How to Change a File System From UDF to NTFS in Vista

By Jim Campbell

The NTFS file system allows you to use the Windows operating system with security features such as file and folder sharing. Windows has a conversion tool you can use to convert a file system to the NTFS file system. This conversion tool is a part of the installation process, but you can also use it to convert the hard drive before you install Windows.

Click the Windows "Start" button. Type "cmd" in the text box and press "Enter." The "cmd" word opens the windows command line on any Windows computer.

Type the following syntax in your command line prompt:

convert c: /fs:ntfs

This command converts the "C" drive to the NTFS file system. The C drive is typically your main Windows system drive, but you can replace the "C" letter with any drive letter.

Press "Enter" to run the conversion. Press "y" to confirm that you want to convert your file system. Conversion takes several minutes, and you must reboot after the conversion completes.

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