fat 32

[honkytonk]

can anyone please tell me if fat 32 is hardware problem as my laptop recovers from a serious error fat 32 most times when i start it up

[bobjim1705]

FAT (File Allocation Table, I believe) 32 isn't a hardware error - it's a file system on hard drives, which is slowly being replaced by NTFS.
A 'serious FAT 32 error' is usually indicative of hard-drive issues.

[honkytonk]

thanks bobjim, do you no how i can cure this

[bobjim1705]

My knowledge on the subject ends about there, I'm afraid :-(

[OBonio]

FAT32 is a file system. 'Serious FAT32' problems is indicative of a corrupt file system which would usually be put down to a harddrive failure. These get worse with time. So, yes, in the end, it probably is a hardware problem.

[LeMarchand]

Probably not your problem, but do you sometimes boot up with a USB key or another sort of removable drive/memory attached? I have noticed a FAT32 error pops up when I accidentally boot up my laptop with a USB key in it.

If so, the solution is to make sure no external drives/memory are attached at boot up (or alter your BIOS not to try to boot from same, I guess).

[Ralph]

I suggest your first port of call should be to run ScanDisk. Right click the disk in Windows Explorer, choose Properties and select the top Error Checking option. Enable all the boxes before clicking Start. It may take a while.

The next thing I'd do is back up everything you don't want to loose since it's possible the disk is on the way out.

If you're on Windows 2000 or XP, there should be a program in there to convert your drive to NTFS. This might be a very good option for you. You shouldn't notice any real difference in day to day usage.

As a second-last resort, you may be able to run a "Repair" of your Windows installation, but how (and if!) you can do this will depend on your version of Windows.

Last resort would be to reinstall windows after formatting your drive, but this can be a long and painful experience. It would also be pointless if your disk is knackered!