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Forum Index : Microcontroller and PC projects : Convert ext4 filesystem to NTFS...
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Grogster Admin Group  Joined: 31/12/2012 Location: New ZealandPosts: 9753 |
Hi all.  Does anyone have a link to a utility that can convert an ext4 Linux volume, to NTFS filesystem for Windows WITHOUT losing the data on the volume? Copying 16TB of data from ext4 to NTFS is not my idea of fun, so I would like a utility that could perhaps just convert the drive. I might be dreaming.... Smoke makes things work. When the smoke gets out, it stops! |
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| JohnS Guru  Joined: 18/11/2011 Location: United KingdomPosts: 4126 |
I expect there's so little demand, and it's so hard to do, that it will not exist. Back to doing a copy. (You will find I'm wrong just as it finishes...) John |
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| Grogster Admin Group Joined: 31/12/2012 Location: New ZealandPosts: 9753 |
I still cannot access the puppy server. I have a backup server I have fired up, and I can access that fine in OpenElec mediaplayer, but Windoze still refuses to even see it at all. It is obviously on the LAN, or OpenElec would also refuse to see it. Windows...... Smoke makes things work. When the smoke gets out, it stops! |
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Quazee137 Guru Joined: 07/08/2016 Location: United StatesPosts: 600 |
Grogster maybe you can use things this way. How to Share Files Between Windows and Linux |
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| astroboy Regular Member  Joined: 28/12/2014 Location: AustraliaPosts: 41 |
Hi I wonder if this link would be any use? |
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| Boppa Guru Joined: 08/11/2016 Location: AustraliaPosts: 816 |
Are they lan drives, or usb drives or what Grogster? |
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Azure Guru Joined: 09/11/2017 Location: AustraliaPosts: 446 |
Even if you manage to find something, I would not do it unless you have a backup. It would take just the slightest error and all will be lost. There are some utilities to allow you to access an Ext volume on other OS' I use one for Mac OSX not sure about windows. Then you could make a copy in stages or as a complete copy if you have the destination drive capacity while still accessing the Ext4 volume. Not that much Linux knowledge but I have also gone the other way and connected a Mac OSX HFS+ drive and copied files to an Ext volume (for creating film DCP masters). Just a thought you might be able to copy using a Linux setup to a NTFS drive. |
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| JohnS Guru Joined: 18/11/2011 Location: United KingdomPosts: 4126 |
Copying works. Sounds like grogs already knows that. hmm, have I actually done it that direction? Maybe not... John |
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| Azure Guru Joined: 09/11/2017 Location: AustraliaPosts: 446 |
@John I do usually try and setup large or critical copies so the write is on the native file system and read is from the foreign file system. |
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panky Guru Joined: 02/10/2012 Location: AustraliaPosts: 1116 |
G, My understanding is that the physical structure on disk is very substantially different between the two such that any form of "conversion' would require a complete "rebuild' of the block structure - basically, just not possible. Were it me, I would fire up a Linux system and connect both drives (the ext4 and a blank formatted as NTFS) via USB3 as Linux can read and write both file systems and then copy as required. While not quick, this I think, is the only reliable way to ensure data integrity. Doug. ... almost all of the Maximites, the MicromMites, the MM Extremes, the ArmMites, the PicoMite and loving it! |
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| Grogster Admin Group Joined: 31/12/2012 Location: New ZealandPosts: 9753 |
I was just throwing this idea out there, but we can abandon this idea now. I have reinstalled Puppy Linux on the server box, and redone all the config, and the ext4 volumes are now shared again. This time, with a different password then the default, which always made me uneasy. Windoze 10 now sees the machine as "PUPPYSERVER1", but still refuses to talk to it. This required my leaving the computers on for several hours, but I think Bill is starting to recover the layout of the LAN.  The current issue is that the machine is there in the windows network, but clicking on it just times out with a message that the machine cannot be reached. If I map a drive letter directly to \\BOX IP ADDRESS\puppyshare\mnt\sda1, it promptly finds it, asks for the password, and once entered the files are all there. Linux always seems to have no problems with networking - even to Windows machines. Windows always seems to have problems with networking if some shares are Samba on Linux. Other Windoze machines seem to pop up easily enough, but the Linux ones Windoze seems to like to make you fight for. Smoke makes things work. When the smoke gets out, it stops! |
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| Grogster Admin Group Joined: 31/12/2012 Location: New ZealandPosts: 9753 |
Another update. OpenElec sees the Puppy Linux Server just fine - search for any availible Windows(SMB) shares, and there they are. Connect to them, name them, and can play anything from them fine. Windows 10, on the other hand, is still having a bad case of 'I know not of what you speak.' The Puppy Linux server that WAS visible in W10 networking earlier in the day, has now vanished again!  However, it is still most definitely on the LAN - I can ping it's IP from the Windoze command prompt, and can connect to it fine in OpenElec as I mention. Another old XP machine I have on the LAN(but not on the WAN), also can see the Puppy box shares. On the W10 box, despite it refusing to show the Puppy server shares inside it's networking, I CAN map directly to the volumes on the Puppy box fine. I have now mapped both /mnt/sda1 and /mnt/sdb1 to drive letters on this W10 box, and they are accessible just fine - but still totally invisible within W10 networking....... Oh well. That is probably a good thing, as they should not be easily discoverable. So long as you know where they are, W10 connects to them fine, but you cannot browse for them. Smoke makes things work. When the smoke gets out, it stops! |
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GoodToGo! Senior Member  Joined: 23/04/2017 Location: AustraliaPosts: 188 |
Hey Grogs, Looks like the latest Win10 update 'changed' a few things in the networking side of things...... Have a look here for possible fixes. Cheers! GTG!  ...... Don't worry mate, it'll be GoodToGo! |
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