I have been running an XP RC version on a test machine for some months. I have used both FAT32 & NTFS and can see little difference. Maybe NTFS is fractionally slower. I am about to install a retail version of XP Pro on my main system and would appreciate anybodies comments on which file system to use. Security is not a big priority, I am looking at hardware / software compatibility, system stability and performance.
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NTFS or FAT32? Comments please 2
- Thread starter Mulga
- Start date
I would choose NTFS, always. That is a personal opinion though. However, if you choose Fat32, you can always use the convert command to change it to NTFS, but not Vice Versa. I agree about the stability being better with NTFS, and definately security is increased. I actually even thing that NTFS seems faster than Fat32, but maybe it is just me.
REALLY? You can't access the drive in dos-mode if you are using NTFS? I did not know this. I think I will NOT convert to NTFS if this is true. I like working with dos, and I actually like the dos sometimes.
I can't imagine any computer-savvy person not using dos at some time or another!
I can't imagine any computer-savvy person not using dos at some time or another!
Hmmm, that doesn't sound entirely accurate. If you go to start; run: type in cmd, you get a dos prompt and can do anything dos related that you need to if you have XP. However, if you aren't concerned about security, it doesn't really matter that I can see whether to use NTFS or FAT32. Good luck with your decision!
FoxPacific
Programmer
Just to get the story straight. You CAN run some DOS programs and get a DOS window using NTFS. However, you cannot access the drive from another computer running only on DOS. This means unless you have a DOS computer that needs to access the drive this is ALMOST a non-issue, other than compatibility with particular DOS program(s) you're using.
Aloha,
James
Aloha,
James
SQLScholar
Programmer
OK... right lets completely clear this up.
1) You cannot access an NTFS harddisk from DOS
2) You can still run a DOS prompt in windows... but that aint DOS it is just windows pretending
3) If your computer crashes you cant then access the HD from DOS
4) NTFS does seem more stable... i thought it was also faster, but i might be dreaming.
Hope this clears all up.
Cheers
Dan
1) You cannot access an NTFS harddisk from DOS
2) You can still run a DOS prompt in windows... but that aint DOS it is just windows pretending
3) If your computer crashes you cant then access the HD from DOS
4) NTFS does seem more stable... i thought it was also faster, but i might be dreaming.
Hope this clears all up.
Cheers
Dan
SQLScholar
Programmer
oooo.... forgot to mention.
You can use the XP disc to view the HD from a very screwed version of a DOS with all the main features ripped out and most of the commands changed, and absolutly no features which i find helpful to restore windows
Sorry for the rant
You can use the XP disc to view the HD from a very screwed version of a DOS with all the main features ripped out and most of the commands changed, and absolutly no features which i find helpful to restore windows
Sorry for the rant
Guest_imported
New member
- Jan 1, 1970
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Fat32 is faster and much less prone to fragmentation. There is also a difference in how fast both filesystems handle large numbers of files, but I forget which one handles this better. :^) One of them is more suited to large numbers of files, while the other to large sized files.
I suppose another benefit of NTFS is the internal compression. This works on directories so that you don't have to compress the entire drive, just the directories with files that might benefit from compression.
It is also easier to clone Fat32 XP installs than NTFS, if you would like to transfer your install to a new drive w/o having to reinstall from scratch.
NTFS is pretty much best suited for servers or other multiuser environments where security is important, while Fat32 is best for a single-user system where speed is most important.
I suppose another benefit of NTFS is the internal compression. This works on directories so that you don't have to compress the entire drive, just the directories with files that might benefit from compression.
It is also easier to clone Fat32 XP installs than NTFS, if you would like to transfer your install to a new drive w/o having to reinstall from scratch.
NTFS is pretty much best suited for servers or other multiuser environments where security is important, while Fat32 is best for a single-user system where speed is most important.
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- #11
I completely agree with the previous post. NTFS though does handle a larger number of files in one folder than FAT32, but FAT32 is generally 10% faster than NTFS.
Dan is completely correct about accesing an NTFS partition in DOS (not opening a DOS session in Windows). You cannot boot into DOS in a NTFS partition unless you use a nifty product called NTFSDOSPro which works wonderfully well and has got me out of trouble with particular servers at work.
