How To: Install Windows Vista On A FAT32 Partition Instead Of NTFS
All of you know that Windows Vista can be installed only on NTFS partitions by default.By a complicated trick we can install Windows Vista on a FAT32 hard disk drive partition.I prefer not to do this trick and Tomstricks.com is not responsible for any incidents caused by this tweak.The steps for this trick is given below:
- Install Windows Vista as normal on a NTFS hard disk drive partition.After installing Windows Vista don’t install anything like device driver’s, software applications and other updates on this newly installed Windows Vista.(This is because Microsoft gives you then Machinekeynumbers, that cant be copied with the Windows Explorer)
- Boot the same computer using another hard disk contains Windows XP operating system or use an external hard USB disk drive to boot. The hard disk with freshly installed Windows Vista stays connected.
- Copy all the files and folders from that Windows Vista installation to a folder called Vista32(Don’t paste the copied Vista32 folder on the same partition with Windows Vista, because this partition is deleted later in this tweak).Also make sure that in folder options all the system files are set visible like hiberfil.sys, pagefile.sys, System Volume Information.
- When you get a message, that a file cant be copied, use the program Beyond Compare 2 to look, what has happens. You can do those copy options also by hand. When you found that file or folder cant be copied, build this file or folder by manual mode with same extension and let it empty .
- Make a backup of your original Windows Vista installation.For this use Winhex and copy simple Byte by Byte of the installations hard disk including the Windows Vista bootsector to a file called vista32.dat. Remember that on a Fat32 partition no single file can be larger than 4.1GB. So, this created vista32.dat has to stay on any NTFS partition in your hard disk drive because it is about 20GB size.
- Before you delete the hard disk drive partition with the original Windows Vista on it with a third party software like Partition Magic 8, notice the exact size of this partition.After this delete this particular partition and build a new Fat32 partition at the same place with the same size as before on the same hard disk. Set the newly created partition as active.
- Now copy all the files and folders back from the Vista32 folder to that empty Fat32 hard disk drive partition.Also note that copy the Boot folder first and then the Windows folder last.
- Disconnect your Windows XP USB hard drive or any other hard disk that is connected to your system. Only the hard disk with the newly created Fat32 partition and the copied files and folders of Windows Vista on it stays.
- When you try to boot your system from that hard disk you get a message like no OS found.
- Put the Windows Vista installation DVD in the drive and hit any key.
- Chose the option of install of Windows Vista, but at the next place choose the option System repair.
- Select a keyboard layout from the prompt.
- Hit CTRL+ ALT+ DEL and then choose no restart of Windows Vista.
- Hit “next”, and then choose Command Prompt.
- Type in cd and then the way to your DVD drive with the Vista DVD in it,say F: .
- Type in there cd F:\boot .
- Then type in there bootsect /nt60 C:
- A message is shown, that a new bootsector for FAT32 is written.
- Take the Windows Vista installation DVD out from the disk drive and shut down the computer. When you boot up your computer to the next time, don’t think that nothing happens. The hard disk seems to dead about 2 minutes.After this Windows Vista boots up and Vista Desktop with Fat32. hiberfil.sys, pagefile.sys, System Volume Information have also been build new.
Warning: Do this tweak only for educational purposes.
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Written by Tony on September 25th, 2008 with
1 comment.
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#1. October 6th, 2009, at 2:27 AM.
Will this work for Windows 7 (I hope)?
Regards,
GEWB