Re: Use NTFS or FAT32 on external hard drive?


"JCIrish" <JCIrish@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote in message
news:A867D007-99D4-4450-BB20-A04B416A320A@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
I just purchased a Seagate 300 gig HD. It comes formatted with FAT32. My
OS is XP Home Edition with internal HD C:\ formatted as NTFS. Should
(must) I
reformat the new Seagate to NTFS to be consistent? Advantages to doing
so? Disadvantages(the Seagate Quick Start Guide says that if I reformat
to
NTFS I must always log in as Administrator to their BounceBack Express
software to ensure access to my backed up files).
And, any recommendations about partitioning the new HD? Should I do
this?
Any help will be appreciated.


"Anna" wrote:
JCIrish:
Your subject-line indicates that your Seagate HDD is being used as a USB
external hard drive, i.e., it's contained within a USB enclosure. That's
right, isn't it?

If that is indeed the case, in my opinion there is really no need to
convert
its present FAT32 file system to NTFS even if you're working solely in an
XP
environment and your internal boot HDD is NTFS-formatted. Presumably your
USB external hard drive will be used for storage & backup purposes. Under
those conditions the FAT32 file system will work just fine. There will be
no
significant performance issues as compared with working with a NTFS file
system on that external drive. And there will be no pressing security
issues
you need be concerned with either.

As to partitioning, it's really what you feel comfortable with. Assuming
you'll be working with only a single PC to which is attached your USB
EHD,
and you don't plan to use the device with other PCs, then my own feeling
is
to leave well enough alone with a single partition as you (presumably)
now
have and to simply create folders to organize your data.

On the other hand, your backup software may make other recommendations
which
might be more suitable since I'm not familiar with the backup program
that
was included with your USB EHD. Generally, I'm not thrilled with any of
the
so-called backup software included with these USB external devices.

While we're on the subject of backups, consider investigating the merits
of
using a disk imaging program such as Acronis True Image for your backup
needs. The great advantage of these types of programs is that they allow
the
user to back up their *entire* system, including the operating system,
programs, created data - everything that's on one's day-to-day working
HDD.
Other backup programs (I'm assuming similar to the one included with your
USB EHD) simply are generally designed to back up only data that the user
has created. Important, to be sure, but not as comprehensive as what a
disk
imaging program can provide.
Anna


"JCIrish" <JCIrish@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote in message
news:613458AE-1C7B-4841-850D-563C36071B74@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Anna,
I just reread your very helpful reply. Thanks again, especially for all
the
details and for the suggestion about disk imaging. I wasn't aware of that
type of program. I'll look into it.

My primary reason for getting the Seagate was to use it to store reams of
photos used in Photoshhop Elements 3.0, and for back up of data files (esp
the Quicken Program Backup function), and such things as Excel/VBA
spreadsheets, etc which I usually just drag-and-drop to a CD ROM. I've
never
used a complete backup utility and I was therefor perplexed by the
apparent
limitations on accessing backed up files imposed by Seagate's BounceBack
Ecpress. I wouldn't want it to interfere with the types of backups that I
mentioned above.

Again, thanks very much. If you have any other thoughts after reading this
I
would welcome them.

JCIrish


JCIrish:
Don't know if you saw it but I did post an addendum to my original response
to you to the effect that I neglected to indicate in my response that there
is a limitation of the FAT32 file system in that it can't cope with files
greater than 4 GB (no problem with NTFS). Ordinarily, this has little impact
for most users in that they're not copying or moving files of that huge size
from their internal HDD to a USB external HD, but with the ever-growing size
particularly of today's video files, that could be a consideration for the
user. Then too, a backup program (such as the one included with your USB
device) or a disk imaging program such as the one I mentioned might well
create files > 4 GB, so this is a consideration for determining whether it
might now be advisable to convert, i.e., format, your FAT32 partition to
NTFS especially while there's no data on the drive so there's nothing to
lose. The process to do so is quite easy and can be accomplished through the
Disk Management utility.

Again, if your primary or exclusive interest is to back up files you have
created and you're not (at least for the moment!) concerned with backing up
your entire system including the operating system and installed programs,
then your present Seagate backup program will probably fit the bill (along
with simple dragging & dropping files/folders between your internal HDD and
the external drive).

But do consider a disk imaging program for a more comprehensive backup
strategy. One of the more popular ones is the Acronis program I mentioned.
It's relatively simple to use and has proven quite effective. I recently
posted to one of these XP newsgroups step-by-step instructions for using the
program. If you (or anyone) is interested in seeing them, please indicate
such and I'll be glad to post them again.
Anna


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