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From: J. P. Gilliver (John) on 7 Dec 2009 20:57
In message <OkStyG3dKHA.2188(a)TK2MSFTNGP04.phx.gbl>, Bruce Chambers
<bchambers(a)cable0ne.n3t> writes:
>Leonard Grey wrote:
>> Mind if I stick my head in? Thanks, please see below, inline:
>>
>> "In my view, it's best to run all drives as NTFS..."
>> I understand that very well in the context of internal drives.
>>However, I don't understand the advantage of NTFS for an external
>>drive used for data or for backup.
>>
>
> Most Backup applications store the preserved data in a single
>file, which, given the large amount of music or videos that are often
>present, can easily exceed 4GB in size. FAT32 cannot support files
>this large, but NTFS can.
>
Though any backup application worth its salt will be able to accommodate
any filesystem size limit by using multiple files.
>
>> If you plug an NTFS-formatted external hard drive into another
>>computer where you do /not/ have administrator permissions, you can't
>>access the data on the drive because NTFS enforces user account
>>permissions.
>
>
> True. This helps prevent someone else from accessing your data
>without your knowledge, permission, and assistance.
>
>> And you can't use the data on the drive with a Mac.
>
>
> Again, true. But, if one were preparing an external drive to be
>shared between Windows and Mac (or any other non-WinNT OS), one would
>naturally choose a file system that is common to all. If one has no
>such plans, why not go with NTFS' superiority over FAT32.
>
>
>
Does the fact that it's accessed via USB impinge on this debate? (I ask
because I genuinely don't know.) (I'm assuming it _is_ a USB external
drive, not an E-SATA or whatever.)
--
J. P. Gilliver. UMRA: 1960/<1985 MB++G.5AL-IS-P--Ch++(p)Ar(a)T0H+Sh0!:`)DNAf
** http://www.soft255.demon.co.uk/G6JPG-PC/JPGminPC.htm for ludicrously
outdated thoughts on PCs. **

Reality and talent shows lack honesty. They manipulate the viewer with mawkish
stories. Contestants turn tragedies into qualifications. - Sean Lock, in Radio
Times, 20-26 June 2009
From: Tim Meddick on 8 Dec 2009 12:50
There is a reason why removable drives are nearly always formatted FAT - because one
of the big advantages of a removable drive is that you can remove it!!

Having it kept formatted as FAT, you would be able to connect it to nearly any other
PC which would be able to identify and browse it's contents. It's compatibility with
other computers would be virtually universal.

This would include PCs with other operating systems like Win98 or LINUX-based and
MACs as well.

If you changed it's format to NTFS and did not set file and folder permissions to
include "Everyone" as read-only - then your removable drive would only be accessible
on your own machine (and possibly other NT-based OSs under 'Administrator')

==

Cheers, Tim Meddick, Peckham, London. :-)




"Patti Barden" <patti(a)freeola.com> wrote in message
news:%233uoja1dKHA.1592(a)TK2MSFTNGP06.phx.gbl...
> Somewhere on my computer I saw that my hard drive was in NTFS but an external
> harddrive I bought is installed as FAT32. The external hd says it is best to run it
> in NTFS.
>
> I haven't put anything on the external hd yet and have no idea how to convert. Can
> any one point me in the right direction?
> Patti
>

From: Patti Barden on 12 Dec 2009 08:58
Thanks Bruce. I am confused by what you mean "delete the existing FAT32
partition."

The external hd came Formatted in Fat32 and has no partitions. How do I
create a new partition - will windows to that for me or do I need a
Partition program. I have Partition Magic V6 but I am not sure that will
work on XP.
I also read your article re clusters, a bit complicated. You recommend
BootItT NG
and it sounds like a pretty complicated bit of kit.
Patti


"Bruce Chambers" <bchambers(a)cable0ne.n3t> wrote in message
news:%23ob%23dZ2dKHA.5136(a)TK2MSFTNGP02.phx.gbl...
> Patti Barden wrote:
>
> As you've nothing on the disk yet, it would be best, as "john John" said
> to simply delete the existing FAT32 partition, create a new one, and
> format it as NTFS to start.
>
> For future reference, though:
>
> You can safely convert your current hard drive to NTFS whenever
> desired, without having to format the partition and reinstall everything.
> As always when performing any serious changes, back up any important data
> before proceeding, just in case. A little advance preparation is also
> strongly recommended, so you can avoid any performance hits caused by the
> default cluster size:
>
> Converting FAT32 to NTFS in Windows
> http://www.aumha.org/a/ntfscvt.htm
>
>
> --
>
> Bruce Chambers
>
> Help us help you:
> http://www.catb.org/~esr/faqs/smart-questions.html
>
> http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx/kb/555375
>
> They that can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary
> safety deserve neither liberty nor safety. ~Benjamin Franklin
>
> Many people would rather die than think; in fact, most do. ~Bertrand
> Russell
>
> The philosopher has never killed any priests, whereas the priest has
> killed a great many philosophers.
> ~ Denis Diderot


From: John John - MVP on 12 Dec 2009 09:04
Your disk has a single FAT32 partition, you just need to reformat it.

