richard said:
installed some xp updates the other day
ever since ive got this every time ive tried to load up
"checking file system on c
the typew of file is fat32
one of you discs need to be checked for consistency"
the check is always fine but why has it started doing it?
what is fat32?
FAT32 is your file system format. FAT stands for File Allocation Table.
The original FAT was a 12-bit system (FAT12) and is still used for
floppy disks. It was replaced by FAT16 (16-bit) still in the early days
of DOS (Dos 3.2, I believe). FAT32 was introduced by Windows 95b - an
OEM only version. It, as you might have guessed, is a 32-bit file system.
FAT32 is considered obsolete now. You should only be using FAT32 on
your drive if you also run 95, 98, or ME (or older) system on the same
computer.
NTFS (NT File System or New Technology File System) is the preferred
file system on XP. It supports file security, encryption, and
compression. It is a much more reliable and robust file system than FAT
(all versions).
You can convert your FAT32 drive to NTFS in XP. Have a backup of your
data first, just in case. Also, remember that older windows operating
systems (except for Windows 2000 and some versions of NT 4) will not be
able to read the new drive. This is not a problem as long as you don't
run these systems on the same computer. Accessing the drives over the
network is not a problem. Also remember this is a one-way conversion
and can not be undone, not that you would want to anyway.
To convert, use the following command from a command prompt, or from the
run command:
CONVERT C: /fs:NTFS
Capitalization shouldn't matter, and if your dive is not C:, then use
the right drive letter. If you are converting your system partition,
you will need to reboot in order for the conversion to take place.
I strongly recommend converting, as you system should be more stable
afterwords, and NTFS drives rarely need checking like FAT does.
--
Jeremy Hannon
Hannon Computer Services
www.quad-s.com
Brainbench MVP for Computer Technical Support
www.brainbench.com