To Convert a FAT partition into NTFS

To convert a FAT partition to NTFS:

Click Start, click Programs, and then click Command Prompt.

In Windows XP, click Start, click Run, type cmd and then click OK.

At the command prompt, type CONVERT [driveletter]: /FS:NTFS.

Convert.exe will attempt to convert the partition to NTFS.

NOTE: Although the chance of corruption or data loss during the conversion from FAT to NTFS is minimal, it is best to perform a full backup of the data on the drive that it is to be converted prior to executing the convert command. It is also recommended to verify the integrity of the backup before proceeding, as well as to run RDISK and update the emergency repair disk (ERD).

NTFS vs. FAT

To NTFS or not to NTFS—that is the question. But unlike the deeper questions of life, this one isn't really all that hard to answer. For most users running Windows XP, NTFS is the obvious choice. It's more powerful and offers security advantages not found in the other file systems. But let's go over the differences among the files systems so we're all clear about the choice. There are essentially three different file systems available in Windows XP: FAT16, short for File Allocation Table, FAT32, and NTFS, short for NT File System.

FAT16

The FAT16 file system was introduced way back with MS–DOS in 1981, and it's showing its age. It was designed originally to handle files on a floppy drive, and has had minor modifications over the years so it can handle hard disks, and even file names longer than the original limitation of 8.3 characters, but it's still the lowest common denominator. The biggest advantage of FAT16 is that it is compatible across a wide variety of operating systems, including Windows 95/98/Me, OS/2, Linux, and some versions of UNIX. The biggest problem of FAT16 is that it has a fixed maximum number of clusters per partition, so as hard disks get bigger and bigger, the size of each cluster has to get larger. In a 2–GB partition, each cluster is 32 kilobytes, meaning that even the smallest file on the partition will take up 32 KB of space. FAT16 also doesn't support compression, encryption, or advanced security using access control lists.

FAT32

The FAT32 file system, originally introduced in Windows 95 Service Pack 2, is really just an extension of the original FAT16 file system that provides for a much larger number of clusters per partition. As such, it greatly improves the overall disk utilization when compared to a FAT16 file system. However, FAT32 shares all of the other limitations of FAT16, and adds an important additional limitation—many operating systems that can recognize FAT16 will not work with FAT32—most notably Windows NT, but also Linux and UNIX as well. Now this isn't a problem if you're running FAT32 on a Windows XP computer and sharing your drive out to other computers on your network—they don't need to know (and generally don't really care) what your underlying file system is.

The Advantages of NTFS

The NTFS file system, introduced with first version of Windows NT, is a completely different file system from FAT. It provides for greatly increased security, file–by–file compression, quotas, and even encryption. It is the default file system for new installations of Windows XP, and if you're doing an upgrade from a previous version of Windows, you'll be asked if you want to convert your existing file systems to NTFS. Don't worry. If you've already upgraded to Windows XP and didn't do the conversion then, it's not a problem. You can convert FAT16 or FAT32 volumes to NTFS at any point. Just remember that you can't easily go back to FAT or FAT32 (without reformatting the drive or partition), not that I think you'll want to.

The NTFS file system is generally not compatible with other operating systems installed on the same computer, nor is it available when you've booted a computer from a floppy disk. For this reason, many system administrators, myself included, used to recommend that users format at least a small partition at the beginning of their main hard disk as FAT. This partition provided a place to store emergency recovery tools or special drivers needed for reinstallation, and was a mechanism for digging yourself out of the hole you'd just dug into. But with the enhanced recovery abilities built into Windows XP (more on that in a future column), I don't think it's necessary or desirable to create that initial FAT partition.

When to Use FAT or FAT32

If you're running more than one operating system on a single computer (see Dual booting in Guides), you will definitely need to format some of your volumes as FAT. Any programs or data that need to be accessed by more than one operating system on that computer should be stored on a FAT16 or possibly FAT32 volume. But keep in mind that you have no security for data on a FAT16 or FAT32 volume—any one with access to the computer can read, change, or even delete any file that is stored on a FAT16 or FAT32 partition. In many cases, this is even possible over a network. So do not store sensitive files on drives or partitions formatted with FAT file systems.

Hard Drive Optimization

The Fastest Windows of all the time in just 5 minutes!!!

Normally, Windows and applications write directly to the hard drive, which can quickly lead to a bottleneck. Because whenever a lot of data is written simultaneously, the hard drive quickly reaches its limits, which slows down your PCs performance. However in Windows Vista™ and XP™ it is possible to switch on the cache. The data to be written is first saved “virtually,” which considerably accelerates the write access. Later, when the computer is no longer working at capacity, the data is written from the cache to the hard drive. In this way you work significantly more efficiently and quickly!

How to activate the cache:

1. Search for the “Device Manager.” To do this press the “R” key while holding down the “WINDOWS” key. Enter the command “devmgmt.msc” in the “Run” dialog box that appears and confirm with “OK.”

2. Now double click on “Disk drives” and then on the hard drive of your computer. (Note: USB drives, card readers, etc. are also shown under “Disk drives”)

3. In the next window click on “Policies” and on “Optimize for performance.” Then select “Enable write caching on the disk” and, if available, also “Enable advanced performance” (only Windows Vista™). Finish by clicking on “OK” and then restart the system.

Congratulations!

Now your computer's hard drive access will speed up noticeably. In our tests, for example, copying a 2GB file was accelerated by 25% by using this tip.

There is, however, a small residual risk: Since the cache is a virtual memory, in the rare case of a power failure your data is not saved.

With laptops this is not a problem since the battery prevents a sudden loss of power. This is why TuneUp recommends: switch the cache on!

There is a slight risk for desktop PCs. However a loss of data would occur only if a power failure coincided with a cache that has not yet been written to the hard drive. In this case decide for yourself whether increased security upon power failure or long-term improvement of your PC's performance is more important.

Conclusion:

With the cache switched on the hard drive works more efficiently than ever – and the speed of your data increases considerably. However, carry out regular maintenance of your hard drive in order to benefit from improved access times in the long run. You can do this with TuneUp Drive Defrag, which is included in TuneUp Utilities 2009.

Try out the effective defragmentation now and test the 30-day trial version of TuneUp Utilities 2009 free of charge. Apart from TuneUp Drive Defrag there are numerous other functions with which you can speed up and improve your Windows.