[ubuntu-uk] Chkdsk for NTFS partition

[Neil Greenwood]

2009/1/15 David King <linuxman at avoura.com>:
> Actually the max partition size for FAT32 is around 2 TB, which is a lot
> more than your 160 GB.
>
> However, if you were using Windows, its partition formatter does not
> allow you to format FAT32 partitions that big, probably because MS want
> everyone to use NTFS (especially in the days when Linux could not access
> NTFS).

Ah, this explains it. I didn't think technically there should be the
32GB limit, but Windows wouldn't let me make the partition larger.

> But you are limited to a max file size of 4 GB in FAT32.
>
> I have used NTFS partitions in Ubuntu (I was pleasantly surprised that
> they were automatically mount RW, when some Linux distros still could
> only mount them read-only), and not had a problem with them, but now I
> just format every new partition as ext3, as I no longer use Windows
> much, other than in a virtual machine. I find that Windows XP Pro in
> Virtual Box boots in about 14 seconds to the desktop, whereas on an
> older PC which still has WinXP Pro on it, it still takes a few minutes.
> In a virtual machine, it does not matter how the partitions are formatted.

You probably don't want ext3 on a Flash drive. The sectors holding the
journal will get hammered and fail quickly.

> I would agree with the others and format the new drive as ext3. You also
> get file permissions, etc., with ext3 which do not exist on NTFS or
> FAT32 partitions.

I've had problems in the past with ext2/3 and permissions when moving
the device between different Linux machines (actually all Ubuntu but
not necessarily with the same username/uid setup).

Of course, NTFS does have permissions :-)
They're just far more complicated and, IMO, less useful than *nix type
permissions.

> Of course, if this USB drive is quite old, then maybe the problem with
> mounting it in Ubuntu is down to hardware failure, or possibly just an
> imminent failure that Ubuntu is sensing and not wanting to make you
> over-confident about the drive's abilities, is not allowing you to mount it.

It's brand new. I think the problems were caused by the proprietary
formatting utility.

I ended up nuking the partition and starting from scratch. I was
mainly curious, and started this thread, because I wondered how to do
the disk check/fix without a Windows machine about.

Thanks for all your help everybody.

Cofion,
Neil.