Partition Recovery after converting FAT partition to NTFS

Times are changing and so are the needs of the people. Likewise system needs have also been changing. Gone are the times when floppies with FAT12 file system were used. FAT12 got replaced by FAT16, and later by FAT32. And today, most of the hard drives have NTFS file system volumes. This file system has replaced the FAT system as it supports working on large hard drives while offering management of single disk partitions. NTFS file systems offer improved reliability, security, and performance, and support large file sizes as well. It is fairly simple to convert your FAT formatted partition to an NTFS partition. However, before you proceed, make sure you back up all your data, because there is a possibility of data loss, which may call for Windows partition recovery.

Converting FAT to NTFS requires following steps:
Go to the 'Start' menu, and select 'Run'. In the dialog box, enter 'cmd' and click OK.
At the command prompt that opens, type CONVERT D: /FS:NTFS, where D refers to the partition for which you want to change the file system.
Convert.exe command converts any file system partition to an NTFS file system.

However, be wary of the following error message that may flash on your screen during the convert process:

“Convert cannot gain exclusive access to the driveletter:, so it cannot convert it now. Would you like to schedule it to be converted the next time the system restarts (Y/N)?”

The stated error may appear if one of the following conditions is true:

If the current directory is on D drive, while converting the D drive (i.e., CONVERT D: /FS:NTFS at the D:\> prompt), then conversion halts with the above error. Then either press 'Y', to restart your computer, or simply change directory on another drive, and give the CONVERT command again.

Another reason for the CONVERT program to stop is that at least one file from that drive is open. Again click 'Y', and restart your computer, or close any application that is using that file.

If you try to convert the boot partition, then you will have to press 'Y'. The partition is converted to NTFS on your next boot.

However, if you have already made the conversion, and have lost your data, don't worry. You can always use your backups to perform partition recovery.

But if you didn't create a backup, or your backup failed you at the most critical moment, even then you need not fret! Windows partition recovery software are available to help you in such situations.

One trusted name in this filed is that of Stellar Phoenix Windows Data Recovery. Designed to carry out various recovery algorithms and compatible with all versions of your Windows operating system, this tool is a must-have for all your partition recovery needs.