Linux - Convert FAT32 to NTFS without loss data

Question

I have an external USB hard disk (300GB) in FAT32. The question is how can I convert the type FAT32 to NTFS without loss my data. I have 250 GB of data stored in my disk.

I was trying to do that in windows with Acronis and the native command windows convert, but neither can do. I think maybe was for the big size of data.

I hope someone can guide me a little.

Solution

If you want to keep the data safe and do serious filesystem manipulation (which converting the FS certainly is), then first make a backup. Then test the backup.

Next you have three choices:

1. Boot windows (e.g. use someones computer) and use convert Driveletter: /fs:ntfs. (See http://support.microsoft.com/kb/307881 for more details).
2. Reformat the drive. You already have a known good backup and this is likely to be the fastest option. Then restore the data.
3. Find some utility which lets you convert under Linux. I never heard of one though and some quick googling did not find any.

Comments

[ganesh]

Can you add which error message you got when you tried to use convert.exe in windows?

[Ramhound]

@terdon - My last comment was misleading in the slightest.

[Explorer09]

convert.exe is risky. It is the same type of risk for all in-place filesystem conversion tools -- that if your computer's power cut, then the drive will be in unusable state. It cannot be made anyway safer, so while you can, backup all the data and copy it to a newly formatted drive! By the way, it's very unlikely that someone will write a convert.exe utility for Linux because of the aforementioned risk...

[ganesh]

I agree. Hence the first make a backup. Which actually should have been make a fresh new backup, which is 100% up to date just to prevent confusion with hopefully already existing other backups.