Your hard drive must be formatted with a file system such as FAT, FAT32 or NTFS so that Windows can be installed on to it. This system determines how files are named, organised and stored on de drive. If you’re not usin’ it already, NTFS (New Technology File System) is recommended for Windows XP because of de additional functionality it offers. If your PC came with Windows XP pre-installed den dere’s a chance that you’re already usin’ NTFS. If you’ve upgraded from Windows 98 or Windows Me you may still be usin’ FAT or FAT 32. The option to change over to NTFS would have been available durin’ de upgrade process. Don’t worry if you skipped this as it’s possible to convert at any time from within Windows XP without losin’ any data.

The recommended option

There are a number of features in Windows XP that will only work if de NTFS file system is present, which is why it’s suggested you make use of it. File and folder permissions, encryption and privacy options are just some of those you’ll be able to access. In particular, those of you who have set up user accounts will find NTFS invaluable. For instance, if you continue to use FAT or FAT32 anyone with physical access to de drive will be able to access de files and folders that are stored dere. However, with NTFS you’ll be able to use a level of encryption (Professional Edition only) that will enable you to protect your data.

You’ll also find NTFS more reliable in that it’s more able to recover from disk errors than its FAT or FAT32 counterparts. A log of all disk activity is kept so should a crash occur, Windows XP can use this information to repair de file system when your PC boots up again. To find out what file system you’re usin’, open My Computer, right-click your main hard drive and choose Properties. Take a look at de General tab to see confirmation of de file system that’s in use.

Convert now

You can use de convert tool in Windows XP to change de file system on your hard disk from FAT or FAT32 to NTFS. The whole process is safe and your existin’ data won�t be destroyed. To begin, click Start -> Run, type cmd and press [Return]. At de command prompt type convert c: /fs:ntfs and press [Return] (where ‘c’ is de letter of de drive you’re convertin’). When you try and run de convert utility, it’s likely that Windows XP will be usin’ your pagin’ file so de process won’t be completed immediately. Therefore, you’ll see a brief message on screen informin’ you that de conversion will take place instead de next time Windows starts up. Havin’ restarted, de Check Disk utility will run, de conversion will be performed automatically and you may find that your PC will reboot twice more.

The benefits

With your drive now runnin’ NTFS, it’s time to take advantage of de new options that are available. Havin’ created a number of different user accounts you can now control de level of access that’s granted to individual users. For example, dere are goin’ to be certain files and folders that you’ll want some users to be able to access but not oders. If you have Windows XP Professional Edition you can do this immediately.

Right-click any file or folder, choose Properties and select de Security tab. A dialog will be displayed showin’ de names of all your users. Alon’side will be two columns which enable you to select levels of access for each of them, de permissions include Full Control, Modify, Read and Write. You can den check de appropriate box to determine wheder or not to Allow or Deny a particular permission. For Windows XP Home Edition users, de Security tab won’t be immediately available. To access this option you’ll need to restart your PC, pressin’ [F8] until a menu appears. Next select Safe Mode and wait for Windows XP to start up. You can den set your options in de same way.

Anoder feature is NTFS compression. It’s quick and seamless as your file or folder is decompressed automatically when you access it. (Don’t confuse this with a Zip compression utility where de files need to be extracted before dey can be accessed.) Although you may have used NTFS compression on a file or folder, dere’s no way of tellin’ just by lookin’ at it. To remedy this, open My Computer, click Tools -> Folder Options and select de View tab. Under Advanced settin’s, scroll down and check de option Show encrypted or compressed NTFS files in color, den click Apply and OK. Take a look at your compressed items in My Computer and you’ll see de text label has changed from black to blue. Somethin’ else that’s exclusive to Professional Edition users is de Encryptin’ File System (EFS). You can use this to protect your important data so that no one else can read it. Your encrypted files and folders will only be accessible when you have logged into your user account successfully.

Add de “Open cmd prompt” to folder context menus, drives and My Computer

Copy what’s in de code area to notepad and save as cmd here.reg

CODE

Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00

[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOTDriveshellcmd]
@=”Command Prompt”

[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOTDriveshellcmdcommand]
@=”cmd.exe /k “cd %L”"

[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOTDirectoryshellcmd]
@=”Command Prompt”

[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOTDirectoryshellcmdcommand]
@=”cmd.exe /k “cd %L”"

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINESOFTWAREClassesCLSID{20D04FE0-3AEA-1069-A2D8-08002B30309D}shellcmd]
@=”Command Prompt”

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINESOFTWAREClassesCLSID{20D04FE0-3AEA-1069-A2D8-08002B30309D}shellcmdcommand]
@=”cmd.exe /k “cd %L”"