External HD - NTFS vs FAT32 for use in mixed environment ....zuh?

The First drive with FAT32 wont be able to read if
formated in NTFS if you go that route.Why not use NTFS
in all drives.
-----Original Message-----
Hi. I'm ordering an external USB2/Fireware Hard Drive
(the IOGEAR ION
120b). I'll be using it for backing up 2 computers.

1st has Windows2000 with a FAT32 C: drive.
2nd has WindowsXP with a NTFS C: drive.

Will this external HD be compatible for both computers? I
can format the
ext drive with NTFS or FAT32, but I want to make sure it
will be
recognized from both computers.

Have any of you tried this, or have any experience /
advice?

Less important question, as an afterthought: anyone know
which is better
- this IOGEAR ION vs the IOMEGA HDD (similar specs, both
are 120gb and do
USB and Firewire)

THANK YOU for any thoughts...

-Mike Shiva

--
*If you want to email me directly:
1) Remove the 1st letter, so it starts with K
2) and switch the 2-digit number to number format. (64)

.

Mike's comment is incorrect. NT-based Windows (Windows NT 4.0, Windows 2000, Windows XP, Windows Server 2003) can read/write FAT16, FAT32, NTFS v4, NTFS v5 (partially supported in Windows NT 4.0 with Service Pack 6), and HPFS regardless of the file system of the system partition. Because both of your operating systems (Windows 2000 and Windows XP) support NTFS, then I would recommend using NTFS since NTFS is outright better than FAT32. In regards to the NTFS version, Windows 2000 and Windows XP both use NTFS v5 and from what I know, they automatically upgrade any NTFS v4 partition to NTFS v5; in other words, do not worry about it.
Another recommendation which might be a little bit too late. Do NOT buy a FireWire/USB 2.0 hard disk. Instead, buy a "drive enclosure" and a normal internal hard drive. A drive enclosure is just a box with normal connectors (E/IDE cable and power cable) inside it for you to connect a standard internal hard drive or CD-ROM drive, and connects to either your FireWire or USB 2.0 port (or both). The advantage is price: I bought an Belkin USB 2.0 Drive Enclosure, a Belking USB 2.0 CardBus apadter (my laptop doesn't have USB 2.0 ports) and a Western Digital 120 GB Special Edition (7200 RPM, 8 MB cache) all for ~$297 (online at Dell.com), while the same Western Digital hard drive with integrated FireWire/USB 2.0 support started at $300 (without tax). In my case, when my hard drive fails, I only have to buy another 120 GB hard drive (which I bought for ~$150) instead of another $300+ FireWire/USB 2.0 hard drive. Also, the price of just the hard drive and the drive enclosure went around ~$235 since my USB 2.0 CardBus adapter went for ~$65. Belking also gives me life-time warranty on the enclosure. It also gives my laptop access to standard hard disks and CD-ROM drives, although openning the drive enclosure was a hassle... there was one I saw at Circuit City that seemed be easier to use (ADS Tech USB 2.0 External Drive Kit, $79.99 at Circuit City).


Western Digital Special Edition 120 GB (7200 RPM, 8 MB cache):
http://www.wdc.com/en/products/products.asp?DriveID=27

Belkin Hi-Speed USB 2.0 External Drive Enclosure Kit:
http://catalog.belkin.com/IWCatProdu...ct_Id= 125643

ADS Tech USB 2.0 External Drive Kit:
http://www.adstech.com/products/PYRO...sp?pid=API-800


I hope all this helps,
Roberto


"Andrew E." wrote in message ...
The First drive with FAT32 wont be able to read if
formated in NTFS if you go that route.Why not use NTFS
in all drives.
-----Original Message-----
Hi. I'm ordering an external USB2/Fireware Hard Drive
(the IOGEAR ION
120b). I'll be using it for backing up 2 computers.

1st has Windows2000 with a FAT32 C: drive.
2nd has WindowsXP with a NTFS C: drive.

Will this external HD be compatible for both computers? I
can format the
ext drive with NTFS or FAT32, but I want to make sure it
will be
recognized from both computers.

Have any of you tried this, or have any experience /
advice?

Less important question, as an afterthought: anyone know
which is better
- this IOGEAR ION vs the IOMEGA HDD (similar specs, both
are 120gb and do
USB and Firewire)

THANK YOU for any thoughts...

-Mike Shiva

--
*If you want to email me directly:
1) Remove the 1st letter, so it starts with K
2) and switch the 2-digit number to number format. (64)

.