NTFS vs FAT32?

Discussion in 'Acronis True Image Product Line' started by corinthian, Jun 3, 2006.

Thread Status:
Not open for further replies.
  1. corinthian

    corinthian Registered Member

    Joined:
    May 21, 2005
    Posts:
    106
    Location:
    Tupelo, MS
    Is there any reason why a new partition (D: , to be added to the single partition that already exist) should not be of the same type as the original C: partition, which is NTFS? Is there any reason related to Acronis, or any other, that they should not both be NTFS? I ask this because I noticed that after the original clone, C: was NTFS, while D:/Recovery was FAT32. I have removed that recovery partition and all of its data. I am trying to create a new partition using windows recovery tools cd, and one of the choices is fat32 vs ntfs.
    Thanks,
    Bill
     
  2. seekforever

    seekforever Registered Member

    Joined:
    Oct 31, 2005
    Posts:
    4,751
    None at all. You can have them the same or different. The format of the partition has nothing to do with the internal contents of a file. NTFS is the smart choice.
     
  3. corinthian

    corinthian Registered Member

    Joined:
    May 21, 2005
    Posts:
    106
    Location:
    Tupelo, MS
    NTFS it is, then. Thanks.
    Bill
     
  4. jmk94903

    jmk94903 Registered Member

    Joined:
    Jul 10, 2004
    Posts:
    3,329
    Location:
    San Rafael, CA
    Well, the only reason I know to use FAT32 for a recovery partition is that almost everything can read FAT32 partitions including DOS applications, etc. NTFS is more complex, so some utilities cannot work with it. For example, a Windows 98 boot floppy can't even see an NTFS partition. There are no problems normally in a Linux environment (such as the TI Recovery CD) in reading an NTFS partition, but there could be problems in writing to one. However, I frequently create TI images on NTFS partitions after booting from the Recovery CD, so it's not a current problem.
     
  5. corinthian

    corinthian Registered Member

    Joined:
    May 21, 2005
    Posts:
    106
    Location:
    Tupelo, MS
    Thanks for additional info. Hopefully I will only have to deal with winxp.
    Bill
     
  6. exco243

    exco243 Registered Member

    Joined:
    Jul 11, 2005
    Posts:
    1
    As I found out the hard way, and not through Acronis support, files in FAT32 are limited to 3 Gigabytes. This presents no problem if you are restoring your Acronis archive file, which is 3 gigs or less. Now, if you are like me and your system is whole system is large, over 3 gigs, it must be written in NTFS. This is because Acronis, all versions will only restore one (1) volume and will not LINK MULTIPLE WRITTEN ARCHIVE VOLUMES. This means, if your computer is FAT32 and you do a back up archive in ACRONIS, and it is larger than 3 Gigs, it will SPLIT them into MULTIPLE VOLUMES. So, when you go to do a RESTORE in FAT32 with ACRONIS TRUE IMAGE, It WILL NOT RESTORE it because it cannot LINK MULTIPLE VOLUMES. YOU must have ONE (1) VOLUME written in NTFS if over 3 Gigabytes in size. You must reformat to NTFS for a your backup archives to restore properly. Have FUN, though Windows XP does have a tool in Disk Management that will do this. Excop243@gmail.com
     
  7. bVolk

    bVolk Registered Member

    Joined:
    Dec 22, 2005
    Posts:
    954
    As far as I know the file size limit in FAT32 is of 4 GB.

    If TI won't accept the image files that were split automatically due to the FAT32 limitation, one could always set the image split size in TI Options to be somewhat lower than 4 GB, like we do for images that are meant to be copied to optical media. A multivolume image, split by TI itself, will be recognized without problems as a Multivolume image archive and validated or restored from.
     
  8. GroverH

    GroverH Registered Member

    Joined:
    May 10, 2006
    Posts:
    2,405
    Location:
    Massachusetts, USA
    exco243,
    I would concur with the previous posting of bVolk.

    I have Acronis split my backups iinto either 1492mb or 700mb and have a multi-volume set. My system drive is 18G used which creates 7 files (1492 each--approx). I have restored my system numerous times without difficulty (Fat32).

    Or perhaps, I am mis-understanding your posting.:)
     
  9. Rico

    Rico Registered Member

    Joined:
    Aug 19, 2004
    Posts:
    2,286
    Location:
    Canada
    Hi All,

    My Western Digital external HD 80 gig, came formatted as FAT32, (they have a fat32 formatting tool, available for download) TI9 divided the files up in like sets of three. Anyway the issue came up while listening to Leo LaPorte. He stated USB drives leave the mfg. as FAT32 to elminate tech calls from users with windows 98. I used xp's quick format to make it NTFS

    Take Care
    rico
     
Thread Status:
Not open for further replies.
  1. This site uses cookies to help personalise content, tailor your experience and to keep you logged in if you register.
    By continuing to use this site, you are consenting to our use of cookies.