How to Convert FAT32 to NTFS without Data Loss

How to Convert FAT32 to NTFS without Data Loss

Posted by Kiran.BL on Tuesday, March 20, 2018 in Microsoft, Windows,

A file system is an index or database. This index or database holds the data of the physical location of every piece of data on a storage device. A file system has a format for specifying the path to a file through the structure of directories.

File systems specify conventions for naming files, these include:

• 1. Most number of characters in a name.
• 2. Correct usage of characters to name a file.
• 3. In some systems, how long the file name suffix can be.

There are two dominant file systems in the history of Windows operating system. They are FAT32 and NTFS.

Let's discuss some important points about both the file systems.

FAT32 File system:

·         FAT32 supports Windows 95, Windows 98, Windows 2000, Windows 2003 and Windows 7.

·         Default cluster size as small as 4 KB, higher usage of disk space.

·         Supports drives up to 2 TB in size (Note: Windows 2000 supports FAT32 partitions up to 32 GB.).

·         Great stability and reliability.

·         The boot record on FAT32 drives will expand to include a backup copy of critical data structures. So, FAT32 drives are less susceptible to a single point of failure.

·         Allows for dynamic resizing of FAT32 partitions, being more flexible.

·         We can locate root folder anywhere on the drive. There are no limitations on the number of root folder entries.

NTFS File system:

·         Better compatibility. NTFS supports Windows NT family (all versions of Windows operating systems), Mac OS X, GNU/Linux.

·         NTFS is a newer file system that came after FAT.

·         NTFS is feature-rich, proprietary, undocumented at the raw bytes level.

·         NTFS is subject to change - even within Service Packs of the same OS version.

·         Faster access speed. To find a file, NTFS uses the least number of disk accesses.

·         NTFS allows file compression and provides advanced security.

·         Reparse points extend NTFS functionality, enabling new features such as volume mount points.

·         We can limit the space that the users consume by setting up disk quotas on an NTFS volume.

Now let us discuss how we can achieve a seamless transition from FAT32 to NTFS without losing any data.

Note: The disadvantage of FAT32 is that it does not support handling large files (over 4GB).

So, to transfer the files above 4GB, we have to format the disk to NTFS which supports the transfer of files above 4GB. But there is one problem, you don't want to lose your saved data. Gives an error "The file is too large for the destination file system".

Here are the steps to convert a USB drive from FAT32 to NTFS without losing data.

Note: I have chosen my SDHC drive (J drive) to convert the drive from FAT32 to NTFS without losing data.

1. Right-click on the Start button. A Power User menu will appear on the left bottom of your screen. Then tap on Command Prompt (Admin) option from the Power User menu.

Note: You can also press the Windows key + X to access Power User menu.

2. Type chkdsk J: /f and press enter.

where J is the letter of the drive to undergo conversion.

This command checks the drive for errors and fixes them.

Generic code: chkdsk Drive letter: /f

3. Type Convert J: /FS:NTFS and press enter.

where J is the letter of the drive to undergo conversion.

The above command will start the conversion process. After a few minutes, it says that conversion was successful.

Generic code: Convert Drive letter: /FS:NTFS

4. Once the conversion is complete, check the properties of the drive.

Note: Right-click on the drive and tap on Properties.

Conclusion:

Since Windows OS provides this function, it's easy to convert the storage from FAT32 to NTFS. But, this method is irreversible unless you format your partition.

When converting NTFS to FAT32, you have only two methods.

a. One is to format your NTFS partition.

If you have enough free disk space in other partitions, please copy data to free space. Then try to format the NTFS partition to FAT32. Once you complete the conversion, you can copy the data back.

b. The other way is to use a third-party NTFS to FAT32 converter.

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Enable desktop icons and right click on Elementary OS

Enable desktop icons and right click on Elementary OS

Posted by Kiran.BL on Friday, January 26, 2018 in Linux,

Elementary is an elegant operating system. It resembles like a Mac operating system. When you install Elementary OS afresh, you will not see icons on the desktop. If we right-click on the desktop, you will not get the right-click menu as in other operating systems. 

