External Drive Fat32 > NTFS

[Maleko]

I have a external drive i use for back ups, at the moment it is FAT32, always has been.

Would it effect it if i converted it to NTFS? its a firewire external drive. (also, can i convert it with data on, or best moving it off?)

[Daemonforce]

I suggest you make sure encryption and compression are always turned off. I've had problems with NTFS drives(internal and external alike) and it was always a problem with permission settings. I don't know if you use your drive between anything different that X86-based PCs, but if you do, the Mac will hate it.

[LLXX]

Backups should be kept on FAT32 since that filesystem is more compatible across different operating systems and architectures.

[Maleko]

Backups should be kept on FAT32 since that filesystem is more compatible across different operating systems and architectures.

True, gd point thnks

@Daemonforce:

I've never had any problems with NTFS file systems, and ive been using them for years.

[Andromeda43]

QUOTE(LLXX @ Mar 20 2006, 03:58 AM) *

Backups should be kept on FAT32 since that filesystem is more compatible across different operating systems and architectures.

AS a professional, I must agree wholeheartedly.

Put your important stuff on a FAT-32 formatted drive and you can read it anywhere, even on an old Windows 98 system or from a DOS boot floppy.

NOT SO with NTFS.

NTFS is for business systems.....NOT personal computers.

MS never quite got that through their thick skulls, much to the downfall of many a user.

I run one of the fastest PC's that I've ever seen (Nicknamed the HAL 9000) with two hard drives, each one partitioned with Two Partitions each. Every byte of it, formatted FAT-32.

There are six running PC's in my house and not one NTFS partition in the bunch. Never will be either.

Good Luck to you,

Andromeda