FAT32 and NTFS

  • Thread starter Thread starter Peter
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Peter

Hi,

I have read quite a bit about the differences between FAT32 and NTFS
but somehow I seem to have missed out on two vital bits of
information.

Please can someone assure me that:-

1. FAT32 and NTFS formatted partitions can co-exist on an XP Pro
system.

2. If they can co-exist, can files me copied/moved from FAT32 to
NTFS and vice versa?

I suppose that what I am trying to convince myself about is that the
form of formatting is simply a matter of storage and that the method
of storage has no effect on the files being stored.

I do realise that the change from FAT32 to NTFS is only reversible
by reformatting.

Thank you,

Peter
 
Peter said:
I have read quite a bit about the differences between FAT32 and NTFS
but somehow I seem to have missed out on two vital bits of
information.

Please can someone assure me that:-

1. FAT32 and NTFS formatted partitions can co-exist on an XP Pro
system.

2. If they can co-exist, can files me copied/moved from FAT32 to
NTFS and vice versa?

I suppose that what I am trying to convince myself about is that the
form of formatting is simply a matter of storage and that the method
of storage has no effect on the files being stored.

I do realise that the change from FAT32 to NTFS is only reversible
by reformatting.
Click to expand...

They can co-exist on a Windows XP system (as well as FAT16) and can be used
interchangeably.

There *is* an effect on the files being stored. With NTFS they now have
file and folder security permissions - meaning that they can be made so that
only certain users/groups on the PC can access them.
 
Peter said:
Hi,

I have read quite a bit about the differences between FAT32 and NTFS
but somehow I seem to have missed out on two vital bits of
information.

Please can someone assure me that:-

1. FAT32 and NTFS formatted partitions can co-exist on an XP Pro
system.

2. If they can co-exist, can files me copied/moved from FAT32 to
NTFS and vice versa?

I suppose that what I am trying to convince myself about is that the
form of formatting is simply a matter of storage and that the method
of storage has no effect on the files being stored.

I do realise that the change from FAT32 to NTFS is only reversible
by reformatting.

Thank you,
Click to expand...

The files can be moved from one format type to the other without any effect
on the files.
An NTFS formatted drive can read a FAT32 drive, but the FAT32 drive cannot
read an NTFS drive.
The real advantage of NTFS is that it implements the security options that
are not available for FAT32.

Another excellent article, on this subject, by MVP Alex Nichol is here:

FAT & NTFS File Systems in Windows XP:
http://aumha.org/win5/a/ntfs.htm
 
Peter said:
Hi,

I have read quite a bit about the differences between FAT32 and NTFS
but somehow I seem to have missed out on two vital bits of
information.

Please can someone assure me that:-

1. FAT32 and NTFS formatted partitions can co-exist on an XP Pro
system.

2. If they can co-exist, can files me copied/moved from FAT32 to
NTFS and vice versa?

I suppose that what I am trying to convince myself about is that the
form of formatting is simply a matter of storage and that the method
of storage has no effect on the files being stored.

I do realise that the change from FAT32 to NTFS is only reversible
by reformatting.

Thank you,

Peter
Click to expand...

You would only have a problem if you were dual booting Win 95/98/Me and XP.
XP can read both fat32 and NTFS while Win9x can't read NTFS. The file system
only matters on a dual boot system, not over a network.

--
Michael Stevens MS-MVP XP
(e-mail address removed)
http://michaelstevenstech.com
For a better newsgroup experience. Setup a newsreader.
http://michaelstevenstech.com/outlookexpressnewreader.htm
 
Hi,

I have read quite a bit about the differences between FAT32 and NTFS
but somehow I seem to have missed out on two vital bits of
information.

Please can someone assure me that:-

1. FAT32 and NTFS formatted partitions can co-exist on an XP Pro
system.

2. If they can co-exist, can files me copied/moved from FAT32 to
NTFS and vice versa?

I suppose that what I am trying to convince myself about is that the
form of formatting is simply a matter of storage and that the method
of storage has no effect on the files being stored.

I do realise that the change from FAT32 to NTFS is only reversible
by reformatting.

Thank you,

Peter
Click to expand...

Hi,

Thank you all for coming back so quickly and for being so very
helpful. I do have three primary partitions (XP+XP+Win98) so some
of your guidance has been particularly important.

Thanks again,

Peter
 
Ronnie Vernon MVP said:
The files can be moved from one format type to the other without any effect
on the files.
An NTFS formatted drive can read a FAT32 drive, but the FAT32 drive cannot
read an NTFS drive.
The real advantage of NTFS is that it implements the security options that
are not available for FAT32.

Another excellent article, on this subject, by MVP Alex Nichol is here:

FAT & NTFS File Systems in Windows XP:
http://aumha.org/win5/a/ntfs.htm

--

Ronnie Vernon
Microsoft MVP
Windows Shell/User
Click to expand...
"Drives" cannot read partitions or drives. The operating system does that.
 
Peter said:
Hi,

I have read quite a bit about the differences between FAT32 and NTFS
but somehow I seem to have missed out on two vital bits of
information.

Please can someone assure me that:-

1. FAT32 and NTFS formatted partitions can co-exist on an XP Pro
system.

2. If they can co-exist, can files me copied/moved from FAT32 to
NTFS and vice versa?

I suppose that what I am trying to convince myself about is that the
form of formatting is simply a matter of storage and that the method
of storage has no effect on the files being stored.

I do realise that the change from FAT32 to NTFS is only reversible
by reformatting.

Thank you,

Peter
Click to expand...


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.

--

Bruce Chambers

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