This guide will help you to enable desktop icons and desktop right-click in Elementary OS. 

Step 1. Install Nautilus dconf-tools:

Open terminal and type the following command.

sudo apt update.

sudo apt install --no-install-recommends nautilus dconf-tools.

Step 2. Choose what you want to view on your Desktop:

Run dconf editor from Slingshot.

Go to Org -> gnome -> nautilus -> desktop in the left menu tree, check the necessary parts.

Step 3. Edit:

Go to Org -> pantheon -> desktop -> Cerbere and add as shown below.

 Edit the 'Monitored-process' as ['wingpanel', 'plank', 'slingshot-launcher --silent', 'nautilus -n']

Step 4. Config Again:

 Go back to Org -> gnome -> desktop -> background and check the box next to "show-desktop-icons" in the right menu. 

Step 5. Run Command:

 Open terminal and type following command 'nautilus -n'.

You will see that there are icons on the screen and the right-click menu also works.

To add an icon, click "Applications" in the upper left corner and drag it to the desktop.

Note: If there any problem, you can log out and log in again to see the changes. You can also reboot the system.

                                                                                OR

You can install "Desktop folder" from the Github page or Appcenter and restart your computer.

Github link: https://github.com/spheras/desktopfolder
Appcenter link: https://appcenter.elementary.io/com.github.spheras.desktopfolder 

This application will enable your desktop and right click functions 

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A Basic hand-coded Calculator created using Notepad

A Basic hand-coded Calculator created using Notepad

Posted by Kiran.BL on Thursday, December 21, 2017 in Microsoft, Windows,

Making calculations using Windows calculator can get tedious. 

In this article, I'll tell you how to create your's personal calculator in a few seconds. 

Today let us try building our own command prompt calculator.

The following steps help you in building a simple calculator.

Step 1:

Press Windows logo + R on the keyboard, it will launch the Run window.

Type Notepad and press enter.

Step 2: 

 Copy the following code and paste it into the notepad.

@echo off

title Basic Calculator by Kiran

color 3f

:top

echo --------------------------------------------------------------

echo Welcome to Basic Calculator  

echo --------------------------------------------------------------

echo. 

set /p sum=

set /a ans=%sum%

echo. 

echo = %ans%

echo --------------------------------------------------------------

pause

cls

echo Previous Answer: %ans%

goto top

pause

exit

Note:

1. Use the format (without quotes as in the above code) title xxx in the above code have your own title. 

2. change the background and the font colour of the calculator

considering  2 hex digits — the first corresponds the background; the second the foreground. Each digit will follow the following values:

0 = Black, 1 = Blue, 2 = Green, 3 = Aqua, 4 = Red, 5 = Purple, 6 = Yellow, 7 = White, 8 = Gray, 9 = Light Blue

 A = Light Green, B = Light Aqua, C = Light Red, D = Light Purple, E = Light Yellow, F = Bright White

Ex: In the code, we have used 3f. This means, the background colour will be Aqua and the font colour will be Bright white.

Like the above example, you can have your own colour combinations. The format is colour XX. 

                 -> XX represents the colour combinations.

Step 3: 

Now Save Notepad in  .bat format

Note: 

1. It can only handle integers and those of a specific number of digits. It doesn’t handle complex equations.

2. What is .bat?

.bat is an extension of batch files. A batch file is a text file that contains many commands for a computer’s operating system.

Step 4: 

Double-click on a file you have created. 

A command line based calculator will appear on the screen. 

Step 5:

To calculate, type the number and press enter. You will see the answer.

Step 6:

Press any key to clear the previous calculation. Continue calculating with a different set of numbers. It will then display the answer of the previous calculation at the starting of the screen.

Conclusion: 

Like this, you can create your own calculator and use this in your Day-to-day life.

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