ARCHIVED: Can a Windows 95, 98, or Me client read NTFS partitions?

Windows 95, 98, and Me clients cannot read NTFS partitions directly. The ability to read file allocation tables other than the Microsoft FAT or FAT 32 was never built in. This affects you if you choose to dual boot between a Windows 95, 98, or Me operating system and a Windows NT-based operating system, such as NT 4.0, 2000, or XP. This will also affect you if you use a Windows 95, 98, or Me computer and must read a local NTFS volume (for example, if you are running Windows 95 with a second hard drive that's been partitioned with NTFS).

If you absolutely must read an NTFS volume on a Windows 95, 98, or Me, the following options are available:

• Using third-party software: There are programs available that allow an NTFS volume to be locally read by a Windows 95, 98, or Me computer. You should take care in using such software, