Is Fat32 much easier to remove than NTFS?

I saw the whole long debate about NTFS and how to fully remove it. Is
Fat32 as difficult to remove. Can BING remove both of these file
systems without issue? Thanks in advance for the feedback.
--
Dan W.

Computer User

"Dan W." wrote in message
...
| I saw the whole long debate about NTFS and how to fully remove it. Is
| Fat32 as difficult to remove. Can BING remove both of these file
| systems without issue? Thanks in advance for the feedback.

Although MEB is batty on that particular issue, there's a good chance
FDISK can't handle it-- can't create or delete them. But BING should be
able to delete one. It can create them too, but will not format them
last I knew. You must use WinXP to do that.

"PCR" wrote in message
...
| "Dan W." wrote in message
| ...
| | I saw the whole long debate about NTFS and how to fully remove it. Is
| | Fat32 as difficult to remove. Can BING remove both of these file
| | systems without issue? Thanks in advance for the feedback.
|
| Although MEB is batty on that particular issue, there's a good chance
| FDISK can't handle it-- can't create or delete them. But BING should be
| able to delete one. It can create them too, but will not format them
| last I knew. You must use WinXP to do that.
|
|

Well that was a cheap shot, hurumph, Okay, what ever.

--
MEB
http://peoplescounsel.orgfree.com/
BLOG http://peoplescounsel.spaces.live.com/ Public Notice or the "real
world"

"Most people, sometime in their lives, stumble across truth.
Most jump up, brush themselves off, and hurry on about their business as if
nothing had happen." Winston Churchill
Or to put it another way:
Morpheus can offer you the two pills;
but only you can choose whether you take the red pill or the blue one.
_______________

"MEB" meb@not wrote in message
...
|
|
|
| "PCR" wrote in message
| ...
| | "Dan W." wrote in message
| | ...
| | | I saw the whole long debate about NTFS and how to fully remove it.
Is
| | | Fat32 as difficult to remove. Can BING remove both of these file
| | | systems without issue? Thanks in advance for the feedback.
| |
| | Although MEB is batty on that particular issue, there's a good
chance
| | FDISK can't handle it-- can't create or delete them. But BING should
be
| | able to delete one. It can create them too, but will not format them
| | last I knew. You must use WinXP to do that.
| |
| |
|
| Well that was a cheap shot, hurumph, Okay, what ever.

Well, anyhow, you are stubborn for sure on that issue notwithstanding
many fine arguments against it!

"Dan W." wrote in message
...
I saw the whole long debate about NTFS and how to fully remove it. Is
Fat32 as difficult to remove. Can BING remove both of these file systems
without issue? Thanks in advance for the feedback.
--
Dan W.

Computer User

You don't remove the file system, you change or remove the partition. The
partition contains the file system. When creating the partition, you're
also setting up the type of file system intended.

FAT32 is a piece of cake.

Almost any recent 3rd party partitioning program can remove all 3 types of
NTFS partitions, or FAT32 partition.
--
Jonny

Almost any recent 3rd party partitioning program can remove all 3 types of
NTFS partitions, or FAT32 partition.
--
Jonny


What about the mbr? Do they remove everything to restore a disk like
it came out of the box?
Also, what about using Gdisk instead of Fdisk?

On Thu, 05 Oct 2006 17:17:51 -0600, "Dan W." put
finger to keyboard and composed:

I saw the whole long debate about NTFS and how to fully remove it. Is
Fat32 as difficult to remove. Can BING remove both of these file
systems without issue? Thanks in advance for the feedback.

I'll post my latest findings, such as they are, to the "long debate".
In the meantime I'll just say that I've managed to remove an NT4 NTFS
(non-DOS) partition using Win98SE's Fdisk and have replaced it with a
FAT32 partition. I tried to format the HD in DOS mode, but bad blocks
at 3% resulted in an early termination. However, a "full" format using
Explorer completed without incident. A subsequent Scandisk, using a
thorough surface scan, bogged down at around 3%. The partition table,
as reported by MBRtool, showed that the drive's full capacity,
including the "test" cylinder, was reclaimed for normal use.

So to answer your question, no, there appears to be nothing especially
difficult about removing an [NT4] NTFS file system using ordinary
DOS/Win98 tools. Remnants of NTFS file data may still be there,
though, depending on how the disc was formatted.

I have also confirmed that the MBR code is not changed by a straight
Win98SE Fdisk. You need the /MBR switch for this.

These are the versions of Fdisk and Format that I used:

FDISK EXE 64,460 05-18-00 8:35a FDISK.EXE
FORMAT COM 49,575 04-23-99 10:22p FORMAT.COM

- Franc Zabkar
--
Please remove one 'i' from my address when replying by email.

"Franc Zabkar" wrote in message
...
| On Thu, 05 Oct 2006 17:17:51 -0600, "Dan W." put
| finger to keyboard and composed:
|
| I saw the whole long debate about NTFS and how to fully remove it. Is
| Fat32 as difficult to remove. Can BING remove both of these file
| systems without issue? Thanks in advance for the feedback.
|
| I'll post my latest findings, such as they are, to the "long debate".
| In the meantime I'll just say that I've managed to remove an NT4 NTFS
| (non-DOS) partition using Win98SE's Fdisk and have replaced it with a
| FAT32 partition. I tried to format the HD in DOS mode, but bad blocks
| at 3% resulted in an early termination. However, a "full" format using
| Explorer completed without incident. A subsequent Scandisk, using a
| thorough surface scan, bogged down at around 3%. The partition table,
| as reported by MBRtool, showed that the drive's full capacity,
| including the "test" cylinder, was reclaimed for normal use.
|
| So to answer your question, no, there appears to be nothing especially
| difficult about removing an [NT4] NTFS file system using ordinary
| DOS/Win98 tools. Remnants of NTFS file data may still be there,
| though, depending on how the disc was formatted.
|
| I have also confirmed that the MBR code is not changed by a straight
| Win98SE Fdisk. You need the /MBR switch for this.
|
| These are the versions of Fdisk and Format that I used:
|
| FDISK EXE 64,460 05-18-00 8:35a FDISK.EXE
| FORMAT COM 49,575 04-23-99 10:22p FORMAT.COM
|
| - Franc Zabkar
| --
| Please remove one 'i' from my address when replying by email.

Gosh golly, I really wish that disk hadn't had so many errors to start with
and was XP PRO.

Did you happen to notice anything like what is posted in the "long
discussion" regarding the normal boot sector changes NTFS makes prior to
removing it?

Think merely overwriting the MBR would remove the "hidden sectors",
"reserved sectors", and INDX blocks, or allow them to be overwritten with
these DOS tools?

How about after the additional modifications that XP PRO might do?

Or would everyone just like me to stay in the other discussion with this?

--
MEB
http://peoplescounsel.orgfree.com/
BLOG http://peoplescounsel.spaces.live.com/ Public Notice or the "real
world"

"Most people, sometime in their lives, stumble across truth.
Most jump up, brush themselves off, and hurry on about their business as if
nothing had happen." Winston Churchill
Or to put it another way:
Morpheus can offer you the two pills;
but only you can choose whether you take the red pill or the blue one.
_______________

"MEB" meb@not wrote in message
...
Or would everyone just like me to stay in the other discussion with this?


Yes.

--

Gary S. Terhune
MS-MVP Shell/User
http://grystmill.com/articles/cleanboot.htm
http://grystmill.com/articles/security.htm

The debate over there isn't about how easy it is to remove the partitions,
it's about how easy it is (or isn't) to remove all traces of the NTFS
partition ever having existed there (and the data it contains.) For your
purposes, it's enough to say that FDISK may or may not do it well,
depending. BING most certainly has no trouble doing so.

--

Gary S. Terhune
MS-MVP Shell/User
http://grystmill.com/articles/cleanboot.htm
http://grystmill.com/articles/security.htm

"Dan W." wrote in message
...
I saw the whole long debate about NTFS and how to fully remove it. Is
Fat32 as difficult to remove. Can BING remove both of these file systems
without issue? Thanks in advance for the feedback.
--
Dan W.

Computer User