Convert to NTFS

NTFS is the file system of choice on Windows XP. NTFS is overwhelmingly better than FAT / FAT32 and enables you to use some management features of Windows XP that FAT / FAT32 does not support. So, you should certainly convert any FAT / FAT32 drives to NTFS. The only exception to this rule is if you use a dual-boot system that also boots earlier versions of Windows that do not support NTFS, such as Windows 98 or Windows Me.

Keep the following two issues in mind when converting to NTFS:

1. You can convert a FAT or FAT32 drive to NTFS while preserving your data. Conversion is a one-way process, however. Once you convert to NTFS, you cannot revert back to FAT without reformatting the disk.
2. You cannot convert an NTFS drive to FAT or FAT32 without reformatting the drive. This means that all of your data on the hard disk will be destroyed during the formatting process. You will have to restore all of the data from backup.