Creating FAT32 Drives
As discussed earlier there are two ways of creating a FAT32 partition:-
1.
Using FDISK :- In OEM
Service release 2 or in Windows 98, if you run the FDISK system
utility it will ask whether to enable large disk support. If
you answer yes, any partition you create that's greater than
5I2MB will be marked as a FAT32 partition. FDISK cannot convert
a FAT16 partition to FAT32, all contents of the drive are lost
if you use this method.
2. Using Converter :- To convert an existing partition without any data
loss you can use :
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Partition Magic |
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‘CVT.EXE’ from Microsoft |
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Windows 98 graphical FAT32 conversion utility |
to convert partitions to FAT32 on-the-fly
without data loss, this is probably the best method currently
available, it can also convert back to FAT16 if required.
FAT32 conversion
using FDISK
Step-by-step procedure
- Do a full backup of your disk.
If you're at all uncertain about your backup hardware and software,
do a second full backup. Don't give in to temptation to skip
this step, because when
you run FDISK you're going to make all the old files on your
hard disk disappear i.e. FDISK deletes everything and creates
everything fresh and new.
HI HI HI BEWARE
BACKUP BEFORE STARTING.
- Make sure you have a bootable
floppy / Startup Disk. Also
make sure you have the following on a floppy :
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your backup/restore
software |
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FDISK |
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FORMAT |
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mouse driver and CD-ROM driver |
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You can create one bootable floppy by two
ways : |
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If you already have Windows 95 OSR2 or Windows
98 installed go to Control Panel – Add Remove Programs –
Startup Disk – CREATE DISK. |
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If you do not have windows 95 / 98 installed
run Setup and follow instructions till you reach Creating Startup
Disk. Create Startup Disk and then cancel the setup. |
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3. Decide what partition sizes
you want.
You can partition your Hard Disk in two
or more parts or in a Single entity as a whole. I recommend that
go for a single big size because of speed and it is fast
to defrag a single partition rather than multiple
partitions.
In Microsoft world, you don't create
N partitions on a disk. Instead you create one "primary
DOS partition" and one "extended DOS partition"
and then you create N-1 "logical drives" on the extended
DOS partition. So if you're trying
to partition your only hard disk into C:, D;, and E:, you'll
create a primary DOS partition which will automatically be C:,
then an extended DOS partition, then logical drives D: and E:
on the extended partition.
4. Insert your boot disk and restart
your computer. When the command prompt appears, type FDISK.
At that point, FDISK will ask you if you want to enable large
disk support.
FDISK asks if you want to enable large
disk support.
Enter Y to enable the FAT-32
file system. FDISK will then ask
you what you want to do with the partition. Notice that the first
line under FDISK Options tells you which fixed disk drive you're
currently working on. If you're using a computer with multiple
hard disks, enter 4 at the prompt to see the drive letter
that corresponds to the drive. If this isn't the hard disk you
intend to reconfigure as FAT-32, type 5 to change the
current fixed disk drive.
Use FDISK to delete and re-create your
DOS partition.
Once you've switched
to the correct hard disk (if necessary), enter 3 at the
command prompt. FDISK will now display the Delete DOS Partition
or Logical DOS Drive screen. I'll assume that you'll be working
with the primary partition. (If you have multiple partitions
on the same physical drive, you may have to delete an extended
partition before you can delete the primary partition.) Enter
1 to delete the primary partition.
At this point, FDISK will warn you that
it's about to delete all data in the partition. It will also
ask you for the partition number you want to delete. For our
example, enter 1. FDISK will then ask you to enter the
volume label of the partition you're deleting. This is an extra
safeguard to make sure you're really deleting the partition that
you think you are. Answer Y to the final confirmation
prompt to allow FDISK to delete your partition.
FDISK warns you that you'll lose all
data when you delete the partition. Press Y to carry on or N
to do latter.
After FDISK deletes your partition, it
takes you back to the main menu. Now you need to create a new
primary DOS partition. First, enter 1 at the prompt. When
FDISK asks if you'd like to use the maximum available size for
a primary partition and make the partition active, enter Y.
You'll soon see a message stating that FDISK created the partition.
We're now done with our boot disk, so press [Esc] to exit FDISK.
Next, reboot your PC using your boot disk.
When you see the DOS prompt, type FORMAT C: /S /z:n
(n is the cluster size you have to decide from the above table)
and press [Enter] to make the partition bootable. You now have
a new partition that uses FAT-32 and that you can install Windows
95 on.
If you do not
reboot between FDISKing and FORMATing, you will get strange-looking
error messages.
TIP: There
is an undocumented flag for OSR2's FDISK, namely, /FPRMT. If
you do a FDISK /FPRMT, you are able to format partitions smaller
than 512MB as FAT32. For advanced users only!
TIP: There
is an undocumented switch in the FORMAT command in OSR2. Then
syntax is:
FORMAT /z:n
where n * 512bytes = cluster
size
In other words, with this
switch, you can set your own cluster size.
Like mentioned above you can test this accordingly
Restore the files you backed up. (You don't
need to restore them all to C. But unless you plan on reinstalling
Windows from scratch, it's probably best to restore the Windows
files to the same disk letter where they were before you repartitioned.)
Your CD-ROM drive letter will now be different.
