NTFS/FAT32 compatibility

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Guest

I'm going to install a 2nd HD in a friends older machine. She is running XP
Pro but set up on a FAT32 drive.

When I install this new HD, does it also have to be FAT32 or can two
separate drives run different file systems in parallel?

Cheers...

Big Liam :)
 
Big said:
I'm going to install a 2nd HD in a friends older machine. She is
running XP Pro but set up on a FAT32 drive.

When I install this new HD, does it also have to be FAT32 or can two
separate drives run different file systems in parallel?

Cheers...

Big Liam :)
Click to expand...

It could be either.
 
Big Liam said:
I'm going to install a 2nd HD in a friends older machine. She is running XP
Pro but set up on a FAT32 drive.

When I install this new HD, does it also have to be FAT32 or can two
separate drives run different file systems in parallel?

Cheers...

Big Liam :)
Click to expand...

WinXP can access FAT, FAT32 and NTFS partitions.
It's the same with you: If you can read English and French
then you can read a book that contains text in both
languages.
 
Start by changing the drive letters for removable media after C: to
something down the line like S or T or prior. This will occur anyway after
installing the hard drive and formatting, just moving down one letter
though. Then, install the hard drive. NTFS or FAT32 is good to go.

Partitions are accessed individually in windows. Simultaneous access
implied by "parallel" does not occur in ide hard drives. They are accessed
individually as well.
 
Big said:
I'm going to install a 2nd HD in a friends older machine. She is
running XP Pro but set up on a FAT32 drive.

When I install this new HD, does it also have to be FAT32

No.


or can two
separate drives run different file systems in parallel?
Click to expand...


Yes. There can be even be different file systems on different partitions on
the same physical drive. Windows XP can handle NTFS, FAT32, FAT16, and
FAT12, in any and all combinations.
 
Big said:
I'm going to install a 2nd HD in a friends older machine. She is running XP
Pro but set up on a FAT32 drive.

When I install this new HD, does it also have to be FAT32 or can two
separate drives run different file systems in parallel?

Cheers...

Big Liam :)
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

Help us help you:



You can have peace. Or you can have freedom. Don't ever count on having
both at once. - RAH
 
Ken Blake said:
Yes. There can be even be different file systems on different partitions on
the same physical drive. Windows XP can handle NTFS, FAT32, FAT16, and
FAT12, in any and all combinations.
Click to expand...

A couple of things to be aware of though ---
1) XP can not handle larger than 128 gig drives if it does not have
at least SP1 installed.
2) XP can handle any size fat32 drive (except for the limit above),
but it will not format a partition larger than 32 gig as FAT32
(if you want to format a partition larger than 32 gig as FAT32,
you need a third party utility).
3) sort of off topic, but worth repeating -- as a general rule, if
you use compact flash cards for digital cameras etc, do NOT
use XP to format the card - it will format the card as FAT32
often and many cameras can't handle that - you will spend
hours trying to figure out why XP can now read the CF card,
but the camera can't handle it.

mikey
 
Mike Fields wrote:

2) XP can handle any size fat32 drive (except for the limit above),
but it will not format a partition larger than 32 gig as FAT32
(if you want to format a partition larger than 32 gig as FAT32,
you need a third party utility).
Click to expand...


A clarification here: you don't necessarily *need* a third-party utility.
Althought you can't do it from within Windows XP, Microsoft does have tools
available that will do this, such as the FDISK command available with
Windows 98 or Me.
 
Ken Blake said:
Mike Fields wrote:




A clarification here: you don't necessarily *need* a third-party utility.
Althought you can't do it from within Windows XP, Microsoft does have tools
available that will do this, such as the FDISK command available with
Windows 98 or Me.
Click to expand...

True, that was what I was thinking, however, my fingers went their
own way. Thanks Ken for putting it the way I meant to :-)

mikey
 
Mike said:
True, that was what I was thinking, however, my fingers went their
own way. Thanks Ken for putting it the way I meant to :-)
Click to expand...


LOL! You're welcome. My fingers go their own way sometimes too.
 
=?Utf-8?B?QmlnIExpYW0=?= said:
I'm going to install a 2nd HD in a friends older machine. She is running XP
Pro but set up on a FAT32 drive.

When I install this new HD, does it also have to be FAT32 or can two
separate drives run different file systems in parallel?
Click to expand...

Yes one can have different file systems for different physical drives.
And, one can even have fat32 and NTFS on the _same_ physical drive in
different partitions.
 
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