# what file system does linux use?



## mnemonix (Jan 11, 2003)

if have a dual boot with windows in another partition will say windows be able to open files in the linux partition.


is there different file system that you can choose?

will it work in NTFS -- (or am i mad?)

....mad!


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## Squashman (Apr 4, 2003)

Windows cannot natively read Linux File Systems (EXT2, EXT 3, RiererFs). But the linux box can mount and read the Windows File systems. And from the latest I have read, Linux can now read and write NTFS file systems.


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## mnemonix (Jan 11, 2003)

can linux be installed on NTFS aswell? (perhaps future)

is EXT2 and 3 etc better than NTFS (compression etc?)


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## Squashman (Apr 4, 2003)

> _Originally posted by mnemonix:_
> *can linux be installed on NTFS aswell? (perhaps future)
> 
> is EXT2 and 3 etc better than NTFS (compression etc?) *


Why would they want to install Linux on NTFS. Even Microsoft is moving away from NTFS with its next Operating System LongHorn. Most people using linux these days are moving to RieserFS


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## lynch (Aug 3, 2002)

Keep in mind that Redhat does not offer out-of-the-box support for NTFS.So,when you first install it in a dual-boot system you cant access windows files unless they're FAT or fat32.
This is just Redhat;all the other Linux distributions can read NTFS.
lynch


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## codejockey (Feb 11, 2002)

No Linux distribution that I am familiar with supports installing Linux on an NTFS filesystem; as LwdSqashman suggests, both ext2 and ext3 filesystems are superior to NTFS. As Lynch points out, many distributions support read access to NTFS (and some allow experimental (read: unstable) write access as well (not recommended unless you are willing to lose data)).

It may also be possible to read Linux ext2 and ext3 filesystems from Windoze using a utility available at http://uranus.it.swin.edu.au/~jn/linux/ext2ifs.htm. I haven't tried it (on my list to do ...) but it sounds promising.

Hope this helps.


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