NTFS thing

I would like to make my hard disk into a NTFS format because i think it would have be quicker but will it delete all my file and stuff?

 

The Windows NT based OS's (NT, 2000 and XP) have a one time conversion utility built into them that will convert fat32 drives to NTFS. This does not erase data. For more information, open up Windows Help and search for the topic convert.

NTFS is usually not quicker, it is either slower, or about the same depending on the speed of the system.

NTFS typically has more overhead, due to the fact that it supports file permissions, and on 2000 and XP it also supports file encryption.


Also, typically, using the convert utility will give you smaller clusters on NTFS, which will further slow down access especially with large files.

 

So i should just keep it at FAT32?

 

If you use a utility like Partition Magic to convert from FAT32 to NTFS, you'll be able to pick the cluster sizes, however you won't see any performance increase. NTFS offers better security, but for most home systems, I personally don't see much benefit. I have mostly FAT32, because I like to have a dual boot to DOS for GHOST runs, and I hate having a floppy around to do it. Besides, if something really goes south, it's easier to tinker with the filesystem with FAT than NTFS.