Author Topic: NTFS or exFAT? (Read 5196 times)

lMarchel · « **on:** February 14, 2010, 12:23:43 PM »

Just as the topic's name reads

.

I want to know what format should I format my hard disk into?

What is the BEST for keeping the files & doesn't have a limit on the file size?

I need help as a fast as possible...

P.S : I think I may have this topic in the wrong section... If so, I'm sorry

AceHigh · « **Reply #1 on:** February 14, 2010, 12:26:38 PM »

NTFS, it is a decent file system

Lupin · « **Reply #2 on:** February 14, 2010, 12:33:50 PM »

Pick NTFS. It has wider OS support than exFAT

Size limits should be a problem unless the files are exabytes big.

sdedalus83 · « **Reply #3 on:** February 14, 2010, 12:54:39 PM »

There's a bunch of good reasons why you have to jump through all sorts of hoops just to convince 7 to install on an exFAT partition. NTFS shits all over it in terms of data integrity and OS integration. exFAT is simply meant to replace FAT32 for usb flash drives.

lMarchel · « **Reply #4 on:** February 14, 2010, 12:58:24 PM »

Quote from: Lupin on February 14, 2010, 12:33:50 PM

Pick NTFS. It has wider OS support than exFAT

Size limits should be a problem unless the files are exabytes big.

Thanks for the feedback both of you!

But what is the limit for the file size on the NTFS?
Please don't tell me it's 4 GB or something like that... I have files that are almost 10 GB on me

And what is the best "OVERALL"
My Windows system is Vista BTW!

Lupin · « **Reply #5 on:** February 14, 2010, 01:07:00 PM »

Quote from: lMarchel on February 14, 2010, 12:58:24 PM

But what is the limit for the file size on the NTFS?
Please don't tell me it's 4 GB or something like that... I have files that are almost 10 GB on me

NTFS file size limit is ~16 terabytes (current implementation). The theoretical limit is ~16 exabytes

vuzedome · « **Reply #6 on:** February 14, 2010, 01:50:09 PM »

exFAT? No... just no.

psyren · « **Reply #7 on:** February 14, 2010, 02:14:48 PM »

Quote from: sdedalus83 on February 14, 2010, 12:54:39 PM

exFAT is simply meant to replace FAT32 for usb flash drives.

FAT32 still performs better...

sdedalus83 · « **Reply #8 on:** February 14, 2010, 02:31:04 PM »

Quote from: psyren on February 14, 2010, 02:14:48 PM

FAT32 still performs better...

The 4GB file size limitation is a bitch though.

lMarchel · « **Reply #9 on:** February 14, 2010, 03:34:36 PM »

Thanks for all the replys guys!

NTFS it is then!

Just one last question... What shoul be the Allocation Unit Size? I mean which should I choose?

And what does it mean exactly?

Sorry for being such a noob guys

. But you're all I have...

blubart · « **Reply #10 on:** February 14, 2010, 03:50:15 PM »

Quote from: lMarchel on February 14, 2010, 03:34:36 PM

Just one last question... What shoul be the Allocation Unit Size? I mean which should I choose?

And what does it mean exactly?

Sorry for being such a noob guys . But you're all I have...

choose "default allocation size" (that would be 4KB for NTFS if i remember right)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Allocation_unit
it's basically the unit at which space is given out to save files.
with a 4KB cluster size files ranging in size from 0 to 4KB are stored in a single cluster, from 4 to 8KB in two clusters and so on...

lowering the size results in smaller supported partition sizes as the implemented cluster limit for NTFS is 2^32 −1.

K7IA · « **Reply #11 on:** February 14, 2010, 04:08:36 PM »

If this is an external hdd you are talking about, you should be careful with NTFS.

If not just ignore this.

lMarchel · « **Reply #12 on:** February 14, 2010, 04:13:39 PM »

Quote from: enginarc on February 14, 2010, 04:08:36 PM

If this is an external hdd you are talking about, you should be careful with NTFS.

If not just ignore this.

Thanks blubart!

