FAT32 vs NTFS

[Briab Guy]

Ok I have been relearning permissions etc, or at least as much as I can with a FAT32, XP pro. I learned on NT4 a while ago, so long that I forget a lot of it.
So I was playing with users and groups when it started to seem that there was not much I could really do, compared to NT4.
Then I was told I needed NTFS to make important changes such as setting permissions etc...
So my question is how much better is NTFS now the FAT 32?
I have this PC partitioned so that I can swap files between 98 and XP. (Both XP and 98 are primary, but I also have 2000 as an extended, so that when in 98 or XP I can see 2000, and leave files there to be picked up later when in the other OS)
So I will lose the feature if I make XP NTFS and 98 is FAT?
Does NTFS affect games?
Is it reversable, if I switch from FAT to NTFS, and want to go back to FAT?
Thanks for any feedback

[aym]

Hi Briab Guy,
Windows 98 can't read NTFS, while Windows 2000 and XP can, so while in 2000 or XP you can swap files, but in 98 you can't.
If you want to go back to FAT32 from NTFS, either you need to reformat the drive, losing all of its info, or use a third party software like Partition Magic which costs money.
NTFS may affect speed, but if you have a modern system (especially a 7200RPM HD) I don't think that it'll be slower.

[David_Jones]

Unless you really need the security benefits of NTFS, I don't really see any major reason to go to it.

I doesn't fragment as much as FAT32, but if you regularly defrag anyway, then that isn't really such an issue either.

[Briab Guy]

Thanks for the help. I am mostly just trying to relearn some of the secvurity with users/groups for my own interests. Its not real important. I am supprised that there is not more control over users/groups in XP pro, even with the FAT 32 file sys.