LaCie 2big Dual
User Manual
page 14
Setup
Windows Users
■
The 2big Dual comes pre-formatted in NTFS
(Windows file system). For use with both Mac and PC,
you will need to reformat to FAT 32.
FAT 32
FAT is an acronym for File Allocation Table, which
dates back to the beginnings of DOS programming.
Originally, FAT was only 16 bits, but after the second
release of Windows 95 it was upgraded to 32 bits, hence
the name FAT 32. In theory, FAT 32 volume sizes can
range from less than 1MB all the way to 2TB. It is the
native file system of Windows 98 and Windows Me,
and is supported by Windows 2000, Windows XP and
Windows Vista. When FAT 32 is used with Windows
2000, Windows XP and Windows Vista though, vol-
ume size is limited to 32GB (by the Windows partition
utility, i.e. Disk Manager), and the individual file size is
limited to 4GB.
NTFS
This acronym stands for New Technology Filing
System, and it is the native file system for Windows
NT, Windows 2000, Windows XP and Windows Vista.
NTFS offers several features that are not available with
FAT 32; i.e. file compression, encryption, permissions,
and auditing, as well as the ability to mirror drives and
RAID 5 capabilities. The minimum supported volume
size for NTFS is 10MB, with a maximum of 2TB, with
no limit to file size. Volumes created in NTFS can only
be directly accessed (not through shares) by Windows
NT, Windows 2000, Windows XP and Windows Vista
without resorting to help from third-party products.
Guidelines for Choosing FAT 32 Or NTFS
Use FAT 32 if:
You want to access your data on any operating
❖
system - FAT 32 is compatible with Windows
98 SE, Me, 2000, XP, Vista, NT, Mac OS 9.x and
Mac OS X 10.x.
You will be dual booting with an operating system
❖
other than Windows NT or Windows 2000.
You may need the ability to dual boot down the
❖
line. Once you have converted a volume from
NTFS, there is no going back. You can convert
from FAT 32 to NTFS, but not the other way
around.
Use NTFS if:
You want to optimize drive performance un-
❖
der Windows 2000, Windows XP or Windows
Vista.
You want to encrypt files, assign permissions to
❖
files, or want to audit files for access.
You will be formatting partitions larger than
❖
32GB.
You need to store individual files that are larger
❖
than 4GB.
You need a filing system that can be mirrored or
❖
structured like a RAID 5 configuration.
2.3.1. File System Formats
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2.3. Formatting
The 2big Dual comes pre-formatted in NTFS (Windows file system). Please read the following information on file
system formats for Windows and Mac operating systems to determine if you need to reformat the 2big’s disks. See sec-
tions
2.3.2
and
2.3.3
for formatting instructions.
