Question about EXFAT?


swerd

swerd

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Hi everyone,

I am about to reinstall Windows 11 on my upgraded PC. I have been copying apps to a USB flash drive formatted as EXFAT. When I copy an executable, I get the following message.
Will the apps still work as normal on the new build, or did I make a mistake by not formatting the disk to NTFS?

Thanks :)

Screenshot 2025-02-19 195452.webp
 
Windows Build/Version
26100.3194

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The warning is about file properties (hidden, read only etc) that are retained when you copy from one NTFS folder to another, but might be lost when copying to a different format, such as FAT32 or ExFAT. The functionality of the file is not affected. Why are you using ExFAT? Do you want to use the USB in Linux or other OS? Linux can be configured for read/write access to NTFS disks, as MacOS can.
 

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    Legacy MBR installation, no TPM, no Secure Boot, no WDDM 2.0 graphics drivers, no SSE4.2, cannot get more unsupported ;) This is only my test laptop. I had installed Windows 11 here before upgrading my main PC. For my main PC I use everyday see my 2nd system specs.

  • At a glance

    Windows 11 Pro v25H2 (build 26200.8655)Intel Core-i7 3770 3.40GHz s1155 (3rd generat...2x Kingston Hyper-X Blu 8GB DDR3-1600GIGABYTE GeForce RTX 3050 WINDFORCE OC V2 6GB...
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    Windows 11 Pro v25H2 (build 26200.8655)
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    Custom-built PC
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    Intel Core-i7 3770 3.40GHz s1155 (3rd generation)
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    Asus P8H61 s1155 ATX
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    100Mbps
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    Other Info
    Legacy BIOS (MBR) installation, no TPM, no Secure Boot, WDDM 3.0 graphics drivers, WEI score 7.4
spapakons said:
Why are you using ExFAT?
Click to expand...

From what I remember, the disk came formatted that way. From what I understand now, the apps will work if copied to an NTFS disk. That was always the plan so I should be OK.

Thanks!
 

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  • At a glance

    Windows 11 ProAMD Ryzen 7 9800X3D64GBAMD Radeon RX 9070XT
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    Windows 11 Pro
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    Custom
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    AMD Ryzen 7 9800X3D
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    Kingston KC3000 M.2 NVMe Gen4 SSD 2TB
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    Windows 11 ProQuadCore Intel Core i5-10210U, 3100 MHz16GB (2x8)Intel(R) UHD Graphics
    Operating System
    Windows 11 Pro
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    Laptop
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    Lenovo
    CPU
    QuadCore Intel Core i5-10210U, 3100 MHz
    Motherboard
    Lenovo ThinkPad E15
    Memory
    16GB (2x8)
    Graphics card(s)
    Intel(R) UHD Graphics
    Sound Card
    Conexant CX8070 @ Intel Comet Point-LP PCH
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Lenovo N156HCA-EAB
    Screen Resolution
    1920 x 1080
    Hard Drives
    SAMSUNG MZVLB256HBHQ-000L7
    ST2000LM007-1R8174
    Internet Speed
    750 Mbps
    Browser
    Chrome / Edge / Firefox / Brave
    Antivirus
    Bitdefender Total Security
swerd said:
From what I remember, the disk came formatted that way. From what I understand now, the apps will work if copied to an NTFS disk. That was always the plan so I should be OK.

Thanks!
Click to expand...


If the USB stick is only going to be connected to Windows machine(s)... use NTFS. :-)
 

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swerd said:
Hi everyone,

I am about to reinstall Windows 11 on my upgraded PC. I have been copying apps to a USB flash drive formatted as EXFAT. When I copy an executable, I get the following message....

125834
Click to expand...
That file is almost certainly one that you downloaded from the internet. Such files will be marked as having come from another computer....

unblock_file_in_properties-2-png.6666

www.elevenforum.com

Unblock File Downloaded from Internet in Windows 11

This tutorial will show you different ways on how to unblock files downloaded from the Internet depending on how they were blocked in Windows 11. When you download files from the Internet, Windows 11 shows you a security warning every time you try to open it by default. Some file types are...
www.elevenforum.com www.elevenforum.com

This information is stored in the file's 'Alternate Data Stream', something that is exclusively an NTFS feature. It is this information that cannot be copied to ExFat (or any other format) and will be lost in the copying. This loss is of no consequence though, it would be no different from you unblocking the file after downloading it.

cognitive;overload - A programming blog

cognitive;overload - A programming blog
cognitiveoverload.blog cognitiveoverload.blog
 

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swerd said:
Hi everyone,

I am about to reinstall Windows 11 on my upgraded PC. I have been copying apps to a USB flash drive formatted as EXFAT. When I copy an executable, I get the following message.
Will the apps still work as normal on the new build, or did I make a mistake by not formatting the disk to NTFS?

