Convertio: FAT32 to NTFS

My Windows XP is all on Fat32.
Will it be OK to convert it now to NTFS?

I have quite a bit of stuff on floppies and cds.
Will that work as usual or ?
Would appreciate an advice about my old stuff?

Converting your system drive from Fat32 to NTFS will only be good for your
PC's performance - it will not affect the reading /writing to any other
media (CDs, floppies, etc.), whatsoever.

Do be aware, though only really relevant for "techies" - but, if you ever
access your hard-drive using other tools, such as an earlier version of
Windows, you may no-longer be able to "see" your hard-drive after
conversion to NTFS - e.g. If you use a Win98 installation as a repair
tool for XP installed to a Fat32 system drive, you will not be able to do
so after conversion to NTFS!!

That being just about the only consideration (you'd definitely know it if
it were), you're probably fine to go ahead with it - as I said; converting
to NTFS will only be good for your PC's performance....

==

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




"AAH" wrote in message
...
My Windows XP is all on Fat32.
Will it be OK to convert it now to NTFS?

I have quite a bit of stuff on floppies and cds.
Will that work as usual or ?
Would appreciate an advice about my old stuff?

AAH wrote:
My Windows XP is all on Fat32.
Will it be OK to convert it now to NTFS?

I have quite a bit of stuff on floppies and cds.
Will that work as usual or ?
Would appreciate an advice about my old stuff?

And to add to what Tim said in his reply, if I were you, I think I'd make
sure I make and keep a backup clone drive, just in case there are any
issues. And if it's successful, you can ditch the clone.

On Tue, 29 Apr 2014 19:02:01 +0100, "AAH" wrote:

My Windows XP is all on Fat32.
Will it be OK to convert it now to NTFS?


You can't convert Windows to NTFS, nor can you convert your computer
to NTFS.

What you *can* convert is a drive or partition. And what file system
is on your hard drive or partition has nothing to do what's on other
drives or partitions. They don't all have to be the same.



I have quite a bit of stuff on floppies and cds.
Will that work as usual or ?


Yes. As I said above. One has nothing to with the others. Note that
your floppies and hard drive are already different file systems. The
hard drive is FAT32, but the floppies are FAT12.

To convert to NTFS, you use the CONVERT command. But first read
http://www.aumha.org/a/ntfscvt.htm because there's an important issue
regarding cluster size that isn't obvious.

Also note that conversion is a big step, affecting everything on your
drive. When you take such a big step, no matter how unlikely, it is
always possible that something could go wrong. For that reason, it's
prudent to make sure you have a backup of anything you can't afford to
lose before beginning.

I'm sure the OP did actually mean - convert his 'hard-drive' to NTFS - it's
exactly I'd say it as well...!!

Also, I would just like to add to my original reply - I would never
make *any* suggestion that wasn't 100% okay to attempt, assuming the poster
had understood the question he was putting in the first place (you'd be
surprised!!), and, first made sure that I had already outlined *any*
possible shortcomings (no matter how remote the possibility of
happening!!)....

==

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




"Ken Blake, MVP" wrote in message
...
On Tue, 29 Apr 2014 19:02:01 +0100, "AAH" wrote:

My Windows XP is all on Fat32.
Will it be OK to convert it now to NTFS?


You can't convert Windows to NTFS, nor can you convert your computer
to NTFS.

What you *can* convert is a drive or partition. And what file system
is on your hard drive or partition has nothing to do what's on other
drives or partitions. They don't all have to be the same.



I have quite a bit of stuff on floppies and cds.
Will that work as usual or ?


Yes. As I said above. One has nothing to with the others. Note that
your floppies and hard drive are already different file systems. The
hard drive is FAT32, but the floppies are FAT12.

To convert to NTFS, you use the CONVERT command. But first read
http://www.aumha.org/a/ntfscvt.htm because there's an important issue
regarding cluster size that isn't obvious.

Also note that conversion is a big step, affecting everything on your
drive. When you take such a big step, no matter how unlikely, it is
always possible that something could go wrong. For that reason, it's
prudent to make sure you have a backup of anything you can't afford to
lose before beginning.

But the question comes up as to whether or not one could take an existing
FAT32-formatted, Windows XP drive or partition, and then successfully
convert that to NTFS *and* get windows to boot up ok on that drive *after
the conversion process was completed* (using some other bootable media,
presumably). Has that specific question been addressed?

