Dual Boot xp and 8.1 pro can I change FAT32 partition?

[Aksarben]

On my primary drive 0 it is divided into 3 partitions. First partition has always been my Windows XP Pro in a FAT32 file system. Second partition is a logical extension drive D, also in FAT32. Third partition is NTFS and has Windows 8.1 Pro on it. I can dual boot into either XP or 8.1 after the GUI Windows 8.1 boot screen appears. It looks at the folder BOOT (hidden) on my XP_C partition to boot. What would happen if I use EaseUS Partition tool and change my XP_C partition (drive C: when I'm in XP) into a NTFS partition? Will it still boot? Will there bay any issues?

 

[Ztruker]

Curious why you want to do this?

The safe thing to do would be to backup (image) the entire drive, then try converting FAT32 to NTFS

If something goes wrong or there are problems, restore the backup.

 

[Aksarben]

I turned off UAC control via the registry edit so I could then see the XP_X drive from within running Windows 8.1 The Fat32 partition is "An Unsecured" partition that I cannot read or write to. There is not TAB view of SECURITY in a FAT32 partition. So I could not go into PROPERTIES - TAB- SECURITY and change the permissions of that parturition. I think I could if it was NTFS.

I have the drive cloned to another 1Tb hard drive, and I think for experiment sake, I would work on it first to see what happened. Just wondering if anyone had any experience changing FAT32 to NTFS and if my Windows XP Pro partition would still boot, or even if the computer would even boot at all since the BOOT (hidden) folder resides in the same directory structure as Windows in the XP partition.

 

[fireberd]

Years ago I changed a FAT to NTFS with the built in Windows procedure. I didn't have any problem when I did it. But, I did have a full hard drive back up just in case.