Thanks :)

View attachment 125834
Click to expand...

The file will be fine.

exFAT filesystem is suitable for USB sticks.
 

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They sell USB flash drives and external USB hard disks formatted to ExFAT so they can be used from all three OSes, Windows, MacOS and Linux. I immediately format it to NTFS before using. On a Mac you can format is to MacOS Extended Journaled or APFS, but then it needs third-party drivers to be used in Windows. In Linux you can format it to EXT4 and again you need third-party drivers to add EXT4 support in Windows. One example are the respective Paragon utilities.
 

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System One System Two

  • At a glance

    Windows 11 Pro 23H2 (5699), 25H2 (8655)Mobile DualCore Intel Core 2 Duo T7250, 2000 MHz4GBMobile Intel(R) GMA 4500M (Mobile 4 series)
    OS
    Windows 11 Pro 23H2 (5699), 25H2 (8655)
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Acer Extensa 5630EZ
    CPU
    Mobile DualCore Intel Core 2 Duo T7250, 2000 MHz
    Motherboard
    Acer Extensa 5630
    Memory
    4GB
    Graphics Card(s)
    Mobile Intel(R) GMA 4500M (Mobile 4 series)
    Sound Card
    Realtek ALC268 @ Intel 82801IB ICH9 - High Definition Audio Controller
    Monitor(s) Displays
    1
    Screen Resolution
    1280x800
    Hard Drives
    Samsung SSD 850 EVO 250GB SATA Device (250 GB, SATA-III)
    Internet Speed
    VDSL 50 Mbps
    Browser
    MICROSOFT EDGE
    Antivirus
    WINDOWS DEFENDER
    Other Info
    Legacy MBR installation, no TPM, no Secure Boot, no WDDM 2.0 graphics drivers, no SSE4.2, cannot get more unsupported ;) This is only my test laptop. I had installed Windows 11 here before upgrading my main PC. For my main PC I use everyday see my 2nd system specs.

  • At a glance

    Windows 11 Pro v25H2 (build 26200.8655)Intel Core-i7 3770 3.40GHz s1155 (3rd generat...2x Kingston Hyper-X Blu 8GB DDR3-1600GIGABYTE GeForce RTX 3050 WINDFORCE OC V2 6GB...
    Operating System
    Windows 11 Pro v25H2 (build 26200.8655)
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Custom-built PC
    CPU
    Intel Core-i7 3770 3.40GHz s1155 (3rd generation)
    Motherboard
    Asus P8H61 s1155 ATX
    Memory
    2x Kingston Hyper-X Blu 8GB DDR3-1600
    Graphics card(s)
    GIGABYTE GeForce RTX 3050 WINDFORCE OC V2 6GB (GV-N3050WF2OCV2-6GD)
    Sound Card
    Realtek HD audio (ALC887)
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Sony Bravia KDL-19L4000 19" LCD TV via VGA
    Screen Resolution
    1440x900 32-bit 60Hz
    Hard Drives
    WD Blue SA510 2.5 1000GB SSD as system disk, Western Digital Caviar Purple 4TB SATA III (WD40PURZ) as second
    PSU
    Thermaltake Litepower RGB 550W Full Wired
    Case
    SUPERCASE MIDI-TOWER
    Cooling
    Deepcool Gamma Archer CPU cooler, 1x 8cm fan at the back
    Keyboard
    Mitsumi 101-key PS/2
    Mouse
    Sunnyline OptiEye PS/2
    Internet Speed
    100Mbps
    Browser
    Microsoft Edge, Mozilla Firefox
    Antivirus
    Microsoft Windows Defender
    Other Info
    Legacy BIOS (MBR) installation, no TPM, no Secure Boot, WDDM 3.0 graphics drivers, WEI score 7.4
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