tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13777170.post464609657240557589..comments2024-03-11T02:35:50.848-05:00Comments on grand stream dreams: Important Things I Forgot: #1Unknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger3125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13777170.post-46618246053248495342007-11-23T13:31:00.000-06:002007-11-23T13:31:00.000-06:00Hi Guys!@Guru--I now prefer NTFS formatting over F...Hi Guys!<BR/><BR/>@Guru--I now prefer NTFS formatting over FAT-32. I'm not a disk-head and probably not the best person to compare the two formats. What I do know (besides the file size limits) is that NTFS volumes seem to perform better overall (speed/data-reliability/fragmentation) than FAT-32. In the past the biggest complaint was that I couldn't use a Win98/DOS boot disk to read/write to an NTFS drive if I was trying to recover files. Now with Linux Live CD's and WinPE/BartPE disk, that's no longer a concern as they both can read/write NTFS with ease. I used to format my multi-partition XP system drives with the primary being NTFS and the others FAT-32, but now I am working to convert them all to NTFS. For XP/Vista I don't think I would now use anything other than NTFS. At work it is NTFS all the way for our W2K/XP systems. Regarding the iPods problems if formatted with NTFS; I can't say for sure what the problems would be. I read A LOT of posts (forms/blogs) where everyone said just don't do it...stick with FAT-32. At the minimum I can say that it appears if you go with NTFS, then if you plug the iPod into a Mac system, it will not be able to recognize the NTFS formatting to write to it. So in a cross-OS environment that would be a deal-killer. If you are just using it in a Windows-only location, maybe it would work. See this post: <A HREF="http://www.notmike.com/2004/10/crossplatform-i.html" REL="nofollow">Cross-platform iPod fun</A>.<BR/><BR/>If Dad's 2nd partition was NTFS (it wasn't) I could have done the ImageX capture to it first, then used the <A HREF="http://technet2.microsoft.com/WindowsVista/en/library/bb068119-1ba6-48c7-9ad7-3ed3f72592e91033.mspx?mfr=true" REL="nofollow">imagex /split</A> command to split the .WIM file into smaller bits. Unfortunately it doesn't support splitting during .WIM image capture (like Ghost can do, slicing it up into 600MB'ish-sized bites). Then I could have copied the split versions over via the iPod.<BR/><BR/>Did you know you can do a split of .vhd files as well if you run into this issue? <A HREF="http://www.wirwar.com/blog/2007/10/26/splitting-a-virtual-pc-vhd/" REL="nofollow">Splitting a Virtual PC VHD</A><BR/><BR/>@Steve -- Thanks for the very kind words and tips. I appreciate them greatly. I have an similar PATA drive enclosure I use at home. It usually houses a DVD ROM player for my Shuttle XPS system, but I often have swapped it out with my system's primary PATA drive (or others) when I have needed to hook it up to one of our laptops to do file recovery in some of my system hard-drive disasters of late. SATA is the way to go now like you noted. The Smartdisk FireLite does look nice. The WesternDigital that I linked to is very similar to what we use for a portable USB 2.0 drive at work. They are dead-useful and though not quite as pocket-portable as a flash-stick, are probably a mandatory piece of gear for all desktop/sysadmin techs nowadays. I hadn't seen the Zip-Linq cables. That is a good reference to know about!<BR/><BR/>Thanks for the tips!<BR/><BR/>--ClausAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13777170.post-28508235490245994592007-11-23T12:58:00.000-06:002007-11-23T12:58:00.000-06:00Another excellent post, and very timely for those ...Another excellent post, and very timely for those of us expecting holiday family tech support. I have a similar project on the horizon with my own father. <BR/><BR/>Great reminder about the limitations of FAT-32. It can still come in handy when cross-compatibility is needed with a Linux dual boot machine, but the performance and security are certainly not as good.<BR/><BR/>I also wanted to share a couple of portable drive alternatives to the iPod that we use where I work. The first type is represented by the <A HREF="http://www.verbatim.com/products/subcategory.cfm?pc_id=E56A27DA-1143-3415-5F72BDD13236B16B&pc_parent=E543D8E8-1143-3415-5F4F3916C6060CF8" REL="nofollow">Smartdisk FireLite</A>, recently acquired by Verbatim. It's a 2.5" unit that's bus powered so you don't need to carry a power supply, just a USB cable. They get even better if you switch to a <A HREF="http://www.ziplinq.com/retractable-cable-usb.html" REL="nofollow">Zip-Linq cable</A>. I don't think of it as a truly pocket-portable solution like the smaller and slower 1.8" drive-based products, but if you are already carrying a laptop bag or similar then it takes up very little extra space.<BR/><BR/>The other is one we build with a large SATA drive and a drive enclosure like the <A HREF="http://www.antec.com/us/productDetails.php?ProdID=77150" REL="nofollow">Antec MX-1</A> or similar that supports USB and eSATA. Users that have a recurring need for external storage get an eSATA card for their pc and can transfer at the higher rate. Six times faster is a noticeable improvement.<BR/><BR/>Anyway, I love swinging by your blog for lots of great ideas and I hope you don't mind me trying to repay you with a few thoughts of my own. Thanks!<BR/><BR/>SteveAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13777170.post-84239810305509365202007-11-23T00:35:00.000-06:002007-11-23T00:35:00.000-06:00This leads me to an interesting question or two. ...This leads me to an interesting question or two. First is it better to use NTFS over FAT-32? Secondly, what is the difference in that the iPod would not function if the drive was formated as NTFS?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com