file system problems (ntfs/fat32)

[ian]

Hi ive been trying to find a solution for this problem
for awhile now and any help would be much appreciated.
i own a laptop and a desktop pc and the question relates
to transferring files between the 2. Both pcs are using
windows xp and both have 60 gb h/d with loads of free
space,normally there is no problems transferring between
the 2 except when the file is over about 4 gb then i get
an error message on the laptop saying not enough space on
hard drive even though i know there is. i think the
problem is because the laptop is using a FAT32 file
system and my Desktop is using the NTFS file system. is
there any solutions to this problem cos im fed up of
having to break the file down to be able to transfer it.
thanks in anticipation
ian

 

[Rick \Nutcase\ Rogers]

Hi Ian,

A FAT32 file system cannot have a file over 4GB (minus a few bytes) in size.
This is a limitation of the file system in use. Your options are to either
to continue to split up the file size, or convert the file system on the
laptop to NTFS. If you choose to do the latter, you should read this first:
http://aumha.org/win5/a/ntfscvt.htm

--
Best of Luck,

Rick Rogers aka "Nutcase" MS-MVP - Win9x
Windows isn't rocket science! That's my other hobby!

Associate Expert - WinXP - Expert Zone

 

[Bruce Chambers]

Greetings --

The problem is not one of compatibility between the file systems
on two different computers, but rather one stemming from a basic
limitation of the FAT32 file system. The solution is relatively
simple: convert the laptop's file system to NTFS.

Personally, I wouldn't even consider using FAT32 when NTFS is an
option. FAT32 has no security capabilities, no compression
capabilities, no fault tolerance, and a lot of wasted hard drive space
on volumes larger than 8 Gb in size. But your computing needs may
vary, and there is no hard and fast answer.

To answer your questions without getting too technical is
difficult, but has been handled quite well by Alex Nichol in the
article here:

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

Somewhat more technical information is here:

Limitations of the FAT32 File System in Windows XP
http://support.microsoft.com/directory/article.asp?ID=kb;en-us;Q314463

Choosing Between File Systems
http://www.microsoft.com/technet/tr...prodtechnol/winntas/tips/techrep/filesyst.asp

You can safely convert your hard drive to NTFS whenever desired,
without having to format the partition and reinstall everything. As
always when performing any serious changes, back up any important data
before proceeding, just in case. A little advance preparation is also
strongly recommended, so you can avoid any performance hits caused by
the default cluster size:

Converting FAT32 to NTFS in Windows
http://www.aumha.org/a/ntfscvt.htm


Bruce Chambers

--
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having both at once. -- RAH

 

[Guest]

Hi rick thanks for your reply i will follow that link and
convert my laptop h/d one more question however i have 2
30 gb h/d in my laptop would i need to convert both h/d
or can i leave one as fat32?
Thanks again
ian

 

[Rick \Nutcase\ Rogers]

Hi,

Yes, you can use a mixture of files systems on a WinXP system, it can use
either or both at the same time. It's just that the FAT32 disk will retain
the file size limitation.

--
Best of Luck,

Rick Rogers aka "Nutcase" MS-MVP - Win9x
Windows isn't rocket science! That's my other hobby!

Associate Expert - WinXP - Expert Zone

 

[Alex Nichol]

Hi ive been trying to find a solution for this problem
for awhile now and any help would be much appreciated.
i own a laptop and a desktop pc and the question relates
to transferring files between the 2. Both pcs are using
windows xp and both have 60 gb h/d with loads of free
space,normally there is no problems transferring between
the 2 except when the file is over about 4 gb then i get
an error message on the laptop saying not enough space on
hard drive even though i know there is. i think the
problem is because the laptop is using a FAT32 file
system and my Desktop is using the NTFS file system.

FAT 32 has an absolute limit of 4GB (minus a few bytes) on the size of a
file - nothing you can do about that except convert that disk to NTFS
too, if it is essential it takes such large files. For that see
www.aumha.org/win5/a/ntfscvt.htm