LaCie Rugged USB 3.0
• D
esign
by
n
eil
P
oulton
Optional Formatting and Partitioning
User Manual
page 12
3. Optional Formatting and Partitioning
LaCie Setup Assistant should be run once when you first connect
your drive. During this process, the drive will be formatted for your
needs.
However, if you aborted the process or if you wish to reformat your
drive after you’ve completed the Setup Assistant, read this chapter
for formatting and partitioning information. See the following pages
for formatting instructions.
3.1. About File System Formats
3.1.1. Windows 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
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, Windows Vista, and
Windows 7. When FAT 32 is used with Windows 2000, Windows XP,
Windows Vista, and Windows 7 however, volume 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, Win-
dows XP and Windows Vista. NTFS offers several features that are
not available with FAT 32; i.e. file compression, encryption, permis-
sions, 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 when initialized in MBR format or without a
limit when initialized in GPT format, 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, Windows Vista, and
Windows 7 without resorting to help from third-party products.
Windows File System Formats
There are two possible file system format categories for Win-
dows users: NTFS and FAT 32 (MS-DOS). See the table be-
low for more information.
Use NTFS if:
...you will be using the drive only with Windows XP, Windows
Vista, and/or Windows 7 (performance will generally be
greater when compared to FAT 32). This file system is com-
patible in read only mode with Mac OS 10.3 and higher.
Use FAT32 if:
...you will be using your drive with both Windows and Mac.
Maximum single file size is 4GB.
