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exFAT vs FAT32

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Smartmom's picture
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I was getting ready to format a external hard drive to FAT32 and the only option I have besides NTFS is exFAT. Any clue on what exFAT is and is it compatible with FAT32?

I was reformatting it for that one awesome DVD player to watch movies on but it has to be FAT32. Any clue? I'm too tired to google, nite.

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Smartmom's picture
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Smartmom
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Re: exFAT vs FAT32

OK I did my reasearch (I was way to tired last night) and NO its not compatible with FAT32 but it is compatible with FAT64. Here is the skinny between all of the different formats:

NTFS vs FAT

Criteria

NTFS5

NTFS

exFAT/FAT64

FAT32

FAT16

FAT12

Operating System

Windows 2000
Windows XP
Windows 2003 Server
Windows Vista
Windows 7

Windows NT
Windows 2000
Windows XP
Windows 2003 Server Windows Vista
Windows 7

Windows CE 6.0
Windows Vista SP1
Windows 7
WinXP+KB955704

DOS v7 and higher
Windows 98
Windows ME
Windows 2000
Windows XP
Windows 2003 Server
Windows Vista
Windows 7

DOS
All versions of
Microsoft Windows

DOS
All versions of
Microsoft Windows

Limitations

Max Volume Size

2TB

2TB

64ZB

32GB for all OS.
2TB for some OS

2GB for all OS.
4GB for some OS

16MB

Max Files on Volume

Nearly Unlimited

Nearly Unlimited

Nearly Unlimited

4194304

65536

Max File Size

Limit Only by
Volume Size

Limit Only by
Volume Size

16ZB

4GB minus 2 Bytes

2GB (Limit Only
by Volume Size)

16MB (Limit Only
by Volume Size)

Max Clusters Number

Nearly Unlimited

Nearly Unlimited

4294967295

4177918

65520

4080

Max File Name Length

Up to 255

Up to 255

Up to 255

Up to 255

Standard - 8.3
Extended - up to 255

Up to 254

File System Features

Unicode File Names

Unicode
Character Set

Unicode
Character Set

Unicode
Character Set

System
Character Set

System
Character Set

System
Character Set

System Records Mirror

MFT Mirror File

MFT Mirror File

No

Second Copy of FAT

Second Copy of FAT

Second Copy of FAT

Boot Sector Location

First and Last Sectors

First and Last Sectors

Sectors 0 to 11
Copy in 12 to 23

First Sector and
Copy in Sector #6

First Sector

First Sector

File Attributes

Standard and Custom

Standard and Custom

Standard Set

Standard Set

Standard Set

Standard Set

Alternate Streams

Yes

Yes

No

No

No

No

Compression

Yes

Yes

No

No

No

No

Encryption

Yes

No

No

No

No

No

Object Permissions

Yes

Yes

Yes

No

No

No

Disk Quotas

Yes

No

No

No

No

No

Sparse Files

Yes

No

No

No

No

No

Reparse Points

Yes

No

No

No

No

No

Volume Mount Points

Yes

No

No

No

No

No

Overall Performance

Built-In Security

Yes

Yes

Yes
minimal ACL only

No

No

No

Recoverability

Yes

Yes

Yes
if TFAT activated

No

No

No

Performance

Low on small volumes
High on Large

Low on small volumes
High on Large

High

High on small volumes
Low on large

Highest on small volumes
Low on large

High

Disk Space Economy

Max

Max

Max

Average

Minimal on large volumes

Max

Fault Tolerance

Max

Max

Yes
if TFAT activated

Minimal

Average

Average


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Re: exFAT vs FAT32

I understand all of this perfectly

Smartmom's picture
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Re: exFAT vs FAT32

I was trying to reformat my external HD: How to format an External Hard Drive or Flash Drive

If I plug it into my DVD player right now it says "No Data Found" Sad

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Re: exFAT vs FAT32

What are you using to format it with, just Windows? Windows won't let you format Fat32 on any drives over 32GB. You may want to give a 3rd party program a try instead, like Acronis Disk DirectorDisk Director. But that's a full fledged drive utility. They have a trial version you can use just to see if it'll do it. Or this little free app specifically for formatting.


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Smartmom's picture
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Re: exFAT vs FAT32

Yeah I discoverd that but then I discovered that I could reformat it in DOS so I did it that way (thread to follow on how). I do want to reformat another external so I will try out one of those programs and take screen shots and add it to the future thread Smile

edit: thread done: How To Reformat A Hard Drive To FAT32 In Win7 or Vista

Smartmom's picture
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Re: exFAT vs FAT32
STaRDoGG wrote:

a 3rd party program a try instead, like Acronis Disk DirectorDisk Director. But that's a full fledged drive utility. They have a trial version you can use just to see if it'll do it.

This one does work in Windows 7 Big Grin

STaRDoGG wrote:

Or this little free app specifically for formatting.

This does not work in Windows 7 or Vista - the last OS it worked in was XP Sad

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Re: exFAT vs FAT32
Smartmom wrote:

This does not work in Windows 7 or Vista - the last OS it worked in was XP

Bummer, I suppose it could always be run in a virtual machine, like with VMWare or so. Just out of curiosity, did ya try running it in compatibility mode?


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Smartmom's picture
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Smartmom
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Re: exFAT vs FAT32

I have Windows 7 home addition - no compatibility mode (that is the premium version) Sad

I reformatted mine in DOS - it wasn't that bad I started it and went to bed. I did get up and look at it in the middle of the night (I was up anyways). I did this: How To Reformat A Hard Drive To FAT32 In Win7 or Vista Big Grin

Plus the nice thing about doing it via DOS is it totally re-writes the drive. If your looking to really wipe a drive clean that is the way to do it. There is no retrieving the data once on it unless you have a FBI retrieval disk. Wink

mike127's picture
mike127
Re: exFAT vs FAT32

i have a buddy that could retrieve old ish form old junk hard-drives but it it takes alot of time hours of doing it his program could get every deleted program-file or files pictures and all so the best way of clearing or wipping your hard-drive is to bust it up take a hamer to it and just because it looks like its been cleared out all the way it hasn't trust me

JustThere's picture
JustThere
Re: exFAT vs FAT32

Go to TPB and download either Windows 7 anytime upgrade key generator, or just download the entire Windows 7 and install it manually like I did. make sure you select the option for upgrade not a 'clean' install, otherwise you'll lose everything and with with Windows 7 its very hard to reinstall hardware such as an integrated microphone. it'll get you through life.

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