Ron Schenone

Fat32 or NTFS – That Is The Question

Posted by on Nov 16, 2007 | 4 Comments

Not only is this question asked many times in the forums that I belong to, but is still asked my many new users who are confused on which format to use. Basically NTFS provides for increased security, file–by–file compression and encryption and has become the standard for all new computer systems. But wonder if your older system came with Fat32?

For those using Windows XP, the conversion process is normally painless. But anytime we mess with the operating system, some general rules should be applied. Make a backup of your important stuff first. Also it doesn’t hurt to make a restore point as well.

You can use Windows XP conversion tool: Go to Start | All Programs | Accessories | Command Prompt (or, from a Run box, type CMD)  to convert C:, give the command:

VOL C:

Then type:

CONVERT C: /FS:NTFS

[Note: Make sure you select the correct drive if your system has mutliple drives installed]

Comments welcome.

[tags]fate32, ntfs, convert, security, encryption, file, system,  [/tags]

  • Don Naphen

    Ron, just a quick question on this: is it possible to convert from FAT to NTFS on a memory stick, and is it really worth the effort? Just a thought, as I’ve got lots of time on my hands today! LOL

  • http://wp3.lockergnome.com/nexus/blade/ Ron Schenone

    Hi Don,
    Nope – mem sticks are RAM. No fat nor ntfs That’s only hard disks.
    Have a good turkey day.

  • Andrew

    > Nope – mem sticks are RAM. No fat nor ntfs That’s only hard disks.

    Actually, if you look at the properties of a memory stick drive in Explorer, you’ll see that the file system is FAT (unless you have formatted it as NTFS). Vista SP1 will include support for a new standard called exFAT; see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ExFAT and http://windowsvistablog.com/blogs/windowsvista/pages/windows-vista-service-pack-1-beta-whitepaper.aspx#_Toc175944550.

  • http://wp3.lockergnome.com/nexus/blade/ Ron Schenone

    Hi Andrew,
    Thanks for the info.