I'm currently in the process of installing Win XP on my new SR Macbook and I'm in the installation screen right now. Should I format the partition to NTFS or FAT (quick or normal) or should I leave it as the current file system? Are there advantages of each one? Thanks.
Got a tip for us?
Let us know
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.
Bootcamp partition format
- Thread starter asdfTT123
- Start date
- Sort by reaction score
XP itself works best with NTFS. NTFS supports larger files and larger volumes as well as file permissions. It also more efficiently uses disk space.
However, OS X by itself cannot WRITE to an NTFS partition that is on the same computer (you can read and copy files, though). Will you need to share files between the two operating systems?
As far as quick or normal, quick is fine if you don't need the setup program to verify every sector on the partition.
However, OS X by itself cannot WRITE to an NTFS partition that is on the same computer (you can read and copy files, though). Will you need to share files between the two operating systems?
As far as quick or normal, quick is fine if you don't need the setup program to verify every sector on the partition.
I'm not sure that you would take a huge performance hit, but note that XP cannot read your Mac partition when you have booted into Windows, either. You might want to create a third FAT partition used exclusively for sharing files between the systems.
might want to look into programs macfuse and macdrive... i myself went ntfs because i needed support for files upwards of 4 gb... i also use my boot camp partition via vmware fusion and can share files between the two that way
yes but you may run in to activation problems since the os thinks the hardware has changed when running virtually... i run my boot camp partition with vmware fusion and had to call microsoft and get a new activation number since my number of license activations had been exceeded (i purchased windows xp pro sp2 oem from newegg)... install vmware tools before activating in fusion and it will prevent the activation loop from occurring when switching between boot camp and fusion