On Mon, 29 Aug 2011 19:30:01 +0800
George OLson
Would it be better to just go on and keep it as NTFS? The only way that would help me out is that I could store files on that drive that would be usable to both windows and linux. However, the only thing I am really planning to use windows for is updating my ipod, and a particular work program I have that won't run under anything besides windows.
Hi George, "Been there, done that". Your use case is nearly identical to mine except I don't have the added impetus of a 'work program' that only runs under Windows. (My iPod Classic _requires_ iTunes, however, due to the encrypted firmware ... discovered months after my purchase, thereby precluding a return for refund. Ugh! grrrrr! ^%$@!) You'll have the fewest headaches and complications if you start by using native Windows tools to get your NTFS partitions configured the way you want them and /then/ proceeding with the Linux installation.
What are the disadvantages to keeping it as NTFS? Does linux access the files more slowly if they are in NTFS format?
There is no disadvantage that I'm aware of but that's not the point. The point is iTunes can only 'talk' to partitions where Windows is able to read/write. Therefore, the media files it manages _must_ reside at this point in time on a) the NTFS side, or, b) removable media. The drawback is it takes many extra steps to add new media files to your iTunes Library from the Linux side: a) place the new files on removable media or into a designated 'import from' directory on the NTFS side b) boot into Windows c) launch iTunes d) import into your iTunes Library e) reboot to Linux FYI, if I were able to do this all over again, I would only buy an 'iPod like' device and accessories if it were _guaranteed in writing_ that it could be used and maintained 100% with Linux tools. hth & regards, Carl -- To unsubscribe, e-mail: opensuse+unsubscribe@opensuse.org For additional commands, e-mail: opensuse+help@opensuse.org