John

Patti Barden wrote:
> Thanks Bruce. I am confused by what you mean "delete the existing FAT32
> partition."
>
> The external hd came Formatted in Fat32 and has no partitions. How do I
> create a new partition - will windows to that for me or do I need a
> Partition program. I have Partition Magic V6 but I am not sure that will
> work on XP.
> I also read your article re clusters, a bit complicated. You recommend
> BootItT NG
> and it sounds like a pretty complicated bit of kit.
> Patti
>
>
> "Bruce Chambers" <bchambers(a)cable0ne.n3t> wrote in message
> news:%23ob%23dZ2dKHA.5136(a)TK2MSFTNGP02.phx.gbl...
>> Patti Barden wrote:
>>
>> As you've nothing on the disk yet, it would be best, as "john John" said
>> to simply delete the existing FAT32 partition, create a new one, and
>> format it as NTFS to start.
>>
>> For future reference, though:
>>
>> You can safely convert your current hard drive to NTFS whenever
>> desired, without having to format the partition and reinstall everything.
>> As always when performing any serious changes, back up any important data
>> before proceeding, just in case. A little advance preparation is also
>> strongly recommended, so you can avoid any performance hits caused by the
>> default cluster size:
>>
>> Converting FAT32 to NTFS in Windows
>> http://www.aumha.org/a/ntfscvt.htm
>>
>>
>> --
>>
>> Bruce Chambers
>>
>> Help us help you:
>> http://www.catb.org/~esr/faqs/smart-questions.html
>>
>> http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx/kb/555375
>>
>> They that can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary
>> safety deserve neither liberty nor safety. ~Benjamin Franklin
>>
>> Many people would rather die than think; in fact, most do. ~Bertrand
>> Russell
>>
>> The philosopher has never killed any priests, whereas the priest has
>> killed a great many philosophers.
>> ~ Denis Diderot
>
>
From: Ken Blake, MVP on 12 Dec 2009 10:28
On Sat, 12 Dec 2009 13:58:14 -0000, "Patti Barden"
<patti(a)freeola.com> wrote:

> Thanks Bruce. I am confused by what you mean "delete the existing FAT32
> partition."
>
> The external hd came Formatted in Fat32 and has no partitions.


As I said in my earlier message, it has *one* partition. What you
undoubtedly mean is that it doesn't have more than one.


> How do I
> create a new partition - will windows to that for me or do I need a
> Partition program.


Have you put any data on the drive yet? If not, you can repartition it
as desired from within Windows. From the Start button, go to All
Programs | Administrative Tools | Computer Management | Disk
Management.


> I have Partition Magic V6 but I am not sure that will
> work on XP.


Yes, but if you want NTFS, you need to have a recent version.


> I also read your article re clusters, a bit complicated. You recommend
> BootItT NG
> and it sounds like a pretty complicated bit of kit.
> Patti
>
>
> "Bruce Chambers" <bchambers(a)cable0ne.n3t> wrote in message
> news:%23ob%23dZ2dKHA.5136(a)TK2MSFTNGP02.phx.gbl...
> > Patti Barden wrote:
> >
> > As you've nothing on the disk yet, it would be best, as "john John" said
> > to simply delete the existing FAT32 partition, create a new one, and
> > format it as NTFS to start.
> >
> > For future reference, though:
> >
> > You can safely convert your current hard drive to NTFS whenever
> > desired, without having to format the partition and reinstall everything.
> > As always when performing any serious changes, back up any important data
> > before proceeding, just in case. A little advance preparation is also
> > strongly recommended, so you can avoid any performance hits caused by the
> > default cluster size:
> >
> > Converting FAT32 to NTFS in Windows
> > http://www.aumha.org/a/ntfscvt.htm
> >
> >
> > --
> >
> > Bruce Chambers
> >
> > Help us help you:
> > http://www.catb.org/~esr/faqs/smart-questions.html
> >
> > http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx/kb/555375
> >
> > They that can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary
> > safety deserve neither liberty nor safety. ~Benjamin Franklin
> >
> > Many people would rather die than think; in fact, most do. ~Bertrand
> > Russell
> >
> > The philosopher has never killed any priests, whereas the priest has
> > killed a great many philosophers.
> > ~ Denis Diderot
>

--
Ken Blake, Microsoft MVP (Windows Desktop Experience) since 2003
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