antiquated tools to prepare and deploy their images so we
don't know what to expect from these OEM installations. Your best bet
would be to follow the advice at http://aumha.org/win5/a/ntfscvt.htm .
You don't need a floppy drive to do this, there is a CD version of the
BootItNG utility, just download that one and burn it to CD. The
conversion process is usually trouble free but keep in mind that there
is *always* a risk of data loss with these type of disk operations,
although problems are rare they do at time happen and when they do there
is usually a catastrophic loss of data. Best to be prepared, make sure
that you have a working backup of your data files!

John

 

[Herbert Eppel]

Hi John,

Thanks for your reply.

I'm a reasonably experienced IT user, but this does sound somewhat
daunting, and I'm therefore wondering whether it might be a case of "if
it's not broken, don't fix" it?

After all, the laptop isn't my main computer and I'm quite happy with
its performance as it is. I'm not sure whether I should take the risk in
view of the fact that I may not gain any significant, tangible benefits.

Any further thoughts?

Herbert Eppel
www.HETranslation.co.uk

 

[John John (MVP)]

With a laptop and a fully charged battery you have eliminated the major
risk of a power failure without a UPS when doing the conversion. The
alignment (with BootItNG) and the conversion process are fairly easy and
straightforward. Nothing is 100% guaranteed when you do these kinds of
things but conversions are usually trouble free. If you are satisfied
with the laptop as it is and if you have no real need for the advanced
NTFS features then it really is up to you to decide what is best.

John

 

[Herbert Eppel]

Thanks for your further helpful comments.

I'll think about it and report back if I decide to do it

Regards

Herbert Eppel
www.HETranslation.co.uk

 

[John John (MVP)]

You're welcome.

John

Thanks for your further helpful comments.

I'll think about it and report back if I decide to do it

Regards

Herbert Eppel
www.HETranslation.co.uk