NTFS or FAT

Should I reformat my Hard Drives????

[txbakers]

I just installed a new HD and processor, so had to rebuild my system etc.

I went with the FAT system, and now my ASP apps don't work.

Should I go back and reformat one partition to the NTFS? Or is there something else I could do to fix this?

Thanks.

[Woz]

TX,

are you talking asp as in Active Server Pages? If so, then I don't think the formatting of your harddisk will have anything to do with it (I could be wrong...) Have you installed an ASP compliant Web Server as in Personal Web Server version 4?

Onya
Woz

[txbakers]

Thanks Woz:

I'm running W2000 AS with IIS 5.0

I had everything working just fine before I upgraded my machine.

Yes, Active Server Pages

[Woz]

Hmmm, don't know enough about 2k server to be of any help on this one, But I would still be fairly sure it is not a formatting problem. I think we will have to wait for some IIS experts to come along. Hang in there.

Onya
Woz

[evinrude]

Unless it's a permissions problem, I'm not sure how NTFS vs. FAT would have done anything. Any chance you could post an error message if you are getting one?

[bartek]

NTFS is mainly about security and assigning permissions. Try to convert your FAT into NTFS.
CONVERT <drive:>/FS: NTFS
<added>Just remember that it's a lot harder to convert it back to FAT, Windows will not do it, you might have to use a 3rd party utlity.</added>

Is there a reason why you chose FAT for w2k w/ IIS?

(edited by: bartek at 7:32 am (gmt) on Oct. 29, 2001

[txbakers]

Here is the error message:

Server Application Error
The server has encountered an error while loading an application during the processing of your request. Please refer to the event log for more detail information. Please contact the server administrator for assistance.

I looked it up on the Knolwedge Base and specifically mentioned NTFS permissions. But I'm set up as FAT and couldn't use their fix.

[txbakers]

I get an 'invalid parameter' error at the DOS prompt on NTFS when I run the convert commnd.

[bartek]

Try it with the /V switch (for verbose mode)

[txbakers]

Could you write it out for me. I don't know DOS

[evinrude]

Might also be able to do it from the "Computer Management" Administrative tool. But not sure. :)

Added..... - Aparently not. :P Just looked on my computer. Can do lots of other things, but not change the filesystem.

(edited by: evinrude at 7:42 am (gmt) on Oct. 29, 2001

[bartek]

CONVERT <drive:>/FS: NTFS [/V]

Where <drive>
is the designation of the drive you want to convert. The /V option tells CONVERT
to run in verbose mode, which gives detailed command output.

[bartek]

...might want to do a chkdsk, defrag, fresh boot, the whole nine yards before you start.

[txbakers]

Same error - invalid parameter:

CONVERT E:/FS: NTFS [/V]

as to why I chose FAT.... I dunno, I was formatting the 80 GB hard drive and probably should have kept them all NTFS.

[txbakers]

OK I'm in over my head now. I switched to E: and commanded the CHKDSK /F The volume would have to be dismounted first.

Is that a good idea?

[bartek]

It'll probably do it after you reboot. Do you have SP2? And how much free space?

[txbakers]

Yes, SP2 and plenty of free space. I'm barely using 5% of the 80 GB.

You think just reboot and then run the CONVERT command?

[bartek]

>CONVERT E:/FS: NTFS [/V]

...you also need a space after E:

CONVERT E: /FS: NTFS [/V]

[txbakers]

same error, even with the extra space after E:

I'll reboot and see what happens.

Back in a flash.

[bartek]

lol... Ditch the other space after FS

So,
convert e: /FS:NTFS

Isn't this fun? I knew I shoulda gone to bed...

[txbakers]

Hang on - I'm getting somewhere. That last version is working. I need to enter the volume label.

[txbakers]

ok, LOOKS GOOD. I need to reboot and it should convert after I reboot.

Backups first, eh?

[bartek]

backup with verify and run RDISK and update the emergency repair disk just to be safe.

This isn't your boot partition, is it?

[txbakers]

I'm back.

Love that new processor! 1.6 AMD.

It took the conversion without a problem, let's see if it will run now.

[txbakers]

OK new wrinkle:

Now all my websites are stopped I try to start the message is "Address already in use" What's that???

[txbakers]

OK solved that one. The damn Oracle has it's own HTTP Apache server which started when I rebooted. I stopped that and I could start my site.

But I still have the Application error. Back to Knowledge Base I guess.

[bartek]

Event log is your best friend...
Look up the events here
[eventid.net...]

[Xoc]

Windows 2000 doesn't have rdisk...that's a Windows NT thing. Instead the functionality is found in the Backup program! Go to Start¦Programs¦Accessories¦System Tools¦Backup and make the disk from there.

I recently had to recover an NTFS drive without an Emergency Repair Disk and it was darn near impossible. It got done and the data saved, but I had to reinstall everything. I highly recommend that every Windows NT and 2000 machine have a current Emergency Repair Disk, clearly labeled and somewhere where it can be found. Any time you change the hardware, you need to recreate the Emergency Repair Disk. I learned my lesson.

[txbakers]

The knowledge base repair wants to set permissions on the web folders, but also on most of the C: folders as well. I have the websites on a different partition than the system files.

Now what the hell am I supposed to do????

[bartek]

right, Xoc... didn't even notice til now...

txbakers, try Q187506 for a list of IIS permissions and try manually if it won't work. Keep track of your changes so that you can roll them back or better yet, do a system state backup before you get dirty.