Guest Eric Posted August 20, 2007 Posted August 20, 2007 Does anyone have any suggestions on the size of HDD for XP to be recognized in FAT32 format? I get an old HDD 40 GB, under FAT32 format for XP, can 40 GB still be recognized in size? Thank you any suggestions Eric
Guest Gary S. Terhune Posted August 20, 2007 Posted August 20, 2007 Re: What is the maximum size of HDD for XP in FAT32 format? Yup, no problem. -- Gary S. Terhune MS-MVP Shell/User http://www.grystmill.com "Eric" <Eric@discussions.microsoft.com> wrote in message news:2DE2F15F-9A8C-4591-A4D9-FF8A6885ACE4@microsoft.com... > Does anyone have any suggestions on the size of HDD for XP to be > recognized > in FAT32 format? I get an old HDD 40 GB, under FAT32 format for XP, can 40 > GB > still be recognized in size? > Thank you any suggestions > Eric
Guest JS Posted August 20, 2007 Posted August 20, 2007 Re: What is the maximum size of HDD for XP in FAT32 format? Limitations of the FAT32 File System in Windows XP http://support.microsoft.com/kb/314463/en-us If you use a third party formatting tool or possibly a utility from the drive manufacturer's web site to create one 40GB partition XP will recognize it without problems, XP itself just can't create and format FAT32 partitions larger than 32GB. Also keep in mind that the drive size (40GB) is specified in decimal notation and will actually be slightly less in size (about 37GB in binary notation) when viewed within XP. JS "Eric" <Eric@discussions.microsoft.com> wrote in message news:2DE2F15F-9A8C-4591-A4D9-FF8A6885ACE4@microsoft.com... > Does anyone have any suggestions on the size of HDD for XP to be > recognized > in FAT32 format? I get an old HDD 40 GB, under FAT32 format for XP, can 40 > GB > still be recognized in size? > Thank you any suggestions > Eric
Guest Bruce Chambers Posted August 21, 2007 Posted August 21, 2007 Re: What is the maximum size of HDD for XP in FAT32 format? Eric wrote: > Does anyone have any suggestions on the size of HDD for XP to be recognized > in FAT32 format? I get an old HDD 40 GB, under FAT32 format for XP, can 40 GB > still be recognized in size? > Thank you any suggestions > Eric By design, WinXP cannot _create_ and _format_ a new partition greater than 32 Gb. This is because NTFS is the superior file system, and not nearly as wasteful of drive space. If you make a FAT32 partition larger than 8 Gb, you're "throwing away" significant amounts of storage capacity. However, to answer your question, the OS has no problems being installed upon or otherwise using FAT32 a partition larger than 32 GB, as long as that partition has been created/formatted by another OS, such as Win98. -- Bruce Chambers Help us help you: http://dts-l.org/goodpost.htm http://www.catb.org/~esr/faqs/smart-questions.html They that can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary safety deserve neither liberty nor safety. -Benjamin Franklin Many people would rather die than think; in fact, most do. -Bertrand Russell
Guest Ken Blake Posted August 21, 2007 Posted August 21, 2007 Re: What is the maximum size of HDD for XP in FAT32 format? "Eric" <Eric@discussions.microsoft.com> wrote in message news:2DE2F15F-9A8C-4591-A4D9-FF8A6885ACE4@microsoft.com... > Does anyone have any suggestions on the size of HDD for XP to be > recognized > in FAT32 format? There is no limit to be concerned about. Windows XP will recgnize and use FAT32 drives and partitions larger than the largest drive made today. However note that it will not *create a FAT32 partition larger than 32GB. -- Ken Blake - Microsoft MVP Windows: Shell/User Please reply to the newsgroup >I get an old HDD 40 GB, under FAT32 format for XP, can 40 GB > still be recognized in size? > Thank you any suggestions > Eric
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