FAT32 vs. NTFS

[Help I'm Confused]

Need to know if an installation of WinXP in an NTFS
formatted drive or partition will see data in a different
FAT32 formatted drive.

It is my understanding that if the WinXP is installed in
C-drive formatted w/ NTFS it will not see the data of a D-
drive formatted as FAT32.

Conversely a WinXP installed on a C-drive w/ FAT32 will
see any data in a D-drive or any other drive that is NTFS

Is this correct ?

 

[Ian Barr]

Need to know if an installation of WinXP in an NTFS
formatted drive or partition will see data in a different
FAT32 formatted drive.

It is my understanding that if the WinXP is installed in
C-drive formatted w/ NTFS it will not see the data of a D-
drive formatted as FAT32.

Conversely a WinXP installed on a C-drive w/ FAT32 will
see any data in a D-drive or any other drive that is NTFS

Is this correct ?

Don't worry I have exactly the setup you describe and I have no problem
reading my D: drive in fat32

 

[Dave]

Yes, a NTFS system drive will see a FAT32 drive, but a FAT32 system drive
will not see a NTFS drive.

 

[Brian]

Xp will se your fat32 partition with out any problems

 

[Gary Davis]

No. WinXP can read and write to Fat32 and NTFS.

 

[Honjo]

WXP installed whether in NTFS or FAT32 system can see files whether
stored in NTFS or FAT32 system.

Kaz

 

[Guest]

Thanks for such quick reply but you guys posted
conflicting answers.>

"Yes, a NTFS system drive will see a FAT32 drive, but a
FAT32 system drive
will not see a NTFS drive."

I know this answer given is not true because it is in the
XP help files and I've been using it for 1+ years. Does
anybody have a link to Microsoft stating that a primary
drive with WinXP formatted as NTFS will see a secondary
drive with FAT32? I remember seeing this as a big no!-no!
from Microsoft statements but been so long ago, I could
be wrong. Could you please look more closely on this
issue and re-read the original question please.

Thanks !!!

 

[Norm]

You misinterpreted something you read because what you say is untrue. It's
the operating system that sees the disks not the NTFS or FAT32 formatted
drives. XP can handle both types of formats in a computer, Win ME or 98SE
and below cannot, they can only read FAT32. If the systems are networked,
then it doesn't matter, again because it's the OS that does the reading of
the disks.
My XP Home machine has an NTFS C drive and a FAT32 D, works fine.

 

[Bastet]

Thanks for such quick reply but you guys posted
conflicting answers.>

"Yes, a NTFS system drive will see a FAT32 drive, but a
FAT32 system drive
will not see a NTFS drive."

I know this answer given is not true because it is in the
XP help files and I've been using it for 1+ years.

It is perfectly, 100%, completely and utterly true. Please point me to where
in the XP help it states otherwise. Say you have a dual-boot system, XP and
98, for example, XP being and NT-based OS , will not offer full
functionality unless it is installed on an NTFS formatted drive/partition.
HOWEVER, if you then wanted to install 98 after XP, the drive would have to
be FAT32, because the 98 installation couldn't write to a bootloader stored
on an NTFS drive/partition because it couldn't read it.

Even simpler, you take an NTFS formatted drive from an NT-based system and
put it into one running 95/98/ME and Windows wouldn't recognise the disk
*AT ALL*, a 9x-based OS has no means of deciphering NTFS. However, a 9x
machine can access files stored on an NTFS disk over a network, as the file
system applies to the disk, not the contents thereof.

XP, like 2000 (not sure about NT), can read nearly any disk format you care
to throw at it.

Does

anybody have a link to Microsoft stating that a primary
drive with WinXP formatted as NTFS will see a secondary
drive with FAT32?

You don't need a link - three people have told you categorically that it
will!

I remember seeing this as a big no!-no!

Where, pray? As I stated earlier, XP can read nearly any disk format you
care to throw at it. 9x, OTOH, cannot read NTFS.

from Microsoft statements but been so long ago, I could
be wrong.

You are.

Could you please look more closely on this

issue and re-read the original question please.

The original question does not require re-reading. You have been given a
very categorical answer.

 

[Stuart]

"Yes, a NTFS system drive will see a FAT32 drive, but a
FAT32 system drive
will not see a NTFS drive."

This might seem a little confusing - he means that Win9x (FAT32) can't see
NTFS. Go NTFS, unless you need to run dual boot with Win9x - there really is
no comparison - FAT32 sucks, always has, always will.

 

[Bruce Chambers]

Greetings --

Not even close. ;-}

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

--
Help us help you:



You can have peace. Or you can have freedom. Don't ever count on
having both at once. -- RAH

 

[Bruce Chambers]

Greetings --

This is due to very awkward and confusing verbiage. NTFS cannot
"see" FAT32 and FAT32 cannot "see" NTFS, because neither file system
has any bearing upon the _operating system's_ to read differently
formatted partitions. The respective file systems are irrelevant,
because the file systems don't do any "reading;" instead, it is the
file systems that are read by the OS.

As for statements to the affect that mixing file systems on a
single PC is a "big no!-no!," I've never come across anything remotely
similar from any knowledgeable source, in all the years I've been
using and supporting PCs and Microsoft operating systems.


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

 

[Alex Nichol]

Need to know if an installation of WinXP in an NTFS
formatted drive or partition will see data in a different
FAT32 formatted drive.

It is my understanding that if the WinXP is installed in
C-drive formatted w/ NTFS it will not see the data of a D-
drive formatted as FAT32.

That is incorrect - an XP installed on either file system will be able
to work fully with any mix of partitions. Read up at
www.aumha.org/win5/a/ntfs.htm

 

[Ian Barr]

To reiterate I have a wndows xp pro installation on a ntfs formatted c:
drive and a d: drive formatted using fat32 with no problems at all!

 

[Lester Horwinkle]

Non sequitur. Drives don't see anything.

The OS contains software that enables it to recognize file systems on your
drives. Windows XP will recognize both NTFS and FAT32 file systems.

C: can be either NTFS or FAT32.
D: can be either NTFS or FAT32.

 

[Alex Nichol]

I know this answer given is not true because it is in the
XP help files and I've been using it for 1+ years. Does
anybody have a link to Microsoft stating that a primary
drive with WinXP formatted as NTFS will see a secondary
drive with FAT32? I remember seeing this as a big no!-no!
from Microsoft statements but been so long ago,

I don't know where your memory has taken you - but it is not true.

And will cite this machine in evidence, which boots to an XP on NTFS and
is happy to work with a mix of other partitions, including NTFS; FAT 32
and FAT 16 (and floppies which use FAT 12). On both the first physical
HD and a secondary one.