how can i convert NTFS to fat32?

Answer 1

Don't think there is any good way to do it. You may have to backup your data and then reformat your harddrive.

Answer 2

you cant,well at least not within windows,what you need to do is get hold of a windows 98 boot-up disk and using the f-disk command ( actually done like this a:/ fdisk )
what you then need to do is 1) delete non-dos partition 2) create primary partition 3) set partition active 4) restart windows 5) format drive (important)
this will then give you a formated drive with the fat32 file system
if you need to revert back to ntfs at any time you can a) format the drive to ntfs using windows xp set-up during installation or 2) use the command prompt in windows start>programs>accesories>command prompt > and then type in convert c :/fs:ntfs (where c is the drive letter)
tip: allthough fat32 is a very good file system ntfs is much more stable and can handle more errors
fat32 is now reduntant as vista will not run in fat32 and most software for xp will work better in ntfs
good luck

Answer 3

Converting NTFS to FAT32

Related Link: http://episteme.arstechnica.com/6/ubb.x?a=tpc&s=50009562&f=99609816&m=3950941865

This is an oft-asked question, and unfortunately, there is no clean or easy way of doing this. Some might ask why, and the answer to that is rather simple: FAT32 is an older file system, and Microsoft wants to move people away from it. NTFS is superior to FAT32 in almost every way, and there is no compelling reason for users to use it anymore. Converting NTFS back to FAT32 should be considered a last resort in all cases.

Essentially, your options boil down to doing one of two things: reformatting the drive or partition (which results in the data being destroyed) or shelling out for a third-party program. Unfortunately, Windows does not have a built-in tool to convert backwards, like one can to convert from FAT/FAT32 to NTFS. Enter Partition Magic. Partition Magic allows you to convert an NTFS partition back to FAT32, but there is a reason that Partition Magic is not so lovingly referred to as "Partition Tragic". Often conversions simply fail, or worse, destroy data.

This guide is to walk you through the former method of conversion: deleting a partition, and recreating it anew as FAT32. However, no matter which route you choose, backing up your data should be your first priority.

First off, delete the partition that you wish to convert. This is done by going into Disk Management: right click "My Computer" -> Manage -> Disk Management, which is found under the Storage section. Right click the partition you wish to remove, and click "Delete Volume". This will erase the partition. Once you have done this, you must re-create the partition. This is done by right clicking on an unallocated region of a disk, and selecting "Create Partition". Then click "Create Logical Drive". Bear in mind that Windows cannot format a FAT32 partition that is any larger than 32GB. This is the case because FAT32 is terribly inefficient on volumes that are larger than 32GB: fragmentation becomes a serious problem.

To format this new volume, right click it, and choose Format. Again, if the volume you wish to format is larger than 32GB, FAT32 will not be one of the options available to you in the drop-down box. You will have to create multiple partitions if you want to format a large drive as FAT32.

Answer 4

Why would you want to revert back to the old FAT32 system?

NTFS = New Technology File System

NTFS is so much more efficient at allocating and using your hard drive space.

Here's a link where you can see the comparison between FAT32 and NTFS. If you're using XP, you should stay with NTFS.
Check it out and see if this help you decide if you really want to change file systems.

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

Answer 5

Reformat your hard-drive.

But having said that I do believe I have seen some software that will convert, but I think it is a risky process.

Your best bet at this time would be to go to www.altavista.com and type in the sentence 'Convert NTFS to FAT32' and see what the search engine comes up with. There are many Technical forums out there, you will find a better answer there than on here.

Answer 6

Go to
Command Prompt
Then Type Help Convert it will show u how to convert NTFS to Fat32 n viceversa
ex:
C:\>Help Convert --->Enter

Answer 7

Wow... its like Planet of the Apes.... YES, you can convert NTFS to FAT32. Holy crap, people. There's a little program called Partition Magic that'll to it for you in about 2 minutes.

Answer 8

format the hard disk into fat32 and ull get converted ntfs to fat32 but u need the bootable cd to change the format follow the cd instruction and get the solution thre

Answer 9

In response to the above answer, PartitionMagic is not a good idea for primary partitions. Being a Windows application, it needs Windows to be running in order to run.

When Windows runs, it locks the hard drive so that you can't actually do anything to it, like partitioning. Just the ability to read and write to the partition. Because of this, you can't actually change the partition table if it affects the currently in use drive.

For partitioning and conversions, I recommend running an application called gparted. It is a Linux partition application. To save you from installing Linux onto your computer, Ubuntu and Knoppix are live CD versions of Linux, meaning all you need is to boot the CD and it runs, without affecting any data on your hard drive. Running gparted from this means that you have none of your partitions locked, so you can make as many changes as you like.

Answer 10

You need a software program called Partition Magic 8, it will do what you want and more. It is inexpensie to buy.

Answer 11

if a second drive/partition in windows simply right click drive select format > select fat 32 then start
if c:drive boot to cd reinstall windows os format change to fat 32 then enter