Does FAT32 restrict me to max filesize of 4GB?

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John

Does FAT32 restrict me to max filesize of 4GB?

If so, if I use Partition Magic to change my XP partition (E:)to NTFS,
will I be able to access the FAT32 partitions on my disk while running
XP? I have two other partitions, one with data and programs (D:) and
the other, C: with Win98SE.
 
Hi John,
Does FAT32 restrict me to max filesize of 4GB?
Click to expand...

Yes, it does. This has nothing to do with the operating system, it is a
limitation of the file system. NTFS does not have this same limitation.
If so, if I use Partition Magic to change my XP partition (E:)to NTFS,
will I be able to access the FAT32 partitions on my disk while running
XP? I have two other partitions, one with data and programs (D:) and
the other, C: with Win98SE.
Click to expand...

Certainly, you can mix the file system types on any given system, it is up
to the operating system as to whether or not the volumes can be read.
WindowsXP has no trouble with a mix of these two partition types. Before you
change, you may want to read this for some important tips:
http://aumha.org/win5/a/ntfscvt.htm

--
Best of Luck,

Rick Rogers, aka "Nutcase" - Microsoft MVP

Associate Expert - WindowsXP Expert Zone

Windows help - www.rickrogers.org

news:[email protected]...
 
In
John said:
Does FAT32 restrict me to max filesize of 4GB?

Yes.


If so, if I use Partition Magic to change my XP partition
(E:)to NTFS,
will I be able to access the FAT32 partitions on my disk while
running
XP? I have two other partitions, one with data and programs
(D:) and
the other, C: with Win98SE.
Click to expand...


Sure, no problem. Windows XP can use NTFS, FAT32, FAT16, and
FAT12, in any and all combinations, regardless of what file
system it itself is installed on.

Note that every time you access a floppy disk (which is FAT12),
you're accessing a file system different from the one Windows is
installed on.

By the way, 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.
 
John said:
Does FAT32 restrict me to max filesize of 4GB?
Click to expand...

Yes, that's one of the FAT32 file system's many limitations.
If so, if I use Partition Magic to change my XP partition (E:)to NTFS,
will I be able to access the FAT32 partitions on my disk while running
XP?
Click to expand...


Certainly.WinXP can read FAT12 (the file system used on 3.5"
diskettes), FAT16, FAT32, CDFS (the file system used on most CDs), and
NTFS with equal facility. Further, the file system on any one
disk/partition or diskette has absolutely no affect upon the operating
system's ability to read other compatible file systems on other
disks/partitions.

I have two other partitions, one with data and programs (D:) and
the other, C: with Win98SE.
Click to expand...


You won't be able to access any NTFS partitions from withing Win98, but
that shouldn't be a problem, in your case.


--

Bruce Chambers

Help us help you:



You can have peace. Or you can have freedom. Don't ever count on having
both at once. - RAH
 
Ken Blake said:
Sure, no problem. Windows XP can use NTFS, FAT32, FAT16, and
FAT12, in any and all combinations, regardless of what file
system it itself is installed on.

Note that every time you access a floppy disk (which is FAT12),
you're accessing a file system different from the one Windows is
installed on.

By the way, 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.
Click to expand...


Thanks to both Ken and Rick - excellent, valuable advice which I will
certainly take except that because I have become comfortable with
PartitionMagic, I'll do the conversion with that. I presume it won't
undo the good done by bootitng.
 
Bruce Chambers said:
Yes, that's one of the FAT32 file system's many limitations.



Certainly.WinXP can read FAT12 (the file system used on 3.5"
diskettes), FAT16, FAT32, CDFS (the file system used on most CDs), and
NTFS with equal facility. Further, the file system on any one
disk/partition or diskette has absolutely no affect upon the operating
system's ability to read other compatible file systems on other
disks/partitions.




You won't be able to access any NTFS partitions from withing Win98, but
that shouldn't be a problem, in your case.
Click to expand...