But it is an external HDD, what's the difference?

Blanchimont · « **Reply #13 on:** February 14, 2010, 04:45:11 PM »

Quote from: enginarc on February 14, 2010, 04:08:36 PM

If this is an external hdd you are talking about, you should be careful with NTFS.

If not just ignore this.

I convert all my external drives to ntfs (after stripping out anything preloaded put in them...) before use, so care to elaborate a bit?...

K7IA · « **Reply #14 on:** February 14, 2010, 04:47:54 PM »

If you are connecting the external hdd via a USB cable, make sure you use the "Safely Remove USB device" feature of windows before physical removal.

Or it might corrupt the data on the hdd.

"{Delayed Write Failed}" error message when you unplug a USB 2.0 storage device => http://support.microsoft.com/kb/818788/

--

For the "allocation unit" decision, it highly depends on what you intend to store on the hdd.

For example, if you are going to store anime (big files in general) go with something like 8KB+

Otherwise with small files, you will waste hdd space. A 25kbyte file will occupy 32kbytes of hdd space if you use an 8KB allocation unit size.

Lupin · « **Reply #15 on:** February 14, 2010, 05:15:41 PM »

Quote from: enginarc on February 14, 2010, 04:47:54 PM

If you are connecting the external hdd via a USB cable, make sure you use the "Safely Remove USB device" feature of windows before physical removal.

Or it might corrupt the data on the hdd.

"{Delayed Write Failed}" error message when you unplug a USB 2.0 storage device => http://support.microsoft.com/kb/818788/

Windows optimizes external storage devices for safe removal and not for performance by default. The write delays happen when windows caches the data and writes them to the drive only upon unmounting. By default, windows will write the data immediately to the disc.

You'll get that message only if you disconnect the drive while windows is still writing on it.

It's good practice to use the "safely remove usb device" anyways so this shouldn't be a problem.

blubart · « **Reply #16 on:** February 14, 2010, 05:17:08 PM »

Quote from: enginarc on February 14, 2010, 04:47:54 PM

If you are connecting the external hdd via a USB cable, make sure you use the "Safely Remove USB device" feature of windows before physical removal.

Or it might corrupt the data on the hdd.

"{Delayed Write Failed}" error message when you unplug a USB 2.0 storage device => http://support.microsoft.com/kb/818788/

this problem is related to Windows 2000 and is to my knowledge a non-issue in Vista.

going with another cluster size than the default one doesn't yield any noticeable benefit and might haunt you later. just don't change it.

K7IA · « **Reply #17 on:** February 14, 2010, 05:28:02 PM »

It says XP and 2000 in APPLIES TO section of the knowledge base article, so yes it seems to be solved in Vista+

A quote from CAUSE section of the same article.

Quote

This issue may occur if you do not stop the USB 2.0 storage device by using the Unplug or Eject Hardware feature before you unplug the device from your computer. If you do not stop the device before you unplug it from your computer, some files and folders that are cached by the file system and that are used to improve performance may be damaged.

When you stop a device before you unplug it, the cached information is flushed, and any pending input/output operations can finish correctly.

So just be mindful of it and use "safely remove usb device" when using on XP.

That should do the trick.

Proin Drakenzol · « **Reply #18 on:** February 14, 2010, 06:31:16 PM »

exFAT was put into Vista and 7 only because NTFS rapes the ever living fuck out of Solid State Drives.

If it's not an SSD or flashdrive use NTFS.

K7IA · « **Reply #19 on:** February 14, 2010, 07:29:01 PM »

Quote from: Proin Drakenzol on February 14, 2010, 06:31:16 PM

exFAT was put into Vista and 7 only because NTFS rapes the ever living fuck out of Solid State Drives.

If it's not an SSD or flashdrive use NTFS.

One serious reason to buy an SSD would be to install the operating system on it and anything other than NTFS for windows would probably not be meaningful. Are you certain?

Is it something to do with TRIM support?

[edit] now that I think of it, you should not be able to install windows on a non-NTFS volume