Dan is completely correct about accesing an NTFS partition in DOS (not opening a DOS session in Windows). You cannot boot into DOS in a NTFS partition unless you use a nifty product called NTFSDOSPro which works wonderfully well and has got me out of trouble with particular servers at work.
SQLScholar
Programmer
I had never heard of NTFSDOSPro... sounds like an answer to my prayers (ok maybe thats OTT, but its still helpfull)
Thanks rich42uk i will have to do some further research into this product.
Star for you...
Dan
Thanks rich42uk i will have to do some further research into this product.
Star for you...
Dan
Happy to be of service. To save you time, you can download it from here and see what it can do. Never leave home without it!
ftp://ftp.allen.ru/pub/NTFS_DOS/NTFSDOS%20Pro%204.0%20Licensed.zip
This will allow you to create a bootdisk so you can boot straight into DOS in an NTFS partition.
ftp://ftp.allen.ru/pub/NTFS_DOS/NTFSDOS%20Pro%204.0%20Licensed.zip
This will allow you to create a bootdisk so you can boot straight into DOS in an NTFS partition.
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JonJontheMighty
IS-IT--Management
File System Dilemma: What's the Real Story?
Those who are new to Windows XP have asking for advice about choosing a file system. If you've been using Windows 9x/ME in the past, should you stick with the familiar FAT32 file system or switch to NTFS (the native file system for Windows NT, 2000 and XP)? Well, there's no "one size fits all" answer, but I'll talk about the advantages and disadvantages of both.
NTFS was designed to be more reliable, stable and secure than the FAT (File Allocation Table) file systems. If you're running XP Pro, there are many advantages to using NTFS: you can set access permissions on files to protect them from unauthorized users, you can use EFS to encrypt files, you can set disk quotas to limit the amount of space on the hard disk each user can use, and you can compress data on a file-by-file basis. You lose some of these features if you're using XP Home Edition, as it doesn't support file encryption or disk quotas. Generally, however, Microsoft recommends using NTFS. One reason is that NTFS supports "hot fixing," which means it can repair disk problems on the fly, transparently to the user.
There are a couple of reasons not to use NTFS, though. If you're dual booting with Windows 9x/ME and you want to be able to access a partition from the older operating system, you'll need to format it with NTFS. 9x/ME can't "see" NTFS partitions. Also, if your disk is small, FAT32 will perform more efficiently than NTFS.
XP also supports the much older FAT16 file system. If you're dual booting with MS-DOS/Windows 3.x, Windows 95a, or non-Microsoft operating systems like OS/2 or Linux, you'll have to use FAT16 for any partition that needs to be accessible to those operating systems. Remember that you can format different partitions in different file systems, though. For instance, you can format C: in FAT16 and install MS-DOS on it, and format another partition (for example, E
in NTFS and install XP there.
If you choose FAT/FAT32 initially, you can convert to NTFS later without losing any data. If you do convert your FAT partitions to NTFS, be sure it's what you want to do. You can't convert back to FAT16 or FAT32 without formatting the disk and wiping out the data that's stored there.
Personally, I love the reliability and features of NTFS and use it whenever possible. Although dual booting has its uses, I find that even when I have multiple operating systems installed, I spend all my time in Windows XP, and I don't like the security risks associated with a dual boot configuration.
jonjontheMighty
Those who are new to Windows XP have asking for advice about choosing a file system. If you've been using Windows 9x/ME in the past, should you stick with the familiar FAT32 file system or switch to NTFS (the native file system for Windows NT, 2000 and XP)? Well, there's no "one size fits all" answer, but I'll talk about the advantages and disadvantages of both.
NTFS was designed to be more reliable, stable and secure than the FAT (File Allocation Table) file systems. If you're running XP Pro, there are many advantages to using NTFS: you can set access permissions on files to protect them from unauthorized users, you can use EFS to encrypt files, you can set disk quotas to limit the amount of space on the hard disk each user can use, and you can compress data on a file-by-file basis. You lose some of these features if you're using XP Home Edition, as it doesn't support file encryption or disk quotas. Generally, however, Microsoft recommends using NTFS. One reason is that NTFS supports "hot fixing," which means it can repair disk problems on the fly, transparently to the user.
