LaCie FIREWIRE 800/400 user manual Fat, Use Ntfs if, Use FAT 32 if, Use HFS+ if

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LaCie Biggest Quadra	Technical Information
User Manual	page 44

■Windows Users

There are basically two file system formats for Win- dows: FAT 32 and NTFS. The following information will hopefully make choosing one or the other a little easier.

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 and XP. When FAT 32 is used with Windows 2000 and XP, though, vol- ume 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 and XP. NTFS offers several features that are not available with FAT 32; i.e. file compres- sion, encryption, permissions, 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 256TB and a 16TB file size limit. Volumes created in NTFS can only be directly accessed (not through shares) by Windows NT, Windows 2000 and XP, without resorting to help from third-party products.

Use NTFS if...

...you will be using the drive only under Windows 2000 or Windows XP (performance will generally be greater when compared to FAT 32). This file system is compat- ible in read only mode with Mac OS 10.3 and higher.

Use FAT 32 if...

...you will be using your drive between both Windows and Mac OS 9.x or 10.x; or sharing the drive between Windows 2000, XP, and 98 SE. Maximum single file size: 4GB.

Use HFS+ if...

...you will be using the drive on Macs only; performance will generally be greater when compared to FAT 32. This file system is NOT compatible with Windows OS.

For more information, please refer to section 4.5. Format- ting and Partitioning Your LaCie Hard Drive.

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Contents Biggest Quadra Table of Contents Maintaining Your LaCie Biggest Quadra Trademarks CopyrightsChanges FCC StatementGeneral Use Precautions Health and Safety PrecautionsLaCie Biggest Quadra Forward Introduction to the LaCie Biggest Quadra Biggest Quadra FeaturesMinimum System Requirements About the LaCie Biggest QuadraWindows Users Mac UsersYour LaCie hard drive package should contain the following Package ContentSpecifications Front View Views of the DriveRear View FireWire 400 and 800 Cables and Connectors Cables and ConnectorsUSB Icons Hi-Speed USB 2.0 Cables and ConnectorsHi-Speed USB 2.0 Benefits USB 2.0 CablesESATA Cables and Connectors ESATA IconsESATA Cables Drive Tray Locks To lock a drive trayTo unlock a drive tray Understanding RAID Characteristics and AdvantagesRAID Recommended UsesHigh Data Transfer Performance RAID 0 +Controller RAID 5 + Hot Spare Setting Setting Up Your LaCie Biggest QuadraExample Setting the RAID LevelRAID 5 + Hot Spare RAIDRAID 0 + Initializing the Disks Creating an ArrayOn next To initialize the disks in your arrayLaCie Biggest Quadra Setting Up the Biggest Quadra 2.A Managing Volumes over 2TB in WindowsConnecting to a Host Computer 1.A Connecting to the Host Computer via FireWireConnecting to the Host Computer via Hi-Speed USB Connecting to the Host Computer via eSATA YY/MM/DD Hhmm Setting the LCD Display Time & DateInitialize Formatting and Partitioning1.C Mac Users Disk Status and Activity Indicators Using the LaCie Biggest QuadraLCD Display Messages Initialization MessagesLCD Display Message Message Cleared When Rebuild Messages Dx RebuildRAID Failure Messages LCD Display Message Cleared When Failure and Error MessagesDisk Failure Message LCD Display Message Cleared When Fan Failure Message LCD Display Message Cleared WhenOverheating Error Message LCD Display Message Cleared When Power On LCD Display Message Message Cleared WhenRAID and Disk Status Messages Ready LCD Display Message Message Cleared When RAID and Disk Information MessagesRAID Level LCD Display Message Message Cleared When Disk Information LCD Display Message Message Cleared WhenSerial Number LCD Display Message Message Cleared When Firmware Version LCD Display Message Message Cleared WhenFirmware Updates Maintaining Your LaCie Biggest QuadraRemoving/Replacing a Drive File System Formats Technical InformationUse Ntfs if FATUse FAT 32 if Use HFS+ ifOptimizing Data Transfers Available Storage CapacityFireWire 800 Ports and Performance Hi-Speed USB 2.0 Ports and Performance What Are The Benefits Of The FireWire Inter- faces? FireWire Questions & AnswersWhat Are The Ideal Uses For FireWire? What Does Ieee 1394 Mean?What Do I Do If My Computer Does Not Have a FireWire Port? USB Questions & Answers LaCie Biggest Quadra USB Questions & Answers ESATA Questions & Answers What is eSATA?What are the ideal uses of Serial ATA? Troubleshooting Manual UpdatesProblem Possible Solutions Example Contacting Customer Support Information Where to Find InformationBefore You Contact Technical Support Information to Include in Email CorrespondenceLaCie Technical Support Contacts Warranty Information