I've just bought a 250GB external hard drive, it came in formatted with FAT32 but I remember I read somewhere that NTFS its better for this tipe of applications. Should I keep the FAT32 format or reformat the drive with NTFS and why?
2006-12-09 15:43:35 · 13 answers · asked by VIC VIC 2 in Computers & Internet ➔ Hardware ➔ Other - Hardware
I think I'm gonna make two partitions, a big one with NTFS and a Small one with FAT32, is there any free tool to do this?
2006-12-10 16:24:39 · update #1
Its more advisable to convert it to NTFS as it is more secure than FAT32, but you should remember that DOS will not be able to recognise such partitions. If you boot from a bootable floppy disk, you might not able to read the contents of a NTFS drive. One more thing that you should remember, you can convert from FAT32 to NTFS anytime but the reverse is not possible i.e. you cannot convert NTFS to FAT32.
A comparison of FAT32 and NTFS is available at
http://www.ntfs.com/ntfs_vs_fat.htm
and do read this article "NTFS vs. FAT: Which Is Right for You?" at
http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/using/setup/expert/russel_october01.mspx
2006-12-09 16:03:30 · answer #1 · answered by Sunny 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
3 things:
FAT 32 is limited to a partition of 128 GB and the max space a file can take in a FAT32 partition is 4GB.
NTFS partition doesn't have those limits, and its useful when you need to compress certain folders, and not the whole drive. NTFS compression is weak, but for example, if a 12GB file is totally empty inside, it will take 0 of space. It happens when you download bit torrents, even if you haven't finished the download, the temporal file will take the space that the finished download takes.
I really don't agree with the performance opinions. In today computers and hard drives, the performance impact is unoticeable and write/read tests say that. just use sisandra from www.sisoftware.net or just copy a big file and control the time, and then compare it with ntfs. make sure you are copying in the same area in both tests, since the drive is not equally fast in all areas.
NTFS partitions don't fragment themselves as much as FAT32. NTFS is Ideal for heavy daily use.
2006-12-09 15:59:12 · answer #2 · answered by thefumigator 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
All the above considerations are valid.
That said, I have stuck with FAT32 because it is easier for me to read and copy form my old drives.
My understanding is that NTFS cannot be read by a FAT32 drive if you do so in the future.
IMO, A great source of this kind of info would be the Toms Hardware site and related forums.
2006-12-09 17:16:11 · answer #3 · answered by Jeff H 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
NTFS is a journeling file system. It means if your computer crashes or shuts down while using the drive, it will still be OK. On the other hand, a FAT32 drive will need to undergo scandisk and other hassles. That alone is worth the swap.
2006-12-09 15:51:18 · answer #4 · answered by Nathaniel H 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋
NTFS and FAT32 are different ways that your hard drive can arrange files. Now and days, for more security protection you should use NTFS, because it is better for files, makes it harder for hackers to get into. FAT32 was used mainly for gaming systems becase it organizes files in a way to save space, and open fikes faster which allows hackers to get into easier, I suggest NTFS for games though, because of security risks
2006-12-09 15:46:58 · answer #5 · answered by turtleweeeee 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Hello How's it going!
It started with FAT 16 and then FAT 32 and is getting older by the day! NTFS is faster and a more secure for your computer. I would reformat to (NTFS)
Bruce
2006-12-09 18:22:13 · answer #6 · answered by ? 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
NTFS ...because FAT32 my not recognize you new drive as having 250 GB plus its faster and not as susceptible to virus's
2006-12-09 15:48:29 · answer #7 · answered by rsist34 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
No. You can go from Fat32 to NTFS but not the other way around. NTFS is more secure but my guess is that you want to go back for compatibility reasons. You would basically have to back up your important data then format your hard drive and reinstall XP Home using Fat32. The free site below can answer any further questions you may have. You can have an answer instantly.
2016-05-23 01:13:53 · answer #8 · answered by ? 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
NTFS gives more security and allows smaller data blocks to be used. It also allows you to encrypt your data.
A drive that size should be partitioned into smaller drives unless you intend to use it purely for video editing purposes.
2006-12-09 15:48:32 · answer #9 · answered by OzHawk 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
If you are using Win XP, which is NTFS, it would be to your advantage to format the new drive to conform to Win XP.
2006-12-09 15:48:37 · answer #10 · answered by Nikolas S 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