Tim Meddick wrote:
I'm sure the OP did actually mean - convert his 'hard-drive' to NTFS -
it's
exactly I'd say it as well...!!

Also, I would just like to add to my original reply - I would never
make *any* suggestion that wasn't 100% okay to attempt, assuming the
poster
had understood the question he was putting in the first place (you'd be
surprised!!), and, first made sure that I had already outlined *any*
possible shortcomings (no matter how remote the possibility of
happening!!)....

==

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




"Ken Blake, MVP" wrote in message
...
On Tue, 29 Apr 2014 19:02:01 +0100, "AAH" wrote:

My Windows XP is all on Fat32.
Will it be OK to convert it now to NTFS?


You can't convert Windows to NTFS, nor can you convert your computer
to NTFS.

What you *can* convert is a drive or partition. And what file system
is on your hard drive or partition has nothing to do what's on other
drives or partitions. They don't all have to be the same.



I have quite a bit of stuff on floppies and cds.
Will that work as usual or ?


Yes. As I said above. One has nothing to with the others. Note that
your floppies and hard drive are already different file systems. The
hard drive is FAT32, but the floppies are FAT12.

To convert to NTFS, you use the CONVERT command. But first read
http://www.aumha.org/a/ntfscvt.htm because there's an important issue
regarding cluster size that isn't obvious.

Also note that conversion is a big step, affecting everything on your
drive. When you take such a big step, no matter how unlikely, it is
always possible that something could go wrong. For that reason, it's
prudent to make sure you have a backup of anything you can't afford to
lose before beginning.

I do believe that the OP's question was not; "How do I convert Fat32 to
NTFS...." but, rather; "Is it a wise thing, if I did so convert the
drive..." - ...and so, presumably, he knows *how* to do this - as,
specifically, that did not form any part of his question...!?!!

==

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




"Bill in Co" wrote in message
m...
But the question comes up as to whether or not one could take an existing
FAT32-formatted, Windows XP drive or partition, and then successfully
convert that to NTFS *and* get windows to boot up ok on that drive *after
the conversion process was completed* (using some other bootable media,
presumably). Has that specific question been addressed?

Tim Meddick wrote:
I'm sure the OP did actually mean - convert his 'hard-drive' to NTFS -
it's
exactly I'd say it as well...!!

Also, I would just like to add to my original reply - I would
never
make *any* suggestion that wasn't 100% okay to attempt, assuming the
poster
had understood the question he was putting in the first place (you'd be
surprised!!), and, first made sure that I had already outlined *any*
possible shortcomings (no matter how remote the possibility of
happening!!)....

==

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




"Ken Blake, MVP" wrote in message
...
On Tue, 29 Apr 2014 19:02:01 +0100, "AAH" wrote:

My Windows XP is all on Fat32.
Will it be OK to convert it now to NTFS?


You can't convert Windows to NTFS, nor can you convert your computer
to NTFS.

What you *can* convert is a drive or partition. And what file system
is on your hard drive or partition has nothing to do what's on other
drives or partitions. They don't all have to be the same.



I have quite a bit of stuff on floppies and cds.
Will that work as usual or ?


Yes. As I said above. One has nothing to with the others. Note that
your floppies and hard drive are already different file systems. The
hard drive is FAT32, but the floppies are FAT12.

To convert to NTFS, you use the CONVERT command. But first read
http://www.aumha.org/a/ntfscvt.htm because there's an important issue
regarding cluster size that isn't obvious.

Also note that conversion is a big step, affecting everything on your
drive. When you take such a big step, no matter how unlikely, it is
always possible that something could go wrong. For that reason, it's
prudent to make sure you have a backup of anything you can't afford to
lose before beginning.

P.S. If, in fact, he, or anyone else, does want to know, there are many
third-party partitioning tools, such as the very capable Partition Magic,
or EAESUS, can convert a drive (partition) from various file-system
formats: from one to another, including what was asked for he FAT32 -
NTFS...

However, there is a native Windows command-line utility
(convert.exe) which will also do the job - it's syntax (usage help) is
reproduced here...:



Converts FAT volumes to NTFS.

CONVERT volume /FS:NTFS [/V] [/CvtArea:filename] [/NoSecurity] [/X]

volume Specifies the drive letter (followed by a colon),
mount point, or volume name.

