Re: WINXP & External HDD

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"Pflueger" <phluge1@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote in message
news:uxplz16fFHA.2444@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
>
> Anna, For sake of simplicity please follow the edited thread below:>
>>
>> Pflueger:
>> As Rick points out, WinXP does not provide the capability to format a
>> partition in FAT32 > 32 GB; however, there is a simple program (Linux
>> developed) that allows a user to do so within the XP environment. If
> you're
>> interested, so indicate and I'll furnish the details.
>
>
> I was wondering if it would be possible to change the format from FAT32 to
> NTSF on that external drive.
>
>
>>
>> I assume from your remarks that the program you used to "remove" its
>> files
>> simply deleted them and that your USB external HD is still FAT32
> formatted.
>
> Yes -- I have a drive-scanner program with a "Remove" option when you
> right-click any portion of the pie-graph -- it apparently deletes them,
> nothing to do with the file system.
>
>
>> I'm not clear about your question as to whether "change(ing) the format
> (of
>> that external drive) would ... do any good ... for cloning". If you clone
>> the contents of your internal drive to the external one, the external
>> (destination) drive will contain the same file system of the source disk.
> Is
>> that what you're asking?
>
>
> Yes, my internal drive is also 80GB but is NTSF, with WINXP OEM, and
> contains a volume way over 32GB. Wouldn't it be necessary to change the
> FAT32 External Drive to NTSF to clone an exact image rather than copy/move
> things over as I have been doing (using a backup application.)
>
>>
>> I don't think there's any particular significance as it relates to the
> file
>> system of your external drive, with one exception. If you're going to be
>> using that drive in a Win9x/Me environment, e.g., backing up files from
> one
>> or more of those operating systems, then it would be necessary for the
>> external drive to be FAT32 formatted since those operating systems can
> "see"
>> only FAT32 partitions.
>> Anna
>
> I wil not be working with WIN9X/ME at all. The ideal would be a mirror
> image
> clone of my internal HDD.
>
> Thanks, Pflueger


Plueger:
As I explained above, if you use a disk imaging program, e.g., Symantec's
Norton Ghost or Acronis True Image, to clone the contents of your internal
drive to the external one, the external drive will then be (for all
practical purposes) a bit-for-bit copy of your internal (source) drive. As
such, whatever the file system is on the source disk will now be on the
destination drive regardless of what file system was previously used on that
destination disk. So if your internal drive is NTFS formatted and your
external drive is *presently* FAT32 formatted, after the cloning operation
the external drive will contain the NTFS file system. There is *no* need to
modify the file system on your external drive *prior* to the cloning
process.
Anna



.

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