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How to format 320GB drive to FAT32



 
 
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  #1  
Old November 30th 06, 10:03 PM posted to microsoft.public.windowsxp.setup_deployment,microsoft.public.windowsxp.help_and_support,microsoft.public.windowsxp.general
emil_lam
external usenet poster
 
Posts: 20
Default How to format 320GB drive to FAT32

I just bought the mentioned 320GB HDD and intended to copy over 60GB
files from old UDMA 33 HDDs which were all formatted in FAT32. I
followed KB link
http://wdc.custhelp.com/cgi-bin/wdc....i=&p_topview=1
to format the new SATAII HDD.

Windows XP only gave NTFS as partition type option. Since NTFS & FAT32
partitions were incompatible, I couldn't copy the files to this new
drive unless I changed all my old drive partitions to NTFS. I think
it's too tedious and risky to change my old HDD partition format. Could
someone suggest methods for me to copy data safely from my FAT32
formatted HDD to this SATA HDD ?

Tks

Ads
  #2  
Old November 30th 06, 10:08 PM posted to microsoft.public.windowsxp.setup_deployment,microsoft.public.windowsxp.help_and_support,microsoft.public.windowsxp.general
Ayush
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Posts: 3,114
Default How to format 320GB drive to FAT32

Replied to [emil_lam]s message :
-----------------------------------------------------------
I just bought the mentioned 320GB HDD and intended to copy over 60GB
files from old UDMA 33 HDDs which were all formatted in FAT32.
Windows XP only gave NTFS as partition type option. Since NTFS & FAT32
partitions were incompatible, I couldn't copy the files to this new
drive unless I changed all my old drive partitions to NTFS.



You can copy files from Fat32 partition to NTFS partition without any loss.




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  #3  
Old November 30th 06, 10:10 PM posted to microsoft.public.windowsxp.setup_deployment,microsoft.public.windowsxp.help_and_support,microsoft.public.windowsxp.general
Rock
external usenet poster
 
Posts: 9,965
Default How to format 320GB drive to FAT32

"emil_lam" wrote in message
ups.com...
I just bought the mentioned 320GB HDD and intended to copy over 60GB
files from old UDMA 33 HDDs which were all formatted in FAT32. I
followed KB link
http://wdc.custhelp.com/cgi-bin/wdc....i=&p_topview=1
to format the new SATAII HDD.

Windows XP only gave NTFS as partition type option. Since NTFS & FAT32
partitions were incompatible, I couldn't copy the files to this new
drive unless I changed all my old drive partitions to NTFS. I think
it's too tedious and risky to change my old HDD partition format. Could
someone suggest methods for me to copy data safely from my FAT32
formatted HDD to this SATA HDD ?


Having the new drive NTFS should not impact copying from a FAT32 drive. Why
couldn't you copy the files? What happened when you tried?

  #4  
Old November 30th 06, 10:11 PM posted to microsoft.public.windowsxp.setup_deployment,microsoft.public.windowsxp.help_and_support,microsoft.public.windowsxp.general
Dave B.
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Posts: 534
Default How to format 320GB drive to FAT32

You are incorrect in your thinking. If a drive with a FAT32 partition is
installed in an XP system with NTFS drives, there are no issues at all
copying the data from the FAT32 drive to the NTFS drive.
How about starting from the beginning with your problem rather than
guessing at a solution.

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"emil_lam" wrote in message
ups.com...
I just bought the mentioned 320GB HDD and intended to copy over 60GB
files from old UDMA 33 HDDs which were all formatted in FAT32. I
followed KB link
http://wdc.custhelp.com/cgi-bin/wdc....i=&p_topview=1
to format the new SATAII HDD.

Windows XP only gave NTFS as partition type option. Since NTFS & FAT32
partitions were incompatible, I couldn't copy the files to this new
drive unless I changed all my old drive partitions to NTFS. I think
it's too tedious and risky to change my old HDD partition format. Could
someone suggest methods for me to copy data safely from my FAT32
formatted HDD to this SATA HDD ?

Tks



  #5  
Old November 30th 06, 10:16 PM posted to microsoft.public.windowsxp.setup_deployment,microsoft.public.windowsxp.help_and_support,microsoft.public.windowsxp.general
Shenan Stanley
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Posts: 10,523
Default How to format 320GB drive to FAT32

emil_lam wrote:
I just bought the mentioned 320GB HDD and intended to copy over 60GB
files from old UDMA 33 HDDs which were all formatted in FAT32. I
followed KB link
http://wdc.custhelp.com/cgi-bin/wdc....i=&p_topview=1
to format the new SATAII HDD.

