NTFS conversion

[Doug G]

We've been happily using FAT32 on our XPE systems, but for various political
reasons (pointy-haired bosses and all that) we might have to switch to NTFS.
I have built an image with all the appropriate components, including the
FAT-to-NTFS conversion utilities, and am now trying to work out the changes
in methodology for generating new images and preparing them for cloning,
etc. Expect more questions in due time .

One question that I have right now is that the easiest thing for me during
development is probably to create the initial partition and do the FBA stuff
on a FAT32 partition and then convert it afterwards before doing the reseal.
Is this as simple as running convert.exe? I would expect that it is not
possible to convert the system partition itself from a running system. So
how does this work? It would seem to me that the system would have to boot
into some sort of minimal configuration in order to convert the system
partition while no files are open on it, etc.

Doug Gordon

 

[Doug Hoeffel]

Doug G:

You could use convert.exe to convert from FAT32 to NTFS like this:

convert C: /fs:NTFS then enter your boot partition volume name followed by
a n then y to convert on the next boot

The conversion will occur on the next boot.

Why not just create NTFS from the start?

HTH... Doug

 

[Doug G]

Thanks. I had wondered if it would do a next-boot conversion on XPE.

The main reason for not using NTFS from the start involves the configuration
of the embedded PCs that we are using. I use Ghost's "gdisk" to create my
initial partitions on a bare hard drive, and gdisk does not support the
creation of NTFS partitions. The hard drive in question is not the type of
drive that can be removed and installed temporarily in a regular XP system
either, as it's well buried inside the tight packaging of an industrialized
panel-mount PC.

So I don't think there's any other way to bootstrap myself up during the
initial setup of a new XPE image. Once it's been done once, I can Ghost the
entire embedded hard drive -- NTFS partitions and all -- for use in cloning
the system onto other devices. So this NTFS conversion only applies when I'm
developing a new release of the image. The convert.exe program itself does
not even have to be on the final image.

Doug Gordon