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Is it possible to boot from ntfs?

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by unni_kv2000

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Which is the overall better file system- fat32 or ntfs? Is it possible to convert a Primary boot partition from FAT32 to NTFS and boot the computer safely? If so, how can I do the conversion without destroying the data in partition?

10 replies

by mrafrohead

What OS are you using???

If you're using NT/2k/XP you can convert the file system from fat32 to ntfs...

Just do this:

To convert a volume to NTFS from the command prompt

Open a command prompt window.
In the command prompt window, type
convert drive_letter: /fs:ntfs

Hope this helps...

Mrafrohead

by unni_kv2000

I am using Windows XP Pro. But after conversion, is it possible to boot from that drive? Will there be any boot problems after converting to ntfs?

by nd_it

I have done upgrades from Windows 98 to XP to most of my users on our LAn and done the FAT to NTFS conversion and have had no boot up problems associated with the conversion.

by djent

If you are using FAT32 to boot NT you are on W2K or XP, NT4 will not see FAT32 at all. Consult MS knowledge base about NTFS partition sizes. An NTFS boot partition should NOT exceed 1023 track or 7.68 GB in size or you could get boot failure, so much for OEM recovery disks and preinstalls that dont allow partitioning. NTFS is by far the most desirable choice

by unni_kv2000

Thanks. That give me some courage to do the coversion. I hope nothing goes wrong. I can't afford to lose the data on my disk an backing up the whole image will require at least a 100 cd's. Thanks again.

by jdlynn

With any conversion you should have some consernes of your data integraty. I have seen in some conversions that did bomb out due to cross linked files or a bad FAT or bad MFT. In all cases you could have avoided the problem with a good back-up or Disk image.... give PowerQuest a look over for Drive image I sure you it will take less then 1 80min CDR to image a 30gig drive. And befor any partition conversion always run a scandisk and defrag to clear up the hazards.

by pcnexus

unni_kv2000,

Take no offense, but I'm guessing you are not familiar with NTFS. I presume that you have security need or an application that requires NTFS. If its a server, use NTFS. If you don't have a server or need security at file level, compression, encryption or any app (like IIS or SQL, etc.) stay with FAT32. NTFS allows setting security down to the file level, so if you need that protection, its your choice. Also, 2000 and XP support file encryption and compression, too, both one or the other, not both.

by djent

The basic structure of NTFS is superior to FAT32. The primary reasons are as follows: FS integrity, fault tolerance, security, speed. NTFS is a derivative of VAX just like NT is, FAT32 is a DOS patch and carries much of th same bagage. You can't make a silk purse from a sows ear and you can't make a good FS from FAT.

by djent

Although most image utils do a good job they don't allow a selective restore. The best option is a tape drive and a good backup app, I use Veritas Backup Exec. This allows you to restore as little or much as you desire. This is comparable to the OEMrestore CD or a real OS install disk. If all you want to restore is data an image will replace vith the stored image, like it or not. A backup util will allow you to select the drives, DIRs, files you want and restore only your selections to any location you desire. an image is exactly that, not a subset or edited version.

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