| View previous topic :: View next topic |
| Author |
Message |
kcbanner
n00b
Joined: 04 Apr 2006
Posts: 61
|
 Posted: Tue Apr 04, 2006 5:11 pm Post subject: Data Partition -- Fat32? |
 |
|
Hi,
I am dual-booting windows with gentoo. I would like to only use Gentoo, but boot to windows to play games like WoW, Quake 4, etc.
I would like to have one partition with all my data (music, movies, etc) that both Linux and Windows can access. Having a copy of my music library on both partitions doesn't seem right 
Should I use Fat32? If so is there a tool to conver NTFS to Fat32?
Thanks,
kcbanner |
|
| Back to top |
|
 |
bjd
Tux's lil' helper
Joined: 10 Aug 2005
Posts: 127
Location: Loughborough, UK
|
| Posted: Tue Apr 04, 2006 5:37 pm Post subject: |
|
|
FAT32 is probably the right way to go about it. I used to do exactly that with my data when I was on Debian. There are ways to mount ext partitions in Windows, but I've never used them so can't comment on how well they function.
Don't know of a tool for NTFS>FAT, at least not on the Linux side. Windows may have something, there is a FAT>NTFS convertor, don't think it goes the other way though 
_________________
Top Tips in life, #7
"Olympic athletes. Disguise the fact that you've taken steroids by running a bit slower." |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
frostschutz
Advocate
Joined: 22 Feb 2005
Posts: 2977
Location: Germany
|
| Posted: Tue Apr 04, 2006 5:45 pm Post subject: |
|
|
| For read/write access, vfat (FAT32) works very well. If you need something that preserves file permissions and such, though, it gets more complicated. Should not be necessary for simple media files though. About using ext2/3, I would not let Windows mess with my extX data partitions for money. |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
kcbanner
n00b
Joined: 04 Apr 2006
Posts: 61
|
| Posted: Tue Apr 04, 2006 6:43 pm Post subject: |
|
|
Thanks!
I have my /documents and settings/ folder for WinXP on the Data partition.
RAID: 120GB +160GB Seagate Baracuda. Somehow it came to 240GB when it was in the striping array. Dont ask me
I have Windows 60GB NTFS, Data (Docs and Settings, media, etc)100GB NTFS, Linux SWAP 512MB, Linux BOOT, 32MB, and Linux Root - ext3 the rest of the space.
SATA: 300GB 16mb cache
Nothing on this HDD as of yet.
So maybe It would be better to have the Data partition using the entire 300gb sata drive, formatted as vfat. The bigger cache would help with the big files.
I can make a symbolic link to my /documents and settings/my documents/ in my home directory called Data or something.
Awesome!
Thanks for the quick responses!
-kcbanner |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
vipernicus
Veteran
Joined: 17 Jan 2005
Posts: 1462
Location: Your College IT Dept.
|
|
| Back to top |
|
|
kcbanner
n00b
Joined: 04 Apr 2006
Posts: 61
|
| Posted: Tue Apr 04, 2006 6:53 pm Post subject: |
|
|
| Really...and it shows up as a drive in My Computer? More importantly it wont blow my root partition to smithereens |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
neylitalo
Tux's lil' helper
Joined: 29 Jan 2006
Posts: 81
|
| Posted: Tue Apr 04, 2006 6:58 pm Post subject: |
|
|
| kcbanner wrote: | RAID: 120GB +160GB Seagate Baracuda. Somehow it came to 240GB when it was in the striping array. Dont ask me
|
I think that's due to the differences in drive sizes. Since you have one drive that's 120GB and one that's 160GB, the RAID would look something like this if it were to utilize the whole drive space.
| Code: |
Each section is 10 GB
120GB |----+----+----+----+----+----+----+----+----+----+----+----|
160GB |----+----+----+----+----+----+----+----+----+----+----+----+----+----+----+----|
|
And since it's a striping RAID, it would be very tricky (impossible?) to use the last 40GB of the 160GB drive, since there's not matching drive space on the 120GB. So it stops using the 160GB at the 120GB mark, to match the other 120GB drive. Thus, 240GB. |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
frostschutz
Advocate
Joined: 22 Feb 2005
Posts: 2977
Location: Germany
|
| Posted: Tue Apr 04, 2006 9:01 pm Post subject: |
|
|
| AID 0, huh? I hope you've got a solid backup system. Otherwise you'll lose two discs worth of data if only one of them dies. |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
syg00
l33t
Joined: 23 Aug 2004
Posts: 907
Location: Brisbane, AUS
|
| Posted: Tue Apr 04, 2006 9:59 pm Post subject: |
|
|
| kcbanner wrote: |
SATA: 300GB 16mb cache
Nothing on this HDD as of yet.
So maybe It would be better to have the Data partition using the entire 300gb sata drive, formatted as vfat. The bigger cache would help with the big files. |
Couple of caveats - VFAT gets progressively less efficient as the partition size increases. Don't even think about formatting all 300 Gig as one VFAT - can be done from Linux (not Windows), but don't. XP (natively) won't talk to a VFAT greater than 128 (or was that 132 - my testing was a while ago) Gig. Your best bet may be 3*100 Gig.
There are also file size limitations that can get in the way - especially for DVDs and such.
