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HDD file formats and compatibility between Windows Professional and Linux
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| ali92 |
| What's a better file format for a 160 GB HDD that I'm going to buy this year? I'm running Windows XP Pro. so, my options for now are NTFS and FAT32. I'm planning on running Linux on that SAME system that I have WinXP Pro. on right now. Is it possible to have both OS on the same HDD while being compatible with the new 160 GB HDD? Here's what I want to do: store all of my MP3s, videos, documents, etc. on tha big HDD and have either Windows OR Linux access it to play the files whenever desired. I know this is going to be complicated but, I know that NTFS is Windows-only because it stands for "NT File System" (which came from Windows NT so, NTFS offers NO compatibility with other OS beside WinXP, 2000, and NT 4.0 and before so, that's out) and FAT32 stands for "File Allocation Table". FAT32 only supports a single partition up to 32 GB (that's where the 32 comes from). What file system does Linux use? Is there ANY compatibility between Win and Linux's file systems? Please let me know... ALL help will be appreaciated! |
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| Blake613 |
Well you can't run Linux on a FAT32 partition. Yeah go with FAT32. You are going to have to partition that 160GB into seperate ones.
1. FAT32 (Windows) /dev/hda0
2. Linux Native /
2. Linux Swap (500MB is good) *swap*
If you format #1 in NTFS you will be able to read it in Linux, but not write. As far as I know current versions of RedHat/Slackware can't write to NTFS.
(I am assuming some *nix knowledge) Install SAMBA in Linux. You're going to have to mount the FAT32 partition in Linux using the samba file system. Windows can't read Linux native/swap (Gates doesn't want that), but Linux can do fine with FAT32. Make this dir: /mnt/winhd or whatever you want to call it. Type this command to mount the FAT32 HD in Linux:
mount -t smbfs //dev/hda0 /mnt/winhd
To unmount:
umount /mnt/winhd
Install LILO (boot manager). That will allow you to select to boot Windows or Linux.
boot
:
Oh, FAT32 doesn't mean a 32GB limit. I have a 100GB drive in FAT32 right now :) FAT32 means that the allociation tables are 32bytes long. Side note: FAT32 ATA100 drives have an addressing issue that limits drive size to 160GB (I think that's the number, it was in the last issue of Maximum PC). This addressing issue (we're talking about how the hard drive stores the location of a sector) is fixed in the ATA133 standard.
I manage a Linux file/email/http/database server for a small company (20 people) all using Win98/2000. |
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| SYNthSRI |
thought I read somewhere the limit is set at 128 GB for a fat32/ata100
other than that, sound advice there Blake :D |
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| ali92 |
| quote: | Originally posted by Blake613
Well you can't run Linux on a FAT32 partition. Yeah go with FAT32. You are going to have to partition that 160GB into seperate ones.
1. FAT32 (Windows) /dev/hda0
2. Linux Native /
2. Linux Swap (500MB is good) *swap*
If you format #1 in NTFS you will be able to read it in Linux, but not write. As far as I know current versions of RedHat/Slackware can't write to NTFS.
(I am assuming some *nix knowledge) Install SAMBA in Linux. You're going to have to mount the FAT32 partition in Linux using the samba file system. Windows can't read Linux native/swap (Gates doesn't want that), but Linux can do fine with FAT32. Make this dir: /mnt/winhd or whatever you want to call it. Type this command to mount the FAT32 HD in Linux:
mount -t smbfs //dev/hda0 /mnt/winhd
To unmount:
umount /mnt/winhd
Install LILO (boot manager). That will allow you to select to boot Windows or Linux.
boot
:
Oh, FAT32 doesn't mean a 32GB limit. I have a 100GB drive in FAT32 right now :) FAT32 means that the allociation tables are 32bytes long. Side note: FAT32 ATA100 drives have an addressing issue that limits drive size to 160GB (I think that's the number, it was in the last issue of Maximum PC). This addressing issue (we're talking about how the hard drive stores the location of a sector) is fixed in the ATA133 standard.
I manage a Linux file/email/http/database server for a small company (20 people) all using Win98/2000. |
I NEVER used Linux before and I just wanted to "try" it out. That's why I'm concerned... Can you PM me or ICQ me (145283256) off-board to discuss this in a bit "easier" fashion? I have only used Windows (98, ME, 2000 Pro., XP Pro.) so far. |
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| Blake613 |
I hate to say it but Linux isn't easy. It's weird and touchy (if you have grown up on Windows). Apple/Gates made DOS because unix was only for geeks. I mean, if you wanted to shutdown your computer you had to type this: shutdown -y -g0
My suggestion is to grab Linux for dummies, get the latest RedHat (my favorite flavor of Linux), and install it. Mess around with it. It would take me hours of endless typing to help you format your HD partitions and get on the internet. My best suggestion is to get a P2-500 or some "older" computer and a 20GB HD. That way you won't destroy your primary computer.
I'm only 18 and going to Iowa State University for computer engineering. How did I learn all this? From a book? Some of it. Just fiddle with it, kinda like a girlfriend hehe. If I needed help on how to do something then refer to a manual.
FAT32 LIMITATIONS
Windows 2000/XP
FAT32 is an enhanced version of the FAT file system that can be used on drives from 512 megabytes (MB) to 2 TB in size. The partition size limit is approximately 128GB.
FAT32 can be accessed by Win95B (OSR2, OSR2.1), Win95C (OSR2.5), Win98, Win98SE, WinME, Win2K and WinXP.
It cannot be accessed by DOS (prior to version 7.0), Windows 3.x and Windows NT 4.0 (without the use of third party utilities).
ATA133 HDs
The maximum possible number of clusters on a volume using the FAT32 file system is 268,435,445. With a maximum of 32 KB per cluster with space for the file allocation table (FAT), this equates to a maximum disk size of approximately 8 terabytes (TB).
NTFS LIMITATIONS
According to me: It's great for a server that needs security, but overkill for a home user.
File security. Access rights can be assigned to files and directories, allowing users full access, partial access or no access at all to data on your hard disk.
Support for large hard disks, with a theoretical limit of 16 ExaBytes, and up to 2 TeraBytes (TB).
Encryption. The NTFS 5.0 file system can automatically encrypt and decrypt file data as it is read and written to the disk.
Just to make you think... One time I had to get some data from a Hard Drive in EZ-DRIVE format. It came before FAT32 to address the 500MB or so max of FAT16. The only way to read the drive format is to boot from the hard drive as a master. The files/drivers that let windows see EZ-DRIVE as "FAT" or "False FAT" as I call it were placed in the MBR (Master Boot Record). How horrid. To make a long post even longer I had to install a NIC on the computer ('ol P-233) and copy the data over to my server. (All this took about 3 hours of messing around and some research into 'what the hell is ez-drive?') |
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