Windows XP only gave NTFS as partition type option. Since NTFS &
FAT32 partitions were incompatible, I couldn't copy the files to
this new drive unless I changed all my old drive partitions to
NTFS. I think it's too tedious and risky to change my old HDD
partition format. Could someone suggest methods for me to copy data
safely from my FAT32 formatted HDD to this SATA HDD ?


NTFS and FAT32 don't really have incompatibilities - it's just that FAT32
has no security and NTFS does - not to mention the other limitations on
FAT32 that NTFS does not have.

You would need to use a third party tool if you want to stick with the older
FAT32 file system.

Also - if one of those partitions you are copying is your boot - you should
just consider an imaging application and let it handle everything for you.

--
Shenan Stanley
MS-MVP
--
How To Ask Questions The Smart Way
http://www.catb.org/~esr/faqs/smart-questions.html


  #6  
Old November 30th 06, 10:17 PM posted to microsoft.public.windowsxp.setup_deployment,microsoft.public.windowsxp.help_and_support,microsoft.public.windowsxp.general
Gordon
external usenet poster
 
Posts: 2,871
Default How to format 320GB drive to FAT32

emil_lam wrote:

Windows XP only gave NTFS as partition type option.


Because FAT32 will only recognise partitions up to 32 GB in size...hence
FAT "32".....
  #7  
Old November 30th 06, 10:20 PM posted to microsoft.public.windowsxp.setup_deployment,microsoft.public.windowsxp.help_and_support,microsoft.public.windowsxp.general
John John
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Posts: 3,149
Default How to format 320GB drive to FAT32

Windows XP cannot format FAT32 drives (partitions) larger than 32 GB but
it can mount larger FAT32 drives formated by other operating systems or
disk/partitioning/formating utilities. Formating such large drive FAT32
would be a waste of disk space anyway, there is nothing stopping you
from copying the data from FAT32 drives to NTFS so I would suggest that
you use the NTFS file system.

John

emil_lam wrote:

I just bought the mentioned 320GB HDD and intended to copy over 60GB
files from old UDMA 33 HDDs which were all formatted in FAT32. I
followed KB link
http://wdc.custhelp.com/cgi-bin/wdc....i=&p_topview=1
to format the new SATAII HDD.

Windows XP only gave NTFS as partition type option. Since NTFS & FAT32
partitions were incompatible, I couldn't copy the files to this new
drive unless I changed all my old drive partitions to NTFS. I think
it's too tedious and risky to change my old HDD partition format. Could
someone suggest methods for me to copy data safely from my FAT32
formatted HDD to this SATA HDD ?

Tks


  #8  
Old November 30th 06, 10:26 PM posted to microsoft.public.windowsxp.setup_deployment,microsoft.public.windowsxp.help_and_support,microsoft.public.windowsxp.general
Ken Blake, MVP
external usenet poster
 
Posts: 10,402
Default How to format 320GB drive to FAT32

emil_lam wrote:

I just bought the mentioned 320GB HDD and intended to copy over 60GB
files from old UDMA 33 HDDs which were all formatted in FAT32. I
followed KB link
http://wdc.custhelp.com/cgi-bin/wdc....i=&p_topview=1
to format the new SATAII HDD.

Windows XP only gave NTFS as partition type option. Since NTFS & FAT32
partitions were incompatible,



No, not at all true. There are no such incompatabilities. Windows XP can
read and use NTFS, FAT32, FAT16, and FAT12, in any and all
combinations--separately or together-- and regardless of what file system it
itself is installed on.


I couldn't copy the files to this new
drive unless I changed all my old drive partitions to NTFS. I think
it's too tedious and risky to change my old HDD partition format.
Could someone suggest methods for me to copy data safely from my FAT32
formatted HDD to this SATA HDD ?



Make the new drive NTFS and just copy it. There should be no problem.

--
Ken Blake - Microsoft MVP Windows: Shell/User
Please reply to the newsgroup


  #9  
Old November 30th 06, 10:30 PM posted to microsoft.public.windowsxp.general,microsoft.public.windowsxp.help_and_support,microsoft.public.windowsxp.setup_deployment
SteveL
external usenet poster
 
Posts: 154
Default How to format 320GB drive to FAT32

partition the new drive to the same size and format fat32. also look into a
disk partitioning utility.

"emil_lam" wrote:

I just bought the mentioned 320GB HDD and intended to copy over 60GB
files from old UDMA 33 HDDs which were all formatted in FAT32. I
followed KB link
http://wdc.custhelp.com/cgi-bin/wdc....i=&p_topview=1
to format the new SATAII HDD.