There is a Linux NTFS solution that works pretty well - ntfsmount. It's userspace from the people that do the NTFS code in the kernel. Have a look at that as an option - although I personally still prefer vfat for data exchange partitions. Just never have felt comfortable writing to NTFS from Linux. |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
neylitalo
Tux's lil' helper
Joined: 29 Jan 2006
Posts: 81
|
| Posted: Tue Apr 04, 2006 10:08 pm Post subject: |
|
|
| I read somewhere that the NTFS support in the kernel was very limited... that you could only re-write an existing file, and with the exact same filesize. I take it that doesn't apply to ntfsmount? |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
syg00
l33t
Joined: 23 Aug 2004
Posts: 907
Location: Brisbane, AUS
|
| Posted: Wed Apr 05, 2006 1:17 am Post subject: |
|
|
| Generally yes - see here. |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
neylitalo
Tux's lil' helper
Joined: 29 Jan 2006
Posts: 81
|
| Posted: Wed Apr 05, 2006 2:24 am Post subject: |
|
|
| syg00 wrote: | | Generally yes - see here. |
wow - that's really cool! I guess it's just too bad that I don't have any NTFS volumes to try it out on!  |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
avieth
Veteran
Joined: 17 Sep 2004
Posts: 1945
Location: Canada
|
| Posted: Wed Apr 05, 2006 2:33 am Post subject: |
|
|
| This doesnt really have much to do with the topic, but you should know that quake4 can run natively in linux, and it'll probably outperform your windows installation. |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
vipernicus
Veteran
Joined: 17 Jan 2005
Posts: 1462
Location: Your College IT Dept.
|
|
| Back to top |
|
|
sonicbhoc
Veteran
Joined: 24 Oct 2005
Posts: 1805
Location: In front of the computer screen
|
| Posted: Wed Apr 05, 2006 5:26 pm Post subject: |
|
|
I was looking for a place to download that! thanks a whole lot!  |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
kcbanner
n00b
Joined: 04 Apr 2006
Posts: 61
|
| Posted: Wed Apr 05, 2006 5:31 pm Post subject: |
|
|
Wonderful!But I have a x64 Windows Install /cry. The driver wont work 
Why! Why! Why!
O well...ntfs userspace driver for linux is what I will use I think |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
sonicbhoc
Veteran
Joined: 24 Oct 2005
Posts: 1805
Location: In front of the computer screen
|
| Posted: Wed Apr 05, 2006 5:32 pm Post subject: |
|
|
| What about captive-ntfs? Knopppix uses that. |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
kcbanner
n00b
Joined: 04 Apr 2006
Posts: 61
|
| Posted: Wed Apr 05, 2006 7:09 pm Post subject: |
|
|
Sounds good! I will try captive, looks like its full read/write! I will be able to mount the partition with my
/documents and settings/kcbanner/
I wonder if I can use the same profile for my thunderbird/firefox in linux and windows.
Thanks,
-kcbanner |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
boniek
Guru
Joined: 26 Mar 2005
Posts: 373
|
| Posted: Fri Apr 07, 2006 4:44 pm Post subject: |
|
|
Captive is unbearably slow on write - 500kB/sec at most. I'm using vfat partition to share data between Windows and GNU/Linux - only special group has access rights and it is pretty fast.
_________________
[HOWTO]New freetype subpixel font rendering for lcd monitors |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
Opera
n00b
Joined: 06 May 2005
Posts: 40
Location: Paris
|
| Posted: Fri Apr 07, 2006 5:32 pm Post subject: |
|
|
| I was using fat32 until the last week, I migrated to ntfs that i manage with fuse. I haven't any problem with it (it's in portage, you will need ntfsprogs too). |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
Cintra
Advocate
Joined: 03 Apr 2004
Posts: 2111
Location: Norway
|
| Posted: Fri Apr 21, 2006 10:37 am Post subject: |
|
|
| Opera wrote: | | I was using fat32 until the last week, I migrated to ntfs that i manage with fuse. I haven't any problem with it (it's in portage, you will need ntfsprogs too). |
how about a mini howto? 
Edit: Its simple enough to set up, but currently has limitations, see http://www.linux-ntfs.org/
_________________
"I am not bound to please thee with my answers" W.S.
Last edited by Cintra on Sat Apr 22, 2006 5:04 pm; edited 1 time in total |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
frostschutz
Advocate
Joined: 22 Feb 2005
Posts: 2977
Location: Germany
|
| Posted: Fri Apr 21, 2006 12:09 pm Post subject: |
|
|
| I'll stick with fat32... it's the easiest solution, working for years now, besides I need that filesystem anyway for MP3 player, USB sticks, etc. |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
stiwi
Apprentice
Joined: 20 Mar 2003
Posts: 266
Location: hamburg - germany
|
| Posted: Tue Apr 25, 2006 2:31 pm Post subject: |
|
|
| is it possible to store unix permissions on a vfat partition? i want symlink my linux desktop to the data partition, but all files where executeble and i can't change this. if i change the umask on mounting, then noting was executable. |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
nixnut
Bodhisattva
Joined: 09 Apr 2004
Posts: 10974
Location: the dutch mountains
|
| Posted: Tue Apr 25, 2006 5:55 pm Post subject: |
|
|
| stiwi wrote: | | is it possible to store unix permissions on a vfat partition? |
No, that is not possible.
_________________
Please add [solved] to the initial post's subject line if you feel your problem is resolved. Help answer the unanswered
talk is cheap. supply exceeds demand |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
Gentree
Watchman
Joined: 01 Jul 2003
Posts: 5350
Location: France, Old Europe
|
| Posted: Mon May 08, 2006 9:40 pm Post subject: |
|
|
... which is what makes it such an immensely stupid idea on a dualboot system . You get some crap on windows and you have just opened up a path for it to take out a stable linux system.
ext2ifs on a windows only box if you wish , not on a dualboot.
fat32 is a far better idea. ntfs if write speed is not too important.
I would not suggest play around sharing desktops and the like (although I have a freind who configured thunderbird to share a common vfat so he could recv and send mail from both sides of the great divide.)
_________________
Linux, because I'd rather own a free OS than steal one that's not worth paying for.
Gentoo because I'm a masochist
AthlonXP-M on A7N8X. Portage ~x86 |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
|
Other Things Gentoo
