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Why do I
get error messages when I try to convert
FAT16 partitions to FAT32 in Windows
2000/XP/2003?
In W2K,
XP and Windows Server 2003, if you
attempt to convert a File Allocation
Table (FAT or FAT16) partition to the
FAT32 file system using the "drive:\convert
drive: /fs:fat32" command-line
switch, where drive is the drive from
which you are running the convert
utility and the drive you are trying to
convert to FAT32, you may receive the
following error message:
The type of the file system is FAT.
Convert cannot gain exclusive access
to the drive drive, so it cannot
convert it now. Would you like to
schedule it to be converted the next
time the system restarts. (Y/N)
When
you restart your computer, the
conversion process seems to start, and
then the following error message is
displayed:
FAT32 is not supported
If you
attempt use the "drive1:\convert
drive2: /fs:fat32" command- line
switch, where drive1 is the drive from
which you are running the convert
utility and drive2 is the drive you are
trying to convert to FAT32, the
following error message is displayed:
FAT32 is not a valid file system
This
behavior occurs because Windows 2000/XP
does not have a process for converting a
partition from FAT16 to FAT32. The only
conversion process that Windows 2000/XP
supports is converting from FAT16 or
FAT32 to the Windows NT file system
(NTFS).
Note: If you type convert /? at a
command prompt, there is not an option
to convert to the FAT32 file system.
Note: Windows 2000/XP/2003 provides
NO way to convert NTFS partitions to
FAT16/32.
If you
dual boot, you can use the Microsoft
Windows 95 or Microsoft Windows 98 drive
converter tool in System Tools, or the
following command-line tool:
cvt drive: /cvt32
Alternatively, you can use 3rd party
tools like PowerQuest PartitionMagic,
PowerQuest ServerMagic and other tools
to perform the conversion from FAT16 to
FAT32 and backwards. |
