LaCie 2big USB 3.0
•
DESIGN BY NEIL POULTON
Formatting
User Manual
page 21
3.4. Formatting and Partitioning
The 2big USB 3.0 comes pre-formatted in NTFS, optimized for
Windows XP, Windows Vista, and Windows 7. Please read the fol-
lowing information on file system formats for Windows and Mac
operating systems to determine if you need to reformat the 2big
USB 3.0. See sections
3.4.2. Formatting for Window XP Users
,
3.4.3. Formatting for Windows Vista and Windows 7 Users
, and
3.4.4. Formatting for Mac Users
for formatting instructions.
3.4.1. File System Formats
Windows Users
The LaCie 2big USB 3.0 comes preformatted in NTFS for optimum
performance with Windows XP, Windows Vista, and Windows 7.
TECHNICAL NOTE:
Windows XP 32-bit does not support vol-
umes greater than 2TB. Windows XP x64, Windows Vista, and
Windows 7 allow for partitions greater than 2TB but the disk must
be converted to the GPT file system. This process is outlined in
3.4.3. Formatting for Windows Vista and Windows 7 Users
.
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 up-
graded 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 XP, Windows Vista, and Windows 7. When
FAT 32 is used with Windows XP, Windows Vista, and Windows
7, volume size is limited to 32GB (by the Windows partition utility
Disk Management), and the individual file size is limited to 4GB.
NTFS
This acronym stands for New Technology File System, and it is
the native file system for Windows NT, Windows 2000, Windows
XP, Windows Vista, and Windows 7. NTFS offers several features
that are not available with FAT 32, such as file compression, en-
cryption, permissions, auditing, and enhanced RAID capabilities.
The minimum supported volume size for NTFS is 10MB, with a
maximum of 2TB when initialized in MBR format or without a limit
when initialized in GPT format.
continued on the next page>>
File System Formats
There are two primary file system formats compatible with
the Windows operating systems – NTFS and FAT32 (MS-
DOS). Use the information below to determine which format
is best for you.
Use NTFS if…
...you will be using the drive only with Windows XP, Win-
dows Vista, and/or Windows 7 (performance will generally
be greater when compared to FAT 32). This file system is
compatible in read only mode with Mac OS X 10.3 and
higher. See technical note at left for information on the 2TB
volume size limitation.
Use FAT 32 (MS-DOS) if…
...you will be using your drive with both Windows and Mac
OS X 10.3. Maximum single file size is 4GB.
