Candypie:
could I just ask, if I format the hard drive to NTFS does this have any implications or can I carry on using it as I would previously have been able to? I know anything on it will be deleted which is ok but I wanted to know if I can still use it for storing videos from my video camera (which will be burned to dvd as well) and photos from my digital camera?
You dont have to reformat an existing drive you can convert it using the convert command: -
Code:
CONVERT volume /FS:NTFS [/V] [/CvtArea:filename] [/NoSecurity] [/X]
volume Specifies the drive letter (followed by a colon),
mount point, or volume name.
/FS:NTFS Specifies that the volume will be converted to NTFS.
/V Specifies that Convert will be run in verbose mode.
/CvtArea:filename
Specifies a contiguous file in the root directory
that will be the place holder for NTFS system files.
/NoSecurity Specifies that the security settings on the converted
files and directories allow access by all users.
/X Forces the volume to dismount first if necessary.
All open handles to the volume will not be valid.
For example if the drive you wish to convert from FAT32 to NTFS was your F: drive the command you would need would be
Code:
convert F: /FS:NTFS
These commands you need to run from a command prompt (CMD) often referred to as a DOS prompt.
It will take a little time and make sure your not going to be interrupted whilse doing so (running a laptop on a battery whilst doing this is not advised).
Implications wise... there are a few things to consider. It is harder to un-delete things on NTFS especially when security settings are high. Also you will have security applied on the folders - so if you create a folder under account A then account B may not be able to access it unless either account A grants access or account B is an administrator account.
Generally you will not find much difference in your day to day use.