Are NTFS and FAT32 file systems compatible?

Tim

I'm sure this is a dumb question, but here's why I ask:

I'm fixing up some computer parts (hard drives) for someone else. They came out of some computers that were 4-5 years old and using the FAT32 system. My Dell Dimension 2100 uses NTFS.

I was just wondering if that makes any difference. I'm going to put these 2 FAT32 drives into a new computer I'm building for them.

I ran each drive (a 1.5 GB and a 3.1 GB) on my Dell as the E: drive to wipe the old data and defragment them, and everything did okay.

But I can't actually format either one. It says it's using Windows components or something like that. I tried formatting them as FAT32 and NTFS, and neither would work.

My Norton SystemWorks 2003 has the Government Wipe option, and I may run them on that once.

Tex

It is probably saying that windows is using the drives or something (which could mean you have one open inexplorrer ort it has a recyvle bnin or page file on it etc...)

but you can force it to format them.

You can format any drive to ntfs. Its not a hardware thing at all. If the OS supports ntfs then the drive does also.

Tex

Tim

I have the 3.1 GB drive (Western Digital Caviar 23200) almost empty, with only 700 KB on it in a recycle file I can't get off the drive. The date on it is March 14 1998

The other drive is an IBM DJAA-31700 dated June '98. It has 110 MB left on it that I'd like to eliminate. It's a 1.58 GB drive.

How exactly can I force them to reformat to the mode modern (?) NTFS?

They are saying like you did about using Windows components. I just checked the 3.1, and it says:

"Windows cannot format this drive. Quit any disk utilities or other programs that are using this drive, and make sure that no window is displaying the contents of this drive. Then try formatting again."

Tex

Try deleting the volume. Hopefully you are using the disk manager and not just right clicking on it in explorer right?

Tex

Mancabus

Just pop in a Win98 bootdisk, fdisk the two drives. Then boot it into windows and format using disk manager.

Mt_Goat

I like to zero my drives and found the one from Seagate to work very well and it works on all drives. I even use it to format on occasion. You will have the option to create 2 floppys from a ez-creator you download or download a burnable iso image. The last 2 people I sent to do it had a problem with the iso image.

Tex

But you don't need to fdisk from dos or zero the drives. The disk manager should format the things either way.

If all he wants to do is actually format the drives he can do that from disk manager anyway.

He can delete the partition and create a new one in disk manager just like he can booting to dos and fdisking. and the only reason to zero it would be to protect it from being recovered and having the old data restored. If your going to go to that much trouble you might as well lowlevel it also.

But if all he wants is a ntfs format neither is needed.

Tex

Mancabus

You can zero it out with fdisk, just do a fdisk /mbr.

Tex - repartitioning may be necessary in this case, and may not be possible from within windows, thats why we are suggesting do it from a boot disk.

Mt_Goat

It is possible as Tex mentioned that he is trying to do it from Explorer and not the Disc Manager because when you try to do it with Explorer you have it open and Win won't allow it. But in Disc Manager you can force it.