DISCLAIMER: This process is a one-way process and all steps must be taken to ensure that data is backed up before attempting. The author is in no way responsible for loss of data, damage to disk, data and the computer as a whole.

Before you begin, please make sure that you know the following terms :

1. FAT : File Allocation Table is a computer file system architecture developed by Bill Gates and Marc McDonald in the late 1960s and 1970s. It is the main file system in use for MS-DOS and the earlier versions of Windows up to but not inclusive of Windows NT.
2. NTFS : New Technology File System is a relatively newer file system which is used by Windows NT, server 2003/2008, XP, and Vista. It is more powerful than the FAT system and employs newer security features and enhancements.

Now onto the process itself :

1. Backup all important files, folders to an external hard drive or DVD.
2. The conversion process must be initiated in the command prompt so :
   • Click Start -> Programs -> Accessories -> Command Prompt.

     OR

   • Click Start -> Run -> Type cmd in the box -> Press enter.
3. By now the command prompt should have opened up. In case you didn't know, the command prompt is the black screen with white text.
4. Now type vol followed by the name of the drive you wish to convert
   • Example : For D drive type vol d:
5. A name and a serial number will be displayed on the screen. Note down the name as you will need it later.
6. Now type convert (drive letter) /fs:ntfs.
   • Example : To convert D drive to ntfs type convert d: /f:ntfs
7. In the case that your operating system is on the drive you want to convert, the program will ask whether you would like to schedule the conversion for when the system is restarting. If you would like to do so, Click Yes.
8. Next, the system will prompt you for the label name of the drive you wish to convert. It will appear as follows :

   The type of file system is FAT.

   Enter the current volume label for drive d: (or whichever drive you chose)

9. Enter the volume name you noted down earlier and press ENTER.
10. Once the conversion process is complete you can quit command prompt by typing exit and pressing enter.
11. Congrats on your new improved NTFS drive!!

Since you're all up to speed on Vista's SideShow feature, it may be time to check out Vista's other new introductions—SuperFetch and ReadyBoost.

SuperFetch tracks what kind of apps you use and loads them into RAM so they can be launched faster. ReadyBoost uses a USB 2.0 flash drive as cache in order to speed up some virtual memory transactions.

But how does this help you?

SuperFetch is a sort of super-cache. If you start and close a certain application multiple times a day, the regular Windows XP cache will make that faster upon subsequent launches. However, if you reboot and if you launch other apps, this caching data is lost. SuperFetch analyzes your behavior over multiple sessions, and if you open, say, your email, browser, and chat in the morning, SuperFetch will load those apps into memory as soon as you start up your PC.

Sure, loading more data into the faster RAM from the slower hard drive helps a lot, but the problem with this is that you'll need more "free" RAM in order to take advantage of SuperFetch. Tom's found that 2GB and up gave the best results in caching.

ReadyBoost, on the other hand, puts seeks to help out the slow hard drive by caching some data into USB 2.0 flash. By using a ReadyBoost-capable memory stick, you can take advantage of the near-instantaneous seek times on flash drives to get you your data quicker.

In Tom's Hardware tests, ReadyBoost decreased application launch times dramatically on a low-RAM system when partnered with SuperFetch. SuperFetch knew which apps to load onto the faster USB 2.0 flash drive, which then provided quicker access.

The gains when you have a machine with 1GB of RAM diminish, and diminish further when you have 2GB of RAM. However, if you've still got a ReadyBoost-capable drive, you'll still see benefits even on a 2GB machine.

Both of these features tell you that Vista works a lot better when you throw more RAM at it, and Tom's recommends at least 2GB if you're going to take advantage of the caching benefits of SuperFetch

 

 

 

Because programs such as Partition Magic don’t work on Windows Vista, some of you may be wondering how to resize partitions without losing any data. The good news is that you probably won’t be needing those programs because Windows Vista can manage your partition resizing.

To resize a partition with Windows Vista, follow these steps:

Be sure to back up any valuable information, because there is a slight chance that data can be lost when dealing with partitions.

1) Click on the Start menu

2) Right click on Computer and click on Manage

3) You may get a User Account Control dialog here; just click Continue

4) In the left pane, open up the Storage category and click on Disk Management

5) Here, you will find your partitions for your disks. Right click on the partition you’d like to modify.

6) Click on Extend Volume or Shrink Volume to extend or shrink the selected partition.

Note : Do it on your own risk

 

 

 

Windows Vista’s Disk Management tool can be quite deceiving. It allows you to work with partitions at ease in a presentable GUI format - but with problems. There have been a lot of complaints and confusion as to why Windows Vista grays out the extend volume and shrink volume properties. In response to this, I have found an alternative way to work with partitions, allowing you to easily resize, delete, and create partitions.

Diskpart.exe does a very good job at working with partitions. Unlike Disk Management, Diskpart actually works!

Before continuing, make sure that you:

• Backed up all important files
• Do not run diskpart.exe with Dynamic Disks

1) First, you’ll want to pull out your Start Menu and type diskpart.exe
(Windows XP users might have to download diskpart.exe )

This will open a command-prompt like window. At this window, type list disk. This will list all your available hard disks.

2) Proceed by typing select disk <disk number> to select the disk you want to work with.

Creating a Partition or Volume: (skip)

At this point in time, you can create a partition. Type create and a set of new options will be presented to you. To proceed, just type create <new option>. (e.g. create volume)

What kind of partition should I create?

Primary: Primary partitions are limited to four per hard disk. If you are planning to install an operating system into a partition, you’ll want to choose primary since it is the only one that can be made bootable.

Extended: If you are planning to have more than four partitions, you’ll want to work with extended. An extended partition counts towards the limit of four, but you are then allowed to create logical volumes within these extended partitions. You’ll want to use extended partitions for backup or storage purposes only since they are not bootable.

3) Now we want to see which number is associated with the volume we want to work with. To obtain this list, type list volume

4) Select the desired volume by typing: select volume <number> or select partition <number>

You then have a list of options to choose from. Below is a list of commands you can type in depending on what you want to do with your selected volume. If you don’t input a number for size, the program will automatically use all the space available for your operation. For the purpose of this tutorial, I have decided to work with 10GB. (1000MB = 1GB)

• Shrink desired=10000 minimum=2000 (Shrinks the volume by 10GB. If that’s not possible, this command makes sure that you at least shrink the volume by 2GB.)

• Extend size=10000

• Delete Partition

• Format

Disk Management can be quite a nuisance since it decides to gray out certain properties on any given day. Please spread the word about diskpart.exe if you know someone who has had trouble working with partitions; as I am sure there are lots who are having similar problems.

Note : Do it on your own risk