Windows XP only gave NTFS as partition type option. Since NTFS & FAT32
partitions were incompatible, I couldn't copy the files to this new
drive unless I changed all my old drive partitions to NTFS. I think
it's too tedious and risky to change my old HDD partition format. Could
someone suggest methods for me to copy data safely from my FAT32
formatted HDD to this SATA HDD ?

Tks


  #10  
Old November 30th 06, 10:32 PM posted to microsoft.public.windowsxp.setup_deployment,microsoft.public.windowsxp.help_and_support,microsoft.public.windowsxp.general
John John
external usenet poster
 
Posts: 3,149
Default How to format 320GB drive to FAT32

Gordon wrote:

emil_lam wrote:

Windows XP only gave NTFS as partition type option.



Because FAT32 will only recognise partitions up to 32 GB in size...hence
FAT "32".....


Have you never seen a Windows 9x/ME computer using larger
drives/partitions than 32GB? It can see and recognize WAY bigger than
that, up to 127 with the proper motherboard/BIOS and way bigger than
that with a controller card that has support for these operating systems.

John

  #11  
Old November 30th 06, 10:33 PM posted to microsoft.public.windowsxp.setup_deployment,microsoft.public.windowsxp.help_and_support,microsoft.public.windowsxp.general
Dave B.
external usenet poster
 
Posts: 534
Default How to format 320GB drive to FAT32

Umm, no it won't, XP only allows you to create FAT32 partitions of up to
32GB, they can be created much larger.

http://support.microsoft.com/kb/154997

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"Gordon" wrote in message
...
emil_lam wrote:

Windows XP only gave NTFS as partition type option.


Because FAT32 will only recognise partitions up to 32 GB in size...hence
FAT "32".....



  #12  
Old November 30th 06, 11:28 PM posted to microsoft.public.windowsxp.setup_deployment,microsoft.public.windowsxp.help_and_support,microsoft.public.windowsxp.general
emil_lam
external usenet poster
 
Posts: 20
Default How to format 320GB drive to FAT32


Rock ¼g¹D¡G


Having the new drive NTFS should not impact copying from a FAT32 drive. Why
couldn't you copy the files? What happened when you tried?


My PC has 2 IDE bus & 2 SATA slot, My old UDMA-33 disk were already
there, w/ FAT32 partitions & XP installed. I just added one SATA HDD to
the SATA0 slot and use XP to format it. Only NTFS partition creation
allowed by XP. And XP installation at FAT32 partition couldn't
recognize the newly formatted NTFS partition except it's drive letter.

  #13  
Old November 30th 06, 11:45 PM posted to microsoft.public.windowsxp.setup_deployment,microsoft.public.windowsxp.help_and_support,microsoft.public.windowsxp.general
Rock
external usenet poster
 
Posts: 9,965
Default How to format 320GB drive to FAT32

"emil_lam" wrote in message
ps.com...

Rock ¼g¹D¡G


Having the new drive NTFS should not impact copying from a FAT32 drive.
Why
couldn't you copy the files? What happened when you tried?


My PC has 2 IDE bus & 2 SATA slot, My old UDMA-33 disk were already
there, w/ FAT32 partitions & XP installed. I just added one SATA HDD to
the SATA0 slot and use XP to format it. Only NTFS partition creation
allowed by XP. And XP installation at FAT32 partition couldn't
recognize the newly formatted NTFS partition except it's drive letter.



You have something else going on, but it's not related to NTFS vs. FAT32.

  #14  
Old November 30th 06, 11:57 PM posted to microsoft.public.windowsxp.setup_deployment,microsoft.public.windowsxp.help_and_support,microsoft.public.windowsxp.general
neil
external usenet poster
 
Posts: 63
Default How to format 320GB drive to FAT32

Hi,
Have a look at disk management and see what the status of the SATA drive is.
Right click on "my computer" and select "manage" then select "disk
management". You should have been prompted to install drivers at some stage
for the SATA drive, did that happen.??

Neil

  #15  
Old December 1st 06, 12:00 AM posted to microsoft.public.windowsxp.setup_deployment,microsoft.public.windowsxp.help_and_support,microsoft.public.windowsxp.general
GTS
external usenet poster
 
Posts: 91
Default How to format 320GB drive to FAT32

I had a chuckle over that one.
- It's called FAT 32 because the FAT supports 32 bit (4 byte) data entries.
- FAT32 supports drives up to 2 terabytes in size, but is enormously
wasteful of disk space because of the large cluster size needed.
- Windows XP and 2000 will recognize FAT 32 partitions of any permitted
size, but will not allow formatting a hard drive to greater than 32GB.
--

"Gordon" wrote in message
...
emil_lam wrote:

Windows XP only gave NTFS as partition type option.


Because FAT32 will only recognise partitions up to 32 GB in size...hence
FAT "32".....



 




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