Windows 2000 Quick Fixes

Convert a FAT partition to NTFS

Windows 2000 supports three filesystems: FAT, FAT32, and NTFS. FAT stands for File Allocation Table, the original filesystem used in DOS (although modified somewhat over the years). FAT is supported by all Microsoft operating systems, making it the most compatible filesystem and a necessity on dual-boot systems if you want all volumes to be available from each OS.

FAT32 is a 32-bit version of the FAT filesystem, introduced in Windows 95, that offers better performance and efficiency. Windows NT does not support FAT32, but Windows 2000 does.

The third filesystem, NTFS (which stands for New Technology File System), offers much better security than FAT and much better fault tolerance to recover from filesystem errors. NTFS is supported by Windows NT and Windows 2000, but it requires a third-party driver for access by Windows 9x.

Tip

You’ll find a discussion of an NTFS driver for Windows 9x in the next section.

When you install Windows 2000 you have the option of formatting (new filesystem) or converting (existing filesystem) to NTFS. You can convert to NTFS at any time, however, with very little effort.

Tip

If you need to reconfigure partitions, including resizing them without having to backup and restore the data, consider using one of the third-party partition applications. Two possibilities are Partition Magic (http://www.powerquest.com) and PartitionIt (http://www.quarterdeck.com).

Using the Convert command

Follow these steps to convert a volume from FAT or FAT32 to NTFS:

1. Boot the system and open a command console.

2. At the command prompt enter the following command:

                        convert c: /fs:ntfs

3. Replace c: with the appropriate drive letter if you are converting a drive other than C.

4. Windows 2000 will perform the conversion immediately unless you are converting the system volume. In that situation, Windows 2000 schedules the conversion for the next time you restart the system. Restart to complete the conversion.