SUMMARY:

Windows carry two disk file systems: the FAT file system and the NTFS file system. These articles describe how to convert a FAT partition into an NTFS partition, and the considerations to take into account.

MORE INFORMATION:

The Convert utility comes with Windows to convert a FAT partition into an NTFS partition. Using Convert.exe is straight forward, but there are considerations which must be held before the tool.

The following limitations should be recognized before converting a FAT partition to NTFS:

• The conversion is a one-way process. Once a partition is converted to NTFS, it is not possible to partition back to a FAT partition to convert. To partition as a FAT partition restore the partition must be formatted as FAT and then data can be restored from backup.

• The system partition of a RISC-based PC cannot be changed to NTFS. The ARC specification want that the system partition be FAT. It is possible to make a small (1 MB) FAT partition for the system partition and install Windows on an NTFS partition .

• Convert.exe want a certain amount of free space be present on the drive in order to convert the file system.

To convert a FAT partition to NTFS, pursue the subsequent steps:

1. Click Start>>click Programs>> click Command Prompt.

2. At the command prompt, type CONVERT [driveletter]: /FS:NTFS.

3. Convert.exe will attempt to convert the partition to NTFS.

CONVERT may present the following error:

Convert cannot gain exclusive access to the [driveletter]:, so it cannot convert it now. Would you like to schedule it to be converted the next time the system restarts (Y/N)?

If any of the following three conditions exist this error will happen:

• If the CONVERT command while the current directory on the drive to be converted (E.g .you type CONVERT F: / FS: NTFS at the F: \> prompt). You can either answer "Yes" to the prompt and reboot the system or change to a folder on another drive and fill the order.

• If an program to open a file on the drive to be converted. To resolve this issue, will either answer "Yes" to the prompt or the drive to put the next time the PC is restarted, and every programs that might make use of the files on the drive close to be converted. Keep in mind that this also applies to the user access to files on the disk over the network. These pages also contain a file on the drive.

• If you try to convert the partition from which the operating system is running. It is not possible to change the boot partition while the operating system is running. To change the boot partition, it will always be needed to problem the CONVERT command, answer yes to the prompt, and then reboot the PC. The partition will be converted the next time the PC is restarted. As an alternative, it is possible to boot the PC to an installation of Windows on a lots of partition and convert the partition from that installation of Wind