NTFS vs FAT32

Red_5 · Post by **Red_5** » Thu Aug 20, 2009 4:55 pm

Here it comes again, the decision of what to format my new 8GB Sandisk flash drive too... FAT32 or NTFS?

Which is better? What's the difference? Pros and cons?

Thanks for taking the time to help a noooooob.

Apologies to all

Isaac · Post by **Isaac** » Thu Aug 20, 2009 5:17 pm

I had some jump drives that weren't recognized on some computers using NTFS. So I had to reformat them to FAT32 to work with home, school, and work computers.

SuperSheep · Post by **SuperSheep** » Thu Aug 20, 2009 5:28 pm

http://www.testfreaks.com/blog/informat ... -vs-exfat/

TechPro · Post by **TechPro** » Thu Aug 20, 2009 10:12 pm

NTFS is more efficient ... however at 8gb, unless you have a lot of small files on it you won't really lose a lot of space to the inefficiency of FAT32 ... and (IMHO) the multiple platform compatability for FAT32 easily makes up for the inefficiency when you consider the places and times that NTFS can't (or won't) be readable by a system.

I'd go with FAT32.

BUBBALOU · Post by **BUBBALOU** » Fri Aug 21, 2009 6:41 am

stick with FAT32 at least until Flash drives start reaching 160GB, then move to another file system

Skyalmian · Post by **Skyalmian** » Fri Aug 21, 2009 6:56 am

If you have any files on the flash drive above 4GB, you need NTFS since FAT32 doesn't allow file sizes larger than that.

Kilarin · Post by **Kilarin** » Fri Aug 21, 2009 10:38 am

Linux works fine with NTFS now, so why use FAT32?

Canuck · Post by **Canuck** » Fri Aug 21, 2009 3:14 pm

Umm as much as I like Linux there ARE other OS's out there. Fat32 allows MAC and Windows machines to share files and is of course recognized by Linux as well.

Red_5 · Post by **Red_5** » Fri Aug 21, 2009 4:37 pm

Alrighy. FATSO32 is my winner. Thanks for the input.

Kilarin · Post by **Kilarin** » Fri Aug 21, 2009 5:39 pm

Canuck wrote:Umm as much as I like Linux there ARE other OS's out there

What?!?!?

snoopy · Post by **snoopy** » Sat Aug 22, 2009 7:16 am

Ext3?

Ferno · Post by **Ferno** » Sat Aug 22, 2009 11:18 am

not all OS's support EXT3.

Anything under 8gb, format with FAT32.

anything over 8gb, NTFS.

http://support.microsoft.com/kb/140365

Zantor · Post by **Zantor** » Sat Aug 22, 2009 12:10 pm

You can get a \"driver\" For ext2 and ext3 for windows, but not everyone's computers will have that, so go for FAT32. It's what I format all my flash storage with.