On Mon, 11 Mar 2019 14:13:38 -0400 deb <d...@rangingthoughts.org> wrote:
> I saw this question come up > > and it set off bells. > > > Someone asked what the status of WRITING to NTFS drives was. > > That it was not yet supported (?) . > I don't think that has been true for several years, though it certainly was at one time. > > > *MY* Assumptions: > > * MIXED NETWORK, with Win, Mac, Linux (EXT4 formatted). > > * many portable 1-5TB drives making the rounds, formatted with NTFS. > > * data loss is unacceptable [to the highest degree that is > possible]. > > > > I know that I can read (and verify) files just fine from NTFS on > Debian 9.8 > > but [if you have direct experience with this] > > is writing to these drives from debian actually safe? > > > [if you have direct experience with this] > > what process/tool(s) do you use to validate the writes? > Yes, that is my current belief. If I need media that supports larger files than FAT provides for, between OSes, I have no hesitation in using NTFS. BUT... if I have the means easily available, and I usually do, I would initially format the media in Windows. I don't suppose its actually necessary, but in the past I've seen Windows complain about the formatting of media carried out under Linux, though never to the point of losing data. I have a couple of USB sticks in current use that Windows always complains about and offers to fix (though it never does). It costs me nothing to be sure. Similarly, there are programs running on Windows that can deal with various extN filesystems, but I would never use such a program for an initial formatting if I also had a Linux machine available. Why take a chance? -- Joe
