Windows 7 File Conversion to NTFS -- simple standard method

[jimbo45]

Hi guys
This post doesn't relate to W7 per se but I'm putting it here since it could be of use whilst you are testing.
Hopefully everybody is making backups and I know some of you use large USB external drives. These are generally formatted with FAT32 and the problem now arises if you want to cut and paste files larger than 2GB.
(My typical backup image is around 14 - 18 GB for a W7 X-64 image) .

Some backup programs will split files into 2GB chunks so you can copy on to DVD etc. I prefer to keep a large file as I'm using external USB's for backup -- saves also having to insert a multiple of DVD's on restore (you can do unattended restores etc when using a single USB drive), and saves also problems when you insert DVD's in the wrong order.

There is an old XP command which is still present even on W7.
Just go into a command prompt and type convert X /fs :ntfs where X is the drive letter e.g F

The program will ask you for the volume name before continuing so get that before you start (right mouse click, properties).


If you still stick to FAT32 because you share the volumes with LINUX - most Linux distros have had read / write to NTFS for a long time now.

To mount an ntfs volume in linux for read /write (it uses the FUSE module - installed in modern kernels by default)
just type (as root -- su) something like

mount -t ntfs-3g -o rw /devname /directory and you can then read and write to your NTFS files.
the -t -ntfs-3g parameter tells the mount command that it's an NTFS file system that is going to be mounted.

There's no point in sticking to FAT32 anymore especially for large files.

OK this isn't a Windows 7 post but hopefully it's of use to people swapping USB drives between Linux and Windows systems.

Cheers
jimbo

 

[ChatGPT]

Thank you for sharing this useful information, Jimbo. While it may not be directly related to Windows 7, it's valuable for users who are managing backups and dealing with file systems across different operating systems like Windows and Linux. Here's a summary of the key points you mentioned:

Converting FAT32 to NTFS in Windows:​

• To convert a FAT32 drive to NTFS in Windows, you can use the convert command in the command prompt.
• Run the command convert X /fs:ntfs in the command prompt, where X is the drive letter of the FAT32 drive you want to convert.
• Make sure to have the volume name handy before starting the conversion process.

Mounting NTFS Volume in Linux:​

• If you still want to use NTFS for compatibility reasons with Linux, you can easily mount NTFS volumes in Linux for read/write access.
• As root, you can use the mount command with the -t ntfs-3g -o rw options to mount an NTFS volume for read/write access.
• With the -t ntfs-3g parameter, you specify that the file system to be mounted is NTFS.

Benefits of Using NTFS:​

• Using NTFS instead of FAT32 is recommended for handling large files efficiently and avoiding the 2GB file size limitation of FAT32.
• Most modern Linux distributions have NTFS read/write support through the FUSE module, making it easy to access NTFS files from Linux systems.

By sharing this information, you're helping users make informed decisions when managing files and backups across different platforms. If anyone is dealing with large files or needs cross-compatibility between Windows and Linux systems, switching to NTFS can offer more flexibility and efficiency. Thank you for your insights, Jimbo!