/FS:NTFS Specifies that the volume is to be converted to NTFS.
/V Specifies that Convert should be run in verbose mode.
/CvtArea:filename
Specifies a contiguous file in the root directory to be
the place holder for NTFS system files.
/NoSecurity Specifies the converted files and directories security
settings to be accessible by everyone.
/X Forces the volume to dismount first if necessary.
All opened handles to the volume would then be invalid.


==

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




"Bill in Co" wrote in message
m...
But the question comes up as to whether or not one could take an existing
FAT32-formatted, Windows XP drive or partition, and then successfully
convert that to NTFS *and* get windows to boot up ok on that drive *after
the conversion process was completed* (using some other bootable media,
presumably). Has that specific question been addressed?

Tim Meddick wrote:
I'm sure the OP did actually mean - convert his 'hard-drive' to NTFS -
it's
exactly I'd say it as well...!!

Also, I would just like to add to my original reply - I would
never
make *any* suggestion that wasn't 100% okay to attempt, assuming the
poster
had understood the question he was putting in the first place (you'd be
surprised!!), and, first made sure that I had already outlined *any*
possible shortcomings (no matter how remote the possibility of
happening!!)....

==

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




"Ken Blake, MVP" wrote in message
...
On Tue, 29 Apr 2014 19:02:01 +0100, "AAH" wrote:

My Windows XP is all on Fat32.
Will it be OK to convert it now to NTFS?


You can't convert Windows to NTFS, nor can you convert your computer
to NTFS.

What you *can* convert is a drive or partition. And what file system
is on your hard drive or partition has nothing to do what's on other
drives or partitions. They don't all have to be the same.



I have quite a bit of stuff on floppies and cds.
Will that work as usual or ?


Yes. As I said above. One has nothing to with the others. Note that
your floppies and hard drive are already different file systems. The
hard drive is FAT32, but the floppies are FAT12.

To convert to NTFS, you use the CONVERT command. But first read
http://www.aumha.org/a/ntfscvt.htm because there's an important issue
regarding cluster size that isn't obvious.

Also note that conversion is a big step, affecting everything on your
drive. When you take such a big step, no matter how unlikely, it is
always possible that something could go wrong. For that reason, it's
prudent to make sure you have a backup of anything you can't afford to
lose before beginning.

Well, and that may have been what he asked. :-)

But I'm not sure how it would turn out, for that matter, IF the OP or anyone
tried to convert an already pre-existing FAT32 Windows XP system directly
over to NTFS (using some other bootable media, since you wouldn't be able to
run windows during the conversion obviously). Or maybe I'm having a senior
moment on this. :-)

Tim Meddick wrote:
I do believe that the OP's question was not; "How do I convert Fat32 to
NTFS...." but, rather; "Is it a wise thing, if I did so convert the
drive..." - ...and so, presumably, he knows *how* to do this - as,
specifically, that did not form any part of his question...!?!!

==

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




"Bill in Co" wrote in message
m...
But the question comes up as to whether or not one could take an existing
FAT32-formatted, Windows XP drive or partition, and then successfully
convert that to NTFS *and* get windows to boot up ok on that drive *after
the conversion process was completed* (using some other bootable media,
presumably). Has that specific question been addressed?

Tim Meddick wrote:
I'm sure the OP did actually mean - convert his 'hard-drive' to NTFS -
it's
exactly I'd say it as well...!!

Also, I would just like to add to my original reply - I would
never
make *any* suggestion that wasn't 100% okay to attempt, assuming the
poster
had understood the question he was putting in the first place (you'd be
surprised!!), and, first made sure that I had already outlined *any*
possible shortcomings (no matter how remote the possibility of
happening!!)....

==

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




"Ken Blake, MVP" wrote in message
...
On Tue, 29 Apr 2014 19:02:01 +0100, "AAH" wrote:

My Windows XP is all on Fat32.
Will it be OK to convert it now to NTFS?


You can't convert Windows to NTFS, nor can you convert your computer
to NTFS.

What you *can* convert is a drive or partition. And what file system
is on your hard drive or partition has nothing to do what's on other
drives or partitions. They don't all have to be the same.



I have quite a bit of stuff on floppies and cds.
Will that work as usual or ?


Yes. As I said above. One has nothing to with the others. Note that
your floppies and hard drive are already different file systems. The
hard drive is FAT32, but the floppies are FAT12.

