XP Pro (Fat32 vs. NTFS) Is it easier/harder/no difference to upgrade motherboard/video card with the

[KWW]

I bought a new mobo, CPU, video card, and memory for my elder son's PC for
Christmas and am trying to plan the best way to upgrade it.

He is running WinXP Pro and has SP2 installed. Like my younger son who has
WinXP Pro in college, he also is running FAT32 on the hard drive instead of
NTFS. I would have looked for the convert utility when I discovered this,
but I knew he wanted to upgrade his hardware soon (everything but the disk
drives) and, given the problems I've had trying to migrate my Win2k to a new
drive (because of the HAL) I am hesitating... wanting to know if it might be
easier to swap out these components if it is still NTFS.

Current system ASUS P3V4X with Slocket, AMD 1600 CPU (forget which model)
512 MB memory PC 133
gForce 2, AGP 4x 440 MX 128 MB video card

Moving to ECS KTVT3 mobo with AMD XP+ 2600 CPU, 512 MB DDR, & a more
up-to-date gForce video card. (OK, so it isn't state of the art, but it is
a marked improvement... and I have 2 boys in college at the moment.)

Thoughts/advice about swapping out components would be appreciated!

 

[Chuck Stella]

As a side not question, I havent used usede fat32 for a
year or so, but its posted many places all over
mocrosoft.com that XP can make fat32 partitions larget
than 32gb. Is this really true? I coulda sworne that I
had an 80gm hard drive with only 1 partition in fat32 xp
before I converted.

 

[Ken Blake]

In

As a side not question, I havent used usede fat32 for a
year or so, but its posted many places all over
mocrosoft.com that XP can make fat32 partitions larget
than 32gb. Is this really true? I coulda sworne that I
had an 80gm hard drive with only 1 partition in fat32 xp
before I converted.

XP can not create a FAT32 partition larger than 32GB, but it will
happily use one if it already exists. What you describe is
certainly possible.

 

[SlowJet]

It doesn't matter what your OS file system is formated as, as long as it is
supported by the OS. XP uses NTFS and FAT32. FAt32 is not securue, nor does
it have forward (write ahead) logging so it can get broke much easier and
more often.

Now if I under stand what you said you have one of each file system?

You are going upgrade the MOBO and (CPU, MEM)?

To do that you need to do a repair from the XP CD to get the new hardware
identified and the drivers installed before it will boot up.

That will work but there are two problems to take care of first.


1. Convert to NTFS so the your file system will be less likely to get wacked
during the repair process and driver reinstall. convet C: /fs:ntfs

2. Because you are running XP SP2 you need a slipstremed CD containing SP2
or the repair will set you back to PRE SP2 and may not even reboot.

And another 2 cents woth, you don't what a hugh C: system /Boot partition.
32 GB is as large as you'l ever need. Us ehte remainder for storing needed
computer re-install items, and back up of data, keys, licenes, program
settings, e-maill file etc.

Also, when you first do the repair and first reboot, keep the same Video
card until it all works and then upgrade the video card flowwing the
recommends vendors instructions.

GL,

Let us know how it goes.

SJ

 

[KWW]

Thank you! I sincerely appreciate the advice. Given all of the stuff about
hardware abstraction I had wondered whether that was inherent in NTFS (vs.
FAT32) and thus maybe keeping it as FAT32 would help.

The video card advice is especially poignient! I wish I had thought of that
the numerous times I've upgrades the 7 PCs we have in the family!

In answer to your assumption, my kids 3 separate XP Pro PCs (I just get to
maintain them). One has NTFS, one has FAT32 with one disk, and the third
has two disks and FAT32 on both.

Thanks again!
KWW

--

 

[Alex Nichol]

He is running WinXP Pro and has SP2 installed. Like my younger son who has
WinXP Pro in college, he also is running FAT32 on the hard drive instead of
NTFS. I would have looked for the convert utility when I discovered this,
but I knew he wanted to upgrade his hardware soon (everything but the disk
drives) and, given the problems I've had trying to migrate my Win2k to a new
drive (because of the HAL) I am hesitating... wanting to know if it might be
easier to swap out these components if it is still NTFS.

Moving to new hardware will need at least a repair reinstall, and
possibly it would be sensible with a radical rebuild to do a complete
format and fresh install anyway. FAT or NTFS will make no difference
either way, though the full clean install would be a convenient time to
switch file systems, rather than converting. If you do decide to
convert, read my page www.aumha.org/win5/a/ntfscvt.htm first.

In doing a clean install, make sure that you *do* delete the existing
partition and make a new one - it is rather easy to find you have New
Install into the same one, still in its old state. And read Gary
Woodruff's article on Files and settings Transfer at
http://aumha.org/win5/a/fast.htm

Also be aware that if this was one of the cheaper OEM copies of XP it
may run into activation trouble by being seen as a different machine
(which it will be) - those copies are licensed solely to the machine
where initially installed

 

[Kendall]

Also be aware that if this was one of the cheaper OEM copies of XP it
may run into activation trouble by being seen as a different machine
(which it will be) - those copies are licensed solely to the machine
where initially installed

OEM won't activate over the internet if major hardware change takes
place and RETAIL will? How about the Upgrade?

 

[Ron Martell]

OEM won't activate over the internet if major hardware change takes
place and RETAIL will? How about the Upgrade?

Some OEM versions are "BIOS locked" to specific hardware.

Generic OEM versions (e.g. the ones sold by Microsoft to the smaller
OEMs and assemblers) will generally do a Repair Install for a new
motherboard okay.

But if the OEM CD has the name and/or logo of the computer
manufacturer on it then be cautious and prepare for possible problems.
Those CDs are produced by the manufacturer under license from
Microsoft and may be highly customized and/or BIOS locked to specific
hardware.

Good luck


Ron Martell Duncan B.C. Canada
--
Microsoft MVP
On-Line Help Computer Service
http://onlinehelp.bc.ca

"The reason computer chips are so small is computers don't eat much."

 

[Alex Nichol]

OEM won't activate over the internet if major hardware change takes
place and RETAIL will? How about the Upgrade?

If you need to activate (because it looks too different to the system at
boot or because you have done a clean install) and do it on the net,
then the activation center, if less than 120 days since last time will
check the hardware signature against the one in its database. If this
is too different it will say you are trying too many installations (ie
it looks like you are trying on multiple machines) and you will have to
do it by phoning in.

Now if it is a retail machine, where you are entitled to transfer as
much as you like, you just say that you have removed from an old machine
and will be given a new (long) code to type in. But if it is an OEM
system, that is *not* licensed to be transferred from the machine where
first installed this will be turned down. Just where replacing hardware
components makes things a different machine for this purpose is not
defined, but the case concerned sounds like one that could not by any
definition be seen as the original machine. This is the big downside of
OEM copies, to offset against the cheaper price

 

[KWW]

I should be OK then since this is not an OEM version. Also, I originally
installed it on a setup I make myself. I have not bought a (ready made
computer since the early '80s.

Thanks,