WinXP Fat32 or NTFS ????

[Guest]

I hope i don't start a great debate here, but i am getting
mixed answers to this question. To install XP on a home
computer that is not networked, and i am the only one
using it... which file system should i choose? I read that
NTFS is more secure, but again i am the only one using it
and it is not on a network... i read that NTFS is fast due
to the placement of files in the center of the hard
drive... but i am planing on the new Western Digital
10,000rpm model, with the 8mb cache, and Serial ATA (for
only $120!!), so that should give me plenty of speed. I
hear FAT32 is more likely to run some old apps than
NTFS... please help me through all this confusion!
thanks in advance,
David

 

[Carey Frisch]

NTFS is the preferred file system when using Windows XP.
It's smaller cluster size is much more efficient than the larger
FAT32 cluster size and is more stable in every respect. During
setup, Windows XP will only permit you to format a drive, larger
than 32GB, to NTFS.

Please read:

NTFS Preinstallation and Windows XP
http://www.microsoft.com/whdc/hwdev/tech/storage/ntfs-preinstall.mspx

 

[Sir_George]

help@...,

For a side by side comparison of the different file systems, visit the
following site;

http://www.ntfs.com/ntfs_vs_fat.htm

You may also want to try using "Google" and check the results with the key
phrase "Fat32 vs NTFS."

 

[John Bonner]

Just to clear a point.
If you partition the large drive into smaller virtual partitions with each
not greater than 32GB in size, you can then use FAT32 on all the partitions
for XP. This is what I did and it works fine for me on a 120GB serial drive.
You can choose to partition the drive during setup of XP if you wish.

JB.