NTFS filing system verses FAT32 question. 4

[xproforme]

Other than the obvious advantage of file encrpytion is the NTFS filing system more stable than FAT32? I read somewhere that NTFS is the prefered file system for use with XP Pro. I disovered how to convert my current disk volume to NTFS, but the information also revealed that certain features would not be available through conversion from FAT32 to NTFS. Would the best way to take full advantage of the Features of NTFS be to do a full clean reinstall of XP Pro formating the HD in NTFS? Sorry to be such a bother to all with such silly inquiries, but better system stability sounds very appealing to most Windows XP users. I've also signed up for high speed cable and I want to better protect my system from hackers and the like. Thanks, Leroy in Texas.

If your not sure about something try asking someone else and you may just find the answer you were looking for right under your nose.

 

[Xemus]

My recommendation is to clean install and go with NTFS. The clean install might not be necessary, but it's a good idea once in a while just to clean out the excess that gets loaded from running Windows over time.
More info on NTFS vs. FAT32 here:

http://www.thundercloud.net/information-avenue/ntfs-vs-fat32/

http://www.closedsocket.com

 

[bcastner]

There is nothing wrong with the Convert utility.
While a clean install is very nice, it is not necessary in most cases if the only issue is to convert the filestore from FAT32 to NTFS. The convert utility does this quite nicely.

 

[edemiere]

Well, my 2 cents on the subject is using NTFS at home is really more of a hinderance than it is advantageous. Because in the historical sense of Windows whenever you have a major system crash (and they always seem to happen) getting files that are critical to you off of an NTFS partition is NO easy matter whereas with FAT32 you can just boot a Windows 98 boot disk or whatever and copy off whatever you need/want to save.

The only time I've really agreed that NTFS is better for home use is the couple friends I have that do a LOT of multimedia stuff and want to burn DVD's of their own creation because FAT32 has the 4GB filesize limitation and a DVD can typically hold 4.7GB in which case I think they are running their boot drive as FAT32 and then all subsequent partitions where they do their multimedia stuff are setup as NTFS.

Good luck with whatever you decide...

 

[garebo]

I have heard that there is no "preferred" standard for win xp pro, it will handle ntfs or fat32 as you wish and depending on your needs. I dont think there is any difference in stability, although i could be mistaken on this part.

 

[xproforme]

Thanks to all for the feedback that I have seen on the NTFS filling system. I have decided that converting to the filing system at this time is impractical for me. It seems that while NTFS is a more advanced filing system than FAT32; compatibility issues make using NTFS exclusively a bit too cumbersome for most users like me. I also discovered that file encryption is not supported with the version that ships with XP. Thankfully, there is a web site run by the developer of the filing system called,

http://www.ntfs.com

that offers an upgraded version called, NTFS5 that does support file encryption. The site also offers a freeware NTFS File Reader and Recovery DOS boot up disk for download should anyone wish to use it. NTFS also seems to have a definite advantage when it comes to DVD authoring as well due to it support of very large file sizes is excess of the FAT32 4 gig limitation. I have a second HD that is ready for installation and formatting it with NTFS would be more practical for me as I eventual would like to try my hand at DVD authoring and possible use as a backup disk as well. My thanks to all on this perplexing issue of NTFS vs. FAT32. Leroy in Texas.

If your not sure about something try asking someone else and you may just find the answer you were looking for right under your nose.

 

[Blujacket]

Just a note, NTFS in WinNT 4 is version 4 and in Win2000 and WinXP it is version 5.