From FAT32 to NTFS
Windows XP supports both FAT32 and NTFS. Since the NTFS file system has many more features and benefits than FAT32 - such as increased stability and a higher level of security - it makes much more sense to format your partitions with NTFS. When you installed the operating system, you may have opted to (or mistakenly) use FAT32. Not a huge problem, since there is a one-time conversion from FAT32 to NTFS. And you can do so without losing any of your data!
There are two ways you can convert a volume to NTFS. One method is to use the Computer Management console. Or, you can do so from the command prompt window using the convert command. For example, if you have a volume “d” on your computer and you want to convert it to NTFS, simply open the command prompt and type the following command:
Convert d: /fs:ntfs
After you press Enter, the process will start unless if your drive is currently in use (prime example: you are trying to convert your system volume), you can opt to have the conversion take place the next time the computer is restarted. Just to reiterate, this is a one time conversion which means there isn’t any going back from NTFS to FAT32 unless you format the volume or find a third party utility that can perform this task.