My thanks and yours crossed, so thanks again. I *can* see reasons why
I might want to access files in my currently front line OS partition -
at the moment, if anything serious goes wrong in the XP partition, I
can operate with win98se but may need to dig stuff out of the XP
partition - that was why I kept everything in FAT32. However, I have
now made a start on work with DVD video files and it would be awkward
to have to split 4.7Gig files. So I think it will have to be goodbye
to some of the flexibility I have at the moment.
 
John said:
Thanks to both Ken and Rick - excellent, valuable advice which I will
certainly take except that because I have become comfortable with
PartitionMagic, I'll do the conversion with that. I presume it won't
undo the good done by bootitng.
Click to expand...


I also have PartitionMagic. The convert.exe program included in Windows
XP is what you should use to convert the partition's file system from
FAT32 to NTFS. PM might work but it is not the official converter
program (and I have seen PM fail during a conversion), plus you might
have a tool old version of PM.
 
Vanguard said:
I also have PartitionMagic. The convert.exe program included in Windows
XP is what you should use to convert the partition's file system from
FAT32 to NTFS. PM might work but it is not the official converter
program (and I have seen PM fail during a conversion), plus you might
have a tool old version of PM.
Click to expand...

Version 7 - I guess the weight of advice is against using it although
I have never had a failure with PM.

Happily, the discussion has made me realise that I have another
alternative. I can use PM to make me a new partition (I have 29 gigs
free in my XP partition) in NTFS, say 15gigs in size. That will give
me the room to manipulate 4.7 gig files - what do you think?
 
That does not sound like the best approach. Windows needs a generous amount
of free space for temp files and defragging. The less free space on a
drive, the longer things like defragging will take. What you are doing
sounds like you are a prime customer for an external usb2 or firewire drive
or a second internal drive. The sizes of your files suggests this.

I too encourage you to use the convert tool in XP. There are no reasons not
to that I know of and it is a high impact operation. Since you are
converting the C: drive, the conversion will take place at the next reboot.

The command is: convert drive_letter: /fs:ntfs
 
Colin Barnhorst said:
That does not sound like the best approach. Windows needs a generous amount
of free space for temp files and defragging. The less free space on a
drive, the longer things like defragging will take.
Click to expand...

I've certainly seen the speed up in defragging since getting a bigger
HDD and enlarging the xp partition.
What you are doing
sounds like you are a prime customer for an external usb2 or firewire drive
or a second internal drive. The sizes of your files suggests this.

I too encourage you to use the convert tool in XP. There are no reasons not
to that I know of and it is a high impact operation. Since you are
converting the C: drive,
Click to expand...

not so, in fact. My xp OS is in the E: partition and that is the one
I was thinking of shrinking to make room for an NTFS partition (F:)
 
Colin Barnhorst said:
I too encourage you to use the convert tool in XP. There are no reasons not
to that I know of and it is a high impact operation. Since you are
converting the C: drive, the conversion will take place at the next reboot.

The command is: convert drive_letter: /fs:ntfs
Click to expand...

I see from the Partition Magic 7 manual (p72) that

'The Convert FAT32 to NTFS operation launches the Microsoft Convert
utility to convert.......'

So it seems that the preferred method is taken, whether from within PM
or not.
 
My thanks and yours crossed, so thanks again. I *can* see reasons why
I might want to access files in my currently front line OS partition -
at the moment, if anything serious goes wrong in the XP partition, I
can operate with win98se but may need to dig stuff out of the XP
partition - that was why I kept everything in FAT32. However, I have
now made a start on work with DVD video files and it would be awkward
to have to split 4.7Gig files. So I think it will have to be goodbye
to some of the flexibility I have at the moment.
Click to expand...

You can alway's just use a slave drive formatted with NTFS for manipulating
giant video files, and leave the O/S, and all program's on a FAT32 drive.
 
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