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Thread ID: 87989 2008-03-11 07:22:00 Converting a FAT32 volume to NTFS nofam (9009) Press F1
Post ID Timestamp Content User
648568 2008-03-11 07:22:00 Hi guys,

I've got an older PC (Athlon 1.5, 512Mb RAM, XP Home) that I'm fixing up for Dad, and I see it's been formatted as FAT32 when the OS was installed.

Is there any merit in converting it to NTFS? If so, are there any pitfalls to watch out for?
nofam (9009)
648569 2008-03-11 07:25:00 No, it'll be fine.

Only thing is, you cant change it back to FAT32 unless you use a 3rd party program.
Speedy Gonzales (78)
648570 2008-03-11 07:38:00 GOLDEN rule - backup any data before you do it .

I have had a couple of PC's when converting for one reason or another not complete the conversion - and have been left with a system that wont boot - and need to reinstall from fresh .
wainuitech (129)
648571 2008-03-11 07:54:00 Hi guys,

I've got an older PC (Athlon 1.5, 512Mb RAM, XP Home) that I'm fixing up for Dad, and I see it's been formatted as FAT32 when the OS was installed.

Is there any merit in converting it to NTFS? If so, are there any pitfalls to watch out for?

Merit? Possibly not.
What size hard drive is it and have you more than one partition?
Do you have more than one hard drive?
Are you thinking about installing other operating systems?
What do you mean by fixing up? Is the computer broken in some way?
Are you thinking about encryption for folders for example?
Sweep (90)
648572 2008-03-11 08:08:00 I dont think Home supports encryption only Pro does.

So it wouldnt matter if you converted it to NTFS.

You wont get encryption.
Speedy Gonzales (78)
648573 2008-03-11 08:19:00 Merit? Possibly not.
What size hard drive is it and have you more than one partition?
Do you have more than one hard drive?
Are you thinking about installing other operating systems?
What do you mean by fixing up? Is the computer broken in some way?
Are you thinking about encryption for folders for example?

It's a 20Gb drive, one partition
Not interested in other OS's - by fixing up, I just mean speeding up really. I've done all the usual stuff, and I'm just looking for a way to increase performance without rebuilding it. And no, I'm not interested in encryption. It's only used for a little book-keeping, and web browsing - thats it.
nofam (9009)
648574 2008-03-11 08:29:00 Defrag it, use ccleaner and get rid of the temp files etc.

Delete entries in startup that dont have to be there.

Lose the colours in XP.

Is it the main hdd with the OS on it??

Also whats the brand / model of the hdd thats in it??

If its got an RPM of 5400 (like some Samsungs, replace it with a 7200 RPM hdd).
Speedy Gonzales (78)
648575 2008-03-11 08:57:00 Thanks Speedy - yeah, done all the usual stuff I do:

- uninstall old/out of date apps
- ccleaner
- Registry Mechanic
- TuneUp Utilities registry cleaner
- Autoruns
- Spyware Doctor
- Windows Washer
- JkDefrag

It's only got the one drive in it. I'll check the make/model and speed :)
nofam (9009)
648576 2008-03-11 09:03:00 Get rid of registry mechanic and tuneup utilities.

ccleaner is also a registry cleaner, and does a good enough job of getting crap out of the registry.

You dont need Windows washer either. As ccleaner gets rid of cookies etc.

You dont need autoruns either, as ccleaner will show whats in startup, and you can delete entries using ccleaner as well.
Speedy Gonzales (78)
648577 2008-03-11 22:39:00 Get rid of registry mechanic and tuneup utilities.

ccleaner is also a registry cleaner, and does a good enough job of getting crap out of the registry.

You dont need Windows washer either. As ccleaner gets rid of cookies etc.

You dont need autoruns either, as ccleaner will show whats in startup, and you can delete entries using ccleaner as well.

Interesting point Speedy - I've been using Reg. Mechanic for a few years now, and I find, much like anti-virus and anti-spyware apps, that no one registry cleaner does the job fully. This PC is a classic example - I ran ccleaner on it first, and then Registry Mechanic straight after, and R/M found another 463 items for removal. TuneUp utilities then found an additional 112.

I guess they all work in slightly different ways, and cumulatively, they can speed up a PC considerably.
nofam (9009)
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