Member Avatar for viperman224

I have a Western Digital 40 gig hard drive. I installed XP pro on it using the NTFS file system. Is there any way to go back FAT32? DOS will not see NTFS to my knowledge. thanks

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Short answer: Windows does not provide a safe, built‑in way to convert an NTFS system back to FAT32 in place. The practical choices are (A) add a small FAT32 area for DOS/shared files without touching the XP install, or (B) back up and reformat the drive to FAT32 and restore/reinstall. Which path to take depends on whether native DOS access is required or whether a transfer/compatibility area is sufficient.

A non‑destructive workflow (keeps the XP install) that expands on and :

  • Make a full disk image first (rescue media plus image saved to external media).
  • Run offline disk maintenance (chkdsk /f and defragment) so files can be moved.
  • Boot a partitioning/rescue CD and shrink the NTFS volume (ntfsresize/GParted or equivalent) to create free space, then create a primary FAT32 partition in that free space and assign a drive letter in Windows.
    Note: Windows XP’s Format tool will not create FAT32 partitions over 32GB; creating a single 40GB FAT32 partition requires a third‑party tool.

If the goal is a full FAT32 system (no XP/NTFS remaining): image the disk, delete/create partitions, format to FAT32, and restore or reinstall. Built‑in Microsoft utilities can convert FAT→NTFS but not NTFS→FAT; any third‑party “in‑place” converters carry risk and should be avoided unless a verified image exists.

Clarifications and alternatives:

  • The remark by that “real DOS won’t see FAT32” depends on the DOS version: MS‑DOS 6.x lacks FAT32 support; later Win9x OSR2 and FreeDOS do support FAT32.
  • For running old DOS programs, a virtual machine (VMware/VirtualBox or a DOS VM) is often safer than repartitioning and provides easy file sharing with the NTFS host.

Checklist: full backup/image, chkdsk+defrag, use reliable partitioning tools, verify boot loader after changes, and understand FAT32 limits (4GB single‑file limit, less robustness than NTFS).

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Member Avatar for TallCool1

I have a Western Digital 40 gig hard drive. I installed XP pro on it using the NTFS file system. Is there any way to go back FAT32? DOS will not see NTFS to my knowledge. thanks

Why, exactly, do you want DOS access if you have XP already? In my case, it's because I have a triple-boot system: Windows XP, Win98SE, and Linux. FAT 32 is trivially readable by all three.

It all depends on what you want to do with it, I suppose. provides a series of utilities that can access NTFS from DOS, including a . Some utilities are free, some cost money. The site also has good information about the two file systems and their comparisons. In most respects, NTFS has it all over FAT32--no file-size limit, larger hard drives, and higher reliability.

You could set up a FAT32 drive partition of, say, 2 GB and use it to transfer files between OSes, if that's what you're after. Give us a better idea of your intent and we can help further.

Member Avatar for ZeekeDaGeek

I have a Western Digital 40 gig hard drive. I installed XP pro on it using the NTFS file system. Is there any way to go back FAT32? DOS will not see NTFS to my knowledge. thanks

If you wish to change the drive's file system, you will have to "fdisk" it, and delete the NTFS partition. Of course you will lose all your data, so if you need anything important, get it before you make any changes.
After you delete the NTFS, you can set up a primary DOS partition and format it to FAT32 if you wish. BTW, "real" DOS won't see FAT32. You need a FAT partition to use DOS. You can create multiple partitions on your drive if you wish.
I don't have XP, but I think you have the option when running the setup program to go NTFS or FAT32. I don't believe they provide the option for changing the file system type after it's been done. (from one to the other)

Good luck.

Member Avatar for oalee

..Or, you can give Partition Magic a try. I think it can change NTFS to FAT32, im not very sure abt this though. but what i know is, you won't lose any of the Data you have in the HDD.

Member Avatar for Catweazle

There's no need to convert anything, if all that is wanted is access to NTFS volumes from DOS.

One of the componenets of Winternal's 'Administrator's Pack' is NTFSDOS Professional, which will do what you're asking.

If all that is required is read access, there are freeware solutions available.

Member Avatar for suRoot

You may want to consider a second hard drive, purely for shared files...

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