AOS4 and FAT32 harddrives: compatibility and generality...

Hello,

I have planned to buy a new HD 2.5" 500go. for sure, this HD will be formatted with NTFS. My first solution is to prepare this HD with HDtoolbox and format to FAT32 (all with the amiga).

I would like at least to split the HD to 2 parts, both with FAT32 or half with FAT32 and one with SFS.

Questions:

- Can I use HDtolbox to split the HD and use FAT32 for one or more part of the HD ???

- FAT32 from AOS4 is compliant with the FAT32 PC version ??? (Allready try with an USB key but never with an Harddrive).

- Can I have one FAT32 and one SFS at the same time ???

- Can I use safely the medias on PCS after ???


I have planned to put first on the SAM and after on an external Harddrive case.

- Can I put a partly or complete FAT32 HD on an amiga computer and boot fine with this HD ??? (FAT32 recognized,...)

- The SFS filesystem from AOS4 could be recognized on a classic amiga ???


Miscellaneous question:

- What is the maximal FAT32 partition size ???

- What tool can I use to format the Harddrive on the PC ??? (as far as I know, the PC can't format more than 32go).


Yes, I would like to have the HD partly or completely FAT32 formatted for compatibility with others computers.

@Mrodfr

HDToolbox will create an Amiga partition table and the PC will not be able to access it. You need to use Windows Disk Management or similar to create PC partitions, then the Amiga will be able to access it.

And no, you cannot use SFS on this harddrive if you want to access it from the PC. Windows is not able to create an SFS partition. You cannot have a PC partition table and an Amiga partition table at the same time. (You could, but it is a very advanced task to create this mixture.)

@Mrodfr

I faced the same prob last weekend. Bought a 2.5 inch 250GB external usb which I wanted to use as movie storage device plugged later on a dvd/bluray desktop. I plugged the drive to my Vista box first and found out that was formatted as ntfs. The only program that did the job is called Fat32Formatter (even Acronis Enterprise Suite failed, lol). You can download it for this site -> http://tokiwa.qee.jp/EN/Fat32Formatter/

@Mrodfr

IIRC, Windows writes to the early part of the disk when it boots. In the days of Amithlon (or was it the H&P version?), Amiga-formatted drives were rendered unreadable by Windows writing to them. That was back in 2000 or thereabouts, and later Windows versions may be better behaved.

@all

OK. With an harddrive (contrary to an USB stick), it's not possible to:

- Use an amiga to create FAT32 partition(s) because the PC won't recognize the drive.

Need to use a PC and with a special tool for FAT32 more than 32go, like Fat32Formatter.

- Mix FAT32 and SFS because PC and amiga filesystems overwrite each other (simple explanation).


This 2 questions are unanswered:


I have planned to put first on the SAM and after on an external Harddrive case. The benefit is to use SATA directly for gaining copy time with the amiga on FAT32 partitions.

- Can I put a complete FAT32 HD on an amigaNG computer and boot fine with this HD ??? (FAT32 recognized,...)


In case a media is SFS AOS4 formatted:

- SFS AOS4 is compliant with SFS 68k ??? (for sharing between SFS 68k and SFS AOS4)


@tonyw

do you think that there a a possibility that FAT32 and SFS could be together with recent Windows OS ???

I have just orbered the hardware, I maybe could made some test (if not allready a lost of free time if someone esle has tested recently)....

@Mrodfr Quote:
No, the way AmigaOS & Windows organise the disks is too different. (Actually you could do this with Amithlon, but it had some super special magic to make it work. And setting it up wasn't so easy either.)

@Mrodfr

Quote:

yes it is. just don't format it with sfs2 if you want to use it with morphos too.

@ChrisH

Quote:

That's a nice way of putting it. I would have said that Windows/DOS partition tables (MBR) are utter ####.

Linux copes quite nicely with RDB, but if the FAT32 is definitely for Windows use then you're buggered.

@all

last question:

- Is it possible to make more than one partition on the Harddrive ????

- Poseidon on AOS3, sirion on AOS4, AROS, linux.... all manage fine to use Harddrive with more than one partition ??

I don't want to copy the stuff on the HD with more than one partition and see after another system don't manage well the thing

@Mrodfr

Quote:

AFAIK if it is a RDB partition table then OS3, OS4 and Linux will be able to read all partitions. Don't know about AROS.

@all

I have my drive and going to a friend this afternoon for formatting the drive on the PC with Seven.

I have splitted my drive to 2 FAT32 partitions on the PC.

On the amiga, the 2 partitions are recognized but he has choosen a cluster apparently not supported by AOS4.


Seven show lots of differents cluster size and XP just show: cluster by default.


Questions:

- What is the cluster size supported by AOS4 and AOS3 and AROS (the common size) ????


- Could we add to AOS4 the support of lots of cluster size for FAT32 and available on seven ???

@Mrodfr
Quote:
See SYS:Documentation/CrossDOSFilesystem.txt -> de_SectorsPerBlock

@ZeroG

FAT sector size of 512, 1024, 2048, 4096 bytes.

Apparently, windows choose a default depending of the size of the hardware.

I surely must choose the exact value before formatting (4096 bytes for 2x250 Go) that choosing the default value on the format window on the PC.

but I'm not sure.... I haven't a PC at home....