You'll have to change the drive letter in any Windows icons that
point to it (click on each icon, then click File, click Properties,
then edit the command line and possibly the working directory,
then click).
You don't need to make any changes in your
CMOS settings. Even though DOS and Windows now behave as if you
have several hard disks, the CMOS will still correctly show the
actual hard disk(s). This completes the procedure.
FAT16 FAT32 conversion by utility
PowerQuest has released one software part of Partition Magic
in which it is possible to "force" an upgrade of an
existing Windows95 installation, and then convert FAT16 to FAT32
after installation of OSR2.
On a 1.2GB drive, formatted as a single
partition, before conversion from FAT16 to FAT32 (via Partition
Magic 3.0), there was 58MB free space. After conversion, there
was 268MB free space. Your results will vary.
Microsoft has also developed a FAT16
---> FAT32 (one way only) conversion utility, named "CVT.EXE". This conversion utility has only been released
to beta testers of OSR2 and Memphis. It has not been distributed
via MSDN. CVT.EXE is currently available for download at http://www.powerload.fsnet.co.uk/win9x.htm
FAT32 Conversion in windows 98
Windows 98 includes a converter that
will convert a FAT16 volume to FAT32. The conversion process
leverages features of the FAT32 file system specifically designed
to allow for safe conversions from a FAT16 volume. These features
include the ability to specify which of multiple FAT tables is
active and the ability to relocate the root directory table.
The basic algorithm of the FAT32 converter
is to construct a mirror file system that shares the same data
space as the original file system. The FAT16 file system remains
fully intact and usable while the new FAT32 file system is constructed.
At no point during the building of the FAT32 file system would
a power failure or unexpected reboot result in data loss. Once
the FAT32 file system is constructed, it is "instantly"
enabled with a single-sector write to the boot sector. That is,
the transition from a fully functional FAT16 file system to a
fully functional FAT32 file system comes down to a single sector
write.
The nine phases of the conversion process
are the following:
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Phase 1: Ensures that
it is safe to convert:
Runs ScanDisk to verify
that the drive's file system structure is valid.
Refuses to run if there are any clusters that have previously
been marked as being bad.
Watches for compression.
Watches for incompatible BIOS versions.
Watches for anti-virus software that will get in the way.
Watches for drives that are not supported by interrupt 13 (Int
13).
Watches for drivers that do not support FAT32. |
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Phase 2: Converts the
directories. CVT (the conversion utility) makes a copy of the
entire volume's directory structure to an unused portion of the
disk. The conversion is performed entirely on this copy. Any
failure or power loss during this phase leaves the volume in
its original state.
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Phase 3: Makes room for
the 32-bit FAT. CVT makes room for the new 32-bit FAT by moving
files and directories out of the way using the same method as
Defrag. Any failure or power loss during this phase might leave
minor problems in the form of lost clusters (the same as Defrag.)
No user data is lost, and ScanDisk can easily throw away the
lost clusters.
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Phase 4: Converts the
16-bit FAT to a 32-bit FAT. CVT converts as it copies the 16-bit
FAT to the new unused location for the 32-bit FAT. Any failure
or power loss during this phase leaves the volume in its original
state, except that a few files have been moved.
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Phase 5: Frees unneeded
clusters. CVT frees clusters marked as used in the 32-bit FAT
that will no longer be needed because of the smaller FAT32 clusters.
Any failure or power loss during this phase leaves the volume
in its original state, except that a few files have been moved.
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Phase 6: Updates the master
boot record. CVT updates the master boot record with a new signature
indicating that the volume is either a FAT32 volume or a FAT16
volume. Any failure or power loss during this phase leaves the
volume as a FAT16 volume with all files intact.
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Phase 7: Updates the boot
record. CVT updates the boot record to the FAT32 boot record.
Any failure or power loss during this phase leaves the volume
as a FAT16 volume with all files intact.
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Phase 8: Creates a second
copy of the FAT. CVT creates a second copy of the 32-bit FAT
and then enables it. Any failure or power loss during this phase
leaves the volume as a FAT32 volume with all files intact. The
volume will only have one FAT, but it will function properly.
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Phase 9: Moves the root
directory. CVT relocates the root directory to the front of the
disk. Any failure or power loss during this phase leaves the
volume as a FAT32 volume with all files intact, but it might
leave minor problems in the form of lost clusters (the same as
Defrag). No user data is lost, and ScanDisk can easily throw
away the lost clusters.
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Can I compress a FAT-32 drive:-
NO Windows 95 won't allow you to compress
a FAT-32 drive. In fact, Microsoft has changed the manner in
which you compress disks in OSR2. If you try to use the Compression
Agent with OSR2, Windows 95 will display the error message It
states that if you want to compress a disk, you must first install
Microsoft Plus!. However, this message is deceptive, because
OSR2 includes DriveSpace 3, which is the same compression utility
that's found in Plus!. You can access DriveSpace 3 by choosing
Accessories, System Tools, Drive Space. Unfortunately, DriveSpace
3 still can't compress a FAT-32 partition. Instead use Freespace
from Mizenix Corporation instead of DriveSpace.
Will my disk utilities work with FAT-32?
Norton Utilities 2.0 and Norton AntiVirus
2.0 offer full FAT-32 support if you install the patch available
at Symantec's Web site (http://www.symantec.com). Norton Utilities
1.0 is incompatible with FAT-32.
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