There are a couple of reasons not to use NTFS, though. If you're dual booting with Windows 9x/ME and you want to be able to access a partition from the older operating system, you'll need to format it with NTFS. 9x/ME can't "see" NTFS partitions. Also, if your disk is small, FAT32 will perform more efficiently than NTFS.
XP also supports the much older FAT16 file system. If you're dual booting with MS-DOS/Windows 3.x, Windows 95a, or non-Microsoft operating systems like OS/2 or Linux, you'll have to use FAT16 for any partition that needs to be accessible to those operating systems. Remember that you can format different partitions in different file systems, though. For instance, you can format C: in FAT16 and install MS-DOS on it, and format another partition (for example, E
in NTFS and install XP there. If you choose FAT/FAT32 initially, you can convert to NTFS later without losing any data. If you do convert your FAT partitions to NTFS, be sure it's what you want to do. You can't convert back to FAT16 or FAT32 without formatting the disk and wiping out the data that's stored there.
Personally, I love the reliability and features of NTFS and use it whenever possible. Although dual booting has its uses, I find that even when I have multiple operating systems installed, I spend all my time in Windows XP, and I don't like the security risks associated with a dual boot configuration.
jonjontheMighty
IMHO, using FAT32 is always the wrong answer. FAT is a lousy file system that uses disk space very inefficiently and whose days are clearly numbered. I am not even certain that it can be used on disks larger than 8 GB. Furthermore, there is no reason to be booting to DOS mode and mucking around with the bits on the disk. (By the way, what sort of insance reasoning owuld make anyone want to use DOS. It has, thankfully, been dead for years and should remain that way.) While this used to be necessary a decade ago, it no longer is. It is time that we all grow up and stop treating PC like the toys they were and start treating them like the computers they are becoming.
I have a question on NTFS and FAT32 pertaining to dual booting! Can one dual boot with WIn ME fat32 and have Xp-pro on NTFS and still use both OS if they are on seperate partitions? I am confused on this issue as it seems to me if one has W2k or Xp-pro as NTFS and another OS say 95,98 or ME on FAT32 the NTFS one won't be able to access the FAT32 OS as NTFS can't read FAT, or if they are on seperate partitions can one use and boot from a FAT partition and a NTFS partiton?
BlackburnKL
Programmer
I believe that the concern over being able to access the disk from DOS is more centered around the idea that if your operating system won't boot up from the hard drive, you can get to the files to rescue some before taking your hard drive out behind the barn and shooting it. NTFS is fine when everything is working according to plan, but what happens when things go terribly wrong? How easy is it to get to the files? I beleive that is the real question for those wanting to get to the disk from DOS. At least that's what I'm after. BlackburnKL
ghuzz,
you're getting filestore and operating systems mixed up - 'NTFS can't read FAT' doesn't make sense.
Win95 original can use FAT
Win95 OSR2+, 98 & ME can use FAT & FAT32
WinNT can use FAT and NTFS
2k and XP can use FAT, FAT32 & NTFS.
If you dual boot using the standard M$ way (ie, using NT, 2k or XP boot loader), the main 'read filestore' issue is the boot sector (ie, the first partition). It has to be FAT if dual booting NT4 with win9x/ME, and FAT32 if dual booting with win98/ME.
So you can dual boot ME on FAT32 (partition 1) with XP on NTFS (partition 2). When logged onto ME you will not be able to read the XP partition without third party software (eg When logged onto XP, you can see both partitions.
you're getting filestore and operating systems mixed up - 'NTFS can't read FAT' doesn't make sense.
Win95 original can use FAT
Win95 OSR2+, 98 & ME can use FAT & FAT32
WinNT can use FAT and NTFS
2k and XP can use FAT, FAT32 & NTFS.
If you dual boot using the standard M$ way (ie, using NT, 2k or XP boot loader), the main 'read filestore' issue is the boot sector (ie, the first partition). It has to be FAT if dual booting NT4 with win9x/ME, and FAT32 if dual booting with win98/ME.
So you can dual boot ME on FAT32 (partition 1) with XP on NTFS (partition 2). When logged onto ME you will not be able to read the XP partition without third party software (eg When logged onto XP, you can see both partitions.
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