install

[gp]

hi

when installing winXP on HD of 80g i created 1 partition and it worked fine.
when instlling winxp on hd of 40g i created 1 partition and I have only
noticed that it has 30g capapcity?

Now I am being told elsewhere that winXP can only format 1 partition to a
max of 30G only with fat32. even though I created a 80g partition on other
PC with fat32?

whats the truth, can you create a partition greater than HD 30G and if not
how come I did it on the other PC? 'only using winxp setup

 

[Frank Saunders, MS-MVP]

hi

when installing winXP on HD of 80g i created 1 partition and it worked
fine.
when instlling winxp on hd of 40g i created 1 partition and I have only
noticed that it has 30g capapcity?

Now I am being told elsewhere that winXP can only format 1 partition to a
max of 30G only with fat32. even though I created a 80g partition on other
PC with fat32?

whats the truth, can you create a partition greater than HD 30G and if not
how come I did it on the other PC? 'only using winxp setup

WinXP can't create a FAT32 partition larger than 32 GB. Some other operating
systems can.

--
Frank Saunders, MS-MVP, IE/OE
Please respond in Newsgroup only. Do not send email
http://www.fjsmjs.com
Protect your PC
http://www.microsoft.com./athome/security/protect/default.aspx
http://defendingyourmachine.blogspot.com/

 

[R. C. White]

Hi, gp.

Creating a partition is one step. Formatting that partition is a separate
step.

WinXP can create as large a partition as you want, larger than any HD on the
market today.

WinXP can format even the largest partition as NTFS.

WinXP can format partitions as large as 32 GB as FAT32.

MS-DOS or Win98/ME can format partitions at least as large as 127 GB as
FAT32. Once formatted, WinXP can happily use these large FAT32 partitions.

Other operating systems MAY be able to format larger partitions as FAT32,
but I know nothing of those.

Unless you plan to install MS-DOS or Win9x/ME on this computer, there's no
reason to format any partitions as FAT32. Use NTFS all the way. It's more
efficient for today's large HDs. Also, it is more secure than FAT(x), both
in the sense of secure from unauthorized access and in the sense of secure
from data loss from hardware glitches.

Create and format the system (and if different, the boot volume) partitions
using WinXP Setup from the WinXP CD-ROM. Create, format and otherwise
manage any other partitions and logical drives by using Disk Management. At
the Run prompt, enter: diskmgmt.msc

Rather than rely on what you are "being told elsewhere", why not get the
free authoritative information from the online version of the Windows XP
Professional Resource Kit? For starters, see this page:
Size Limitations in NTFS and FAT File Systems
http://www.microsoft.com/resources/...Windows/XP/all/reskit/en-us/prkc_fil_tdrn.asp

RC

 

[gp]

q)I have ms word on another PC under win95/fat32.
if I change my PC to ntfs will it be able to read ms docs /text files from
win95 fat32 system?

q) do i need to reformat the whole HD again under ntfs and reinistall winxp
again

 

[Mike Hall \(MS-MVP\)]

gp

XP and applications will read from NTFS or FAT32 drives..

For conversion to NTFS, take a look at this webpage.. it will take you
through the procedure.. and no, you don't have to reformat..

http://www.aumha.org/win5/a/ntfscvt.htm

 

[gp]

will I still be able to read text/doc files from win95 PC?

 

[Frank Saunders, MS-MVP]

will I still be able to read text/doc files from win95 PC?

Not directly from an NTFS hard drive. Yes if copied to the Win95 hard
drive.

--
Frank Saunders, MS-MVP, IE/OE
Please respond in Newsgroup only. Do not send email
http://www.fjsmjs.com
Protect your PC
http://www.microsoft.com./athome/security/protect/default.aspx
http://defendingyourmachine.blogspot.com/

 

[Sharon F]

will I still be able to read text/doc files from win95 PC?

Yes. If you have Word or a program capable of reading Word documents
installed on the XP machine, you will be able to read the documents.

 

[Andrew Murray]

You can't create "one" partition on a hard disk - "one" partition would be
the whole disk!. You can have a minimum of two partitions, therefore I
expect on the 40gb disk you have two partitions 1 of 10gb and 1 of 30gb

 

[R. C. White]

Hi, Andrew.

I agree it sounds illogical, but yes, you can create a single partition that
includes the entire HD.

In fact, you cannot "format a hard drive". (Excluding the "low level
format" typically done before the HD is packaged at the factory.) Even in
MS-DOS days, before we could run Format.exe on a HD, we had to run FDISK to
create at least one partition on it. Then we could format each partition,
not the whole HD as a unit.

My guess is that MOST computers are configured with a single partition on a
single HD. Many (most?) computers with multiple HDs are configured with a
single partition on each of the HDs. That's why so many users (many
veterans, as well as newbies) refer to their second HD as their "D: drive".
So-called "drive" letters actually refer to the "volumes" on the HDs, and
volumes can be either primary partitions or logical drives in extended
partitions on the HDs. "Drive" letters also can refer to CD/DVD volumes,
network drives, USB "flash" drives, digital cameras and other devices that
can be accessed to read and write files.

RC