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Windows XP: Converting To NTFS Switching your file system to NTFS enhances stability and provides a cluster of features not found in any version of FAT. Here, Dave Cook shows you how to convert painlessly.
The File Allocation Table (FAT) tracks how files are distributed among the clusters on a disk. So that your computer knows where to find these clusters quickly, it creates a FAT entry for every new file stored. FAT32 is the most recent FAT file system. It’s more efficient than earlier FAT versions because it supports smaller cluster sizes and larger disk capacities. Like FAT, the NTFS file system has been around for some time. However, the Windows 2000/XP version of NTFS is easily the best yet. It provides better security and reliability, along with several advanced features not found in any version of FAT or previous NTFS file system. Which Is Better? The majority of Windows XP computers are configured to use the FAT32 file system. While FAT32 carries certain limitations, it’s a good choice if you’re running a dual-boot configuration. That’s because Windows 95/98/Me can’t recognise NTFS volumes. Also, some very old applications may not work with NTFS. On the other hand, NTFS offers the following advantages over FAT32: · Recovery. NTFS volumes can recover from disk errors more readily than FAT32 volumes. If a system fails, NTFS uses log file and checkpoint information to restore a file system. · Security. NTFS volumes allow you to restrict access to files and folders using permissions. Windows XP Professional users can also use file encryption to protect data. · Expansion. Storage can be expanded on existing drive letters without having to repartition or reformat. Disk capacities up to 16 terabytes (256 terabytes with tweaking) are supported. It’s easy to discover which file system your Windows XP operating system uses. Simply right-click the drive icon in the My Computer window (or a volume in the Disk Management window) and choose Properties. Converting to NTFS Everyone is given the option to use NTFS when upgrading or performing a clean install of Windows XP. But what happens if you’re running a pre-installed version of Windows XP? Can you later change to NTFS? Thankfully, the answer is yes – you can use the “convert” utility to change from FAT32 to NTFS. Be warned, though, that converting to NTFS is one-way only. Once executed, there’s no way to revert back to FAT32 without reinstalling Windows XP. Also, although the convert process is non-destructive (files are kept intact), we highly recommend that you backup your important data beforehand.
When you’re ready to convert, click Start, and point to ALL PROGRAMS, ACCESSORIES, and then click COMMAND PROMPT. Then to convert the C: drive, for example, to NTFS, type: CONVERT C: /FS:NTFS and hit the ENTER key. Note that if the C: drive holds the system files or a page file then conversion won’t occur until you restart Windows. This is perfectly normal. You can, of course, convert other drives to NTFS from within Windows if the drive in question is not in use. Assuming you’re converting a system drive, after you restart the computer a prompt will warn you that conversion is about to begin. If you haven’t cancelled the conversion after 10 seconds then Windows will run the Check Disk utility and perform the conversion automatically. Your computer will restart twice during this process. It’s A Doddle On completion, your drive will be using the NTFS file system, rather than FAT32. It’s as simple as that!
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When
your computer stores a file on disk, it saves the file into tens or
even hundreds of contiguous clusters. If it can’t save all clusters
contiguously then the remaining clusters will be stored in the next
available space. The result is that clusters belonging to just one
single large file can end up scattered all over your disk.
To
find out more about the convert utility, click Start, Run, type
CMD, and then hit ENTER. In the command window,
type HELP CONVERT, and then press ENTER. This
brings up a range of information along with the various switches you
can use when initiating the command. For example, advanced users can
use the /CVTAREA switch to prevent fragmentation of the master file
table.