Ok, converting FAT32 to NTFS.

[SithSolo1]

Windows help says I won't loose any data, is this true?

Also what does dismounted mean?


C:\Documents and Settings\blah>convert C: /fs:ntfs
The type of the file system is FAT32.
This conversion will also remove your previous operating system
backup. Do you want to continue? (Y/N) y
Convert cannot run because the volume is in use by another
process. Convert may run if this volume is dismounted first.
ALL OPENED HANDLES TO THIS VOLUME WOULD THEN BE INVALID.
Would you like to force a dismount on this volume? (Y/N) n
Convert cannot gain exclusive access to the C: drive,
so it cannot convert it now. Would you like to
schedule it to be converted the next time the
system restarts (Y/N)? n

 

[stash]

When you convert a partition, it has to be dismounted for the operation to complete. This basically removes the partition temporarily from the OS so that nothing is read or written to it during the process. Since you are trying to convert the partition with the operating system on it, the only way to dismount is to reboot the machine.

So go ahead and say yes to the dismount and yes to do it during the next reboot. Then reboot the machine, and the conversion will take place. You will not loose any data converting from FAT32 to NTFS. Just be aware that conversion back to FAT32 is impossible without first deleting the partiton (and thus your data). Partition Magic says it can do it, but it's sketchy at best. But don't worry about that, there is no reason to go back to FAT32.

Just as an aside, I always thought it was intersting that the convert command requires a switch (/fs:ntfs) to tell it to convert to NTFS. This is strange, since the only thing convert can do is convert to NTFS!

 

[Edman]

As it says the convert command will convert your current FAT32 partition the next time your machine boots 'cause if U are in windows, U are currently using the system files, and the partition must be dismounted in order to gain access to those files, so U must say yes to the las option (convert at the next boot).

hope it helps!!

 

[SithSolo1]

2nd Dumb question:

If he converts, can I still see/use his files over the network?

 

[Nothinman]

Local filesystem has nothing to do with whether you can access files via the network. Otherwise you wouldn't be able to get to a large portion of the Internet because it's hosted on unix and Windows doesn't have any filesystem drivers for any unix filesystems.

 

[Tiger]

FAT32 can't read NTFS.

With the introduction of Windows 98, another new file system has been introduced: the FAT32 file system. Like NTFS, the FAT32 file system also handles 32-bit addresses (232), again erasing the old limitations imposed by the FAT16 addressing. Using the FAT32 system, the old limitations on partition and cluster size are obsolete, and even multigigabyte hard drives can exist as single partitions using 4KB clusters. More important, wasted drive space can commonly fall to as low as 2 percent or less.

But, again, there is a downside. Like Windows NT and the NTFS file system, the Windows 98 file system is incompatible with other operating systems, including DOS and Windows NT

->MSDN.

 

[Nothinman]

FAT32 can't read NTFS.

FAT32 is a filesystem, not a program or driver, it can't read anything. Going by your logic where would Linux fall in there? It can read FAT and NTFS just fine.

If you get NTFS4DOS you can read NTFS in DOS and it has a Win9X driver too.

 

[Tiger]

Although NTFS is more feature-rich than FAT32, you might need to use FAT32 because systems other than Win2K and NT systems, such as Win9x, can't read local NTFS drives. For example, if you have a double-boot system with Win2K and Win98, Win98 can't read NTFS drives on the system. This limitation doesn't interfere with networked file sharing: A Win2K machine can translate a file from an NTFS drive into something a Win9x machine can understand and can serve the file to a Win9x computer. But if you format a drive on a Win9x machine as NTFS, the Win9x machine can't read files on that local drive because Win9x can't translate NTFS. Consequently, if you create a Win2K Pro and Win9x dual-boot machine, you'll most likely want to keep all your drives in FAT32.

You are right Nothinman. I didn't read his question close enough. For some reason I skipped the "network" part of it and thought he was talking about a dual-boot.



Linky

 

[Nothinman]

The fact that he was talking about a network is just a fraction of the issue, my real problem with your post was the phrase: "FAT32 can't read NTFS.". Because FAT isn't executable code, FAT is a filesystem. Just because an OS supports a filesystem doesn't mean it's incapable of supporting another. Just because MS won't write a NTFS driver for Win9X doesn't have anything to do with the fact that Win9X supports FAT.

Basically an OS has filesystem drivers in the same way it has sound card drivers, you can install any combination of drivers you want as long as they exist for the platform. It just happens that MS never wrote NTFS drivers for Win9X but they did make FAT drivers for it.