Options for Full External Backup of 3 installed Hard Drives

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  1. Posts : 8
    Windows 7 Professional 64-bit
    Thread Starter
       #11

    Thanks karlsnooks and mjf. I'll do as you suggest.

    Vic
      My Computer


  2. Posts : 10,455
    Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit Service Pack 1
       #12

    mjf said:
    VJBenz said:
    OK... a couple of questions.

    Q1: Do I have to reformat my I drive to NTFS or can I "convert" to NTFS from exFAT without formatting, and therefore losing the stuff I have on the I Drive?


    Q2: Can I add partitions to my C Drive without reformatting it? What are the steps?

    Vic
    Q2:
    It's good to have the installed Partition Wizard Mini Tool AND the CD/DVD ISO. You make a bootable CD/DVD from the ISO using for example
    The Official ImgBurn Website
    Another good program to have.

    For partition operations like yours I would recommend using the Boot CD.
    To do the job you
    1)highlight the partition (C)
    2)drag the right handle to the left so that the OS occupies ~ 200GB
    This will a large chunk of unallocated on C to the right
    3) Select Apply
    4) Select the unallocated
    5) Use the obvious tools to format it NTFS, Primary - Apply the operations
    6) Assign a letter - Apply

    Q1:
    Copy your data to your newly created partition and do an NTFS format (Primary) of your I drive. You can use Partition Wizard again if you want. I'd do a quick format as a full format will take a long time.
    Copy your stuff back.
    It is my understanding that Partition Wizard can convert the filesystem without loss of data but I have yet to try it myself.
      My Computer


  3. mjf
    Posts : 5,969
    Windows 7x64 Home Premium SP1
       #13

    kado897 said:
    ..........

    It is my understanding that Partition Wizard can convert the filesystem without loss of data but I have yet to try it myself.
    I don't know but I would have been surprised. I'd copy to be safe.
    If you convert the filesystem let us know if the data stays in tact.
      My Computer


  4. Posts : 10,200
    MS Windows 7 Ultimate SP1 64-bit
       #14

    I think that feature is only available in the paid version.
      My Computer


  5. Posts : 10,455
    Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit Service Pack 1
       #15

    mjf said:
    kado897 said:
    ..........

    It is my understanding that Partition Wizard can convert the filesystem without loss of data but I have yet to try it myself.
    I don't know but I would have been surprised. I'd copy to be safe.
    If you convert the filesystem let us know if the data stays in tact.
    It's in the free version and I just tried a FAT32 to NTFS conversion in a VM and it works without loss of data.
      My Computer


  6. Posts : 2,171
    Windows 7 Ultimate x64
       #16

    For years I've always just used the convert command within Windows to convert FAT or FAT32 to NTFS. It's always best to have the data copied somewhere else first, but the couple of dozen times I've used it I've never lost data.

    It should be noted though, to ensure you realize the full performance benefits provided by NTFS you should always create a newly formatted NTFS, then place your files there. I'm not sure if third party software would do a better conversion (performance-wise) than Windows convert would.
      My Computer


  7. mjf
    Posts : 5,969
    Windows 7x64 Home Premium SP1
       #17

    Before I undertake any partition operation, never mind a format change, I make sure I have the data backed up in some way in case things screw up. This includes images for the OS/installed programs and any type of file data backup that takes your fancy.
      My Computer


  8. Posts : 10,455
    Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit Service Pack 1
       #18

    I second that. You can never have too many backups.
      My Computer


  9. Posts : 10,200
    MS Windows 7 Ultimate SP1 64-bit
       #19

    my mistake earlier. I thought the attempt was to convert dynamic to basic.
      My Computer


  10. Posts : 2,171
    Windows 7 Ultimate x64
       #20

    My mistake too. I was reading it as wanting to convert FAT to NTFS. Looking back at prior posts I see it's an exFAT partition. I don't think the convert command can handle exFAT, only FAT and FAT32.
      My Computer


 
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