SUMMARY

Windows XP supports three file systems for fixed disks: FAT16, FAT32, and NTFS. It is recommended that you use NTFS with Windows XP because of its advanced performance, security, and reliability features. This article describes how to convert a FAT16 or FAT32 volume to NTFS.

Please note the following limitations:

           UDF and CDFS are only used with optical media and cannot be converted to NTFS.

           FAT12 is the only format used on floppy diskettes.

           Some older programs that were not written for Windows NT 4.0 or

            Windows 2000 may exhibit slow performance after you convert the FAT32 file

            system to NTFS. This behavior does not occur on a clean partition of NTFS.

You can use the convert command (Convert.exe) to convert an existing FAT or FAT32 volume to NTFS. Because this conversion retains all of your files (unlike a format operation), use Convert.exe when you want to keep existing files on your volumes intact.

Before you convert a drive or partition to NTFS, consider the following:

           The conversion to NTFS is a one-way process. After you convert a drive or partition to NTFS, you cannot convert it back to FAT or FAT32. To restore the volume to the previous file system, you must reformat it as FAT or FAT32. This action erases all existing data including your programs and personal files. In this case, you must either restore your data from a backup, or reinstall your operating system and programs.

           Convert.exe requires that you have a certain amount of free space on the drive or partition to convert it. If Convert.exe determines that there is not enough free space on the volume, it does not convert the volume.

           If you run other Windows operating systems on your computer in addition to Windows XP, note the following issues:

               Only Microsoft Windows 2000 and Windows XP have full access to files on an NTFS volume.

               Microsoft Windows NT 4.0 Service Pack 4 (SP4) or later can access files on an NTFS volume. However, there are some limitations with files that are stored using features from the latest version of NTFS.

               Microsoft Windows Millennium Edition (Me), Windows 98 Second Edition and earlier, and MS-DOS cannot access files on an NTFS volume.

Converting a FAT or FAT32 Volume to NTFS

NOTE: Although the possibility of corruption or data loss during the conversion is minimal, it is recommended that you perform a backup of the data on the volume that you want to convert before you start the conversion.

To convert an existing FAT or FAT32 volume to NTFS, follow these steps:

1.                   Click Start, point to All Programs, point to Accessories, and then

                      click Command Prompt.

2.                   At the command prompt, type the following, where drive letter is the

                      drive that you want to convert:

convert drive letter: /fs:ntfs

For example, type the following command to convert drive E to NTFS:

convert e: /fs:ntfs

3.                   When the following message is displayed in the command

                      prompt window, type the volume label of the drive that you are converting,

                      and then press ENTER:

The type of the file system is FAT.
Enter the current volume label for drive drive letter:

4.                   When the conversion to NTFS is complete, the following line

                      is displayed in the command prompt window:

                  Conversion complete

5.                   Quit the command prompt.

Troubleshooting

           When you attempt to convert a volume to NTFS, you receive the following error message in the command prompt window:

Convert cannot gain exclusive access to the drive letter drive, so it cannot convert it now. Would you like to schedule it to be converted the next time the system restarts? <Y/N>

This issue occurs when the volume that you are attempting to convert is in use, for example, if the drive that you want to convert is the same drive on which Windows XP is running.

To resolve this behavior, type Y at the command prompt. The volume or drive is converted to NTFS the next time you start your computer.

           When you attempt to convert a volume to NTFS, you receive the following message in the command prompt window:

Convert cannot run because the volume is in use by another process. Convert may run if this volume is dismounted first. ALL OPENED HANDLES TO THIS VOLUME WOULD THEN BE INVALID. Would you like to force a dismount on this volume? <Y/N>

This issue occurs when there are files that are being used on the volume that you are attempting to convert. This includes files that are accessed by users over the network.

To resolve this behavior, use one of the following methods:

               Quit all programs that are using the files on the drive, and then type y at the command prompt to convert the drive to NTFS.

-or-

               At the command prompt, type Y.

You receive the following message:

Convert cannot gain exclusive access to the drive letter drive, so it cannot convert it now. Would you like to schedule it to be converted the next time the system restarts? <Y/N>

Type Y at the command prompt. The volume or drive is converted to NTFS the next time you start your computer.

For more information about Convert.exe, use the following method to view a list of command line parameters:

1.       Click Start, point to All Programs, point to Accessories, and then click Command Prompt.

2.       In the command prompt window, type help convert, and then press ENTER. A list of command line parameters for Convert.exe is displayed.