need NTFS clarification

I am considering setting up a dual boot system with my existing winME system and a new winXP system (both systems on separate physical drives, one formated as NTFS, one as FAT32).

What I want to do is a slow transition over the XP system, copying files as I need them.

I have read that NTFS can read FAT32, but what exactly are the implications of this? When you copy a file from a FAT32 drive to an NTFS drive, does the OS convert the file to NTFS or keep it in FAT32 and just read it?

Are there any issues with copying from FAT32 to NTFS that I should be aware of?

http://www.ntfs.com/ntfs_vs_fat.htm

see if this helps

NTFS can see fat32, but fat32 can NOT see ntfs

Just to clarify, filesystems do not "see" anything, including each other. The operating system is what reads the files, using an appropriate driver. You can use drives in any combination of filesystems supported by the OS.

In the case of NT 5 (XP and Win2000), it natively reads and writes FAT12 (floppies), FAT16, FAT32, and NTFS. NT4 supports the same except FAT32. None of the Win9x flavors (including ME) support NTFS without installation of a 3rd party driver. All of the 9x's support FAT32 except the early releases of Win95 (95 requires OSR2, commonly called Win95B). As long as your OS supports the filesystem in use, there's no trouble.

To answer the poster's questions, the operating system reads the file from the source drive (if that filesystem is supported; not an issue for XP since it reads all of the Windows filesystems). When it writes it, it doesn't care what the filesystem on the target drive is as long as it is a supported one, but once written, the file is on the drive in the filesystem in use by the drive. If you write to a drive formatted with NTFS, the file is now NTFS, regardless of where it originally came from, and you'll need an operating system capable of reading NTFS (that is, an NT-based OS) to be able to read the file. ME is not one of those NTFS-capable OS's, so the NTFS drives will not be usable by that OS.

There's probably a way of putting that in English :)

If you are dual booting, make sure your C drive is not NTFS, regardless of where you install ME.

I'm not sure why you would want to dual boot between Windows ME and XP. XP is far far better. You can leave your document/data files on the other hard drive and just delete the folders relating to Windows and various Program Files (your programs need to be reinstalled from their original source under XP.) Just my opinion.

Thanks for the replies.

NoBoB: I think you answered my question. My understanding is that a file is stored in the format of the hard drive the file is on, regardless of origin format (which makes perfect sense).

Rapmaster: what is the danger with making the C: NTFS? This is what I was planning to do.

Just for clarification, my ME drive is a separate physical drive from the drive I will be making NTFS. Right now I boot from the D: drive (ME disk) and use the C: (other disk) as storage, although the D: THINKS its the C: when I boot from it using bootmagic. It's a long story. :D