To convert to NTFS, you use the CONVERT command. But first read
http://www.aumha.org/a/ntfscvt.htm because there's an important issue
regarding cluster size that isn't obvious.

Also note that conversion is a big step, affecting everything on your
drive. When you take such a big step, no matter how unlikely, it is
always possible that something could go wrong. For that reason, it's
prudent to make sure you have a backup of anything you can't afford to
lose before beginning.

On Wed, 30 Apr 2014 02:07:29 +0100, "Tim Meddick"
wrote:

I'm sure the OP did actually mean - convert his 'hard-drive' to NTFS


Maybe. But when someone uses the wrong terminology, it's common that
he doesn't at all understand what it is that he really needs to do, or
at least misunderstands what doing it actually means. That's why I
think it's important to point out the correct terminology.


- it's
exactly I'd say it as well...!!

Also, I would just like to add to my original reply - I would never
make *any* suggestion that wasn't 100% okay to attempt, assuming the poster
had understood the question he was putting in the first place (you'd be
surprised!!), and, first made sure that I had already outlined *any*
possible shortcomings (no matter how remote the possibility of
happening!!)....

==

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




"Ken Blake, MVP" wrote in message
...
On Tue, 29 Apr 2014 19:02:01 +0100, "AAH" wrote:

My Windows XP is all on Fat32.
Will it be OK to convert it now to NTFS?


You can't convert Windows to NTFS, nor can you convert your computer
to NTFS.

What you *can* convert is a drive or partition. And what file system
is on your hard drive or partition has nothing to do what's on other
drives or partitions. They don't all have to be the same.



I have quite a bit of stuff on floppies and cds.
Will that work as usual or ?


Yes. As I said above. One has nothing to with the others. Note that
your floppies and hard drive are already different file systems. The
hard drive is FAT32, but the floppies are FAT12.

To convert to NTFS, you use the CONVERT command. But first read
http://www.aumha.org/a/ntfscvt.htm because there's an important issue
regarding cluster size that isn't obvious.

Also note that conversion is a big step, affecting everything on your
drive. When you take such a big step, no matter how unlikely, it is
always possible that something could go wrong. For that reason, it's
prudent to make sure you have a backup of anything you can't afford to
lose before beginning.

On Wed, 30 Apr 2014 03:25:08 +0100, "Tim Meddick"
wrote:

P.S. If, in fact, he, or anyone else, does want to know, there are many
third-party partitioning tools, such as the very capable Partition Magic,
or EAESUS, can convert a drive (partition) from various file-system
formats: from one to another, including what was asked for he FAT32 -
NTFS...

However, there is a native Windows command-line utility
(convert.exe) which will also do the job - it's syntax (usage help) is
reproduced here...:


Yes, but there is an issue with using it. See the link I posted in my
message.

| To convert to NTFS, you use the CONVERT command. But first read
| http://www.aumha.org/a/ntfscvt.htm because there's an important issue
| regarding cluster size that isn't obvious.
|

Perhaps you could explain that. Your link is giving
me a 404. I've used convert a few times without
ever getting into any command line options and
haven't had any trouble, but I'm wondering if there's
something I should know.

On 04/29/2014 01:02 PM, AAH wrote:
My Windows XP is all on Fat32.
Will it be OK to convert it now to NTFS?

I have quite a bit of stuff on floppies and cds.
Will that work as usual or ?
Would appreciate an advice about my old stuff?




The others have given you the answer but I advise you to copy all of
your floppies you need to keep... to your hard drive and burn the files
to CD or DVD.


I recently needed to use a few floppies and of the ones I had...at least
90% were unusable.

On Wed, 30 Apr 2014 14:17:10 -0400, "Mayayana"
wrote:

| To convert to NTFS, you use the CONVERT command. But first read
| http://www.aumha.org/a/ntfscvt.htm because there's an important issue
| regarding cluster size that isn't obvious.
|

Perhaps you could explain that. Your link is giving
me a 404. I've used convert a few times without
ever getting into any command line options and
haven't had any trouble, but I'm wondering if there's
something I should know.



Sorry, here's the correct link: http://aumha.org/win5/a/ntfscvt.htm

| Sorry, here's the correct link: http://aumha.org/win5/a/ntfscvt.htm
|

Thanks. Even better, for those of us who block
frames:

http://aumha.org/win5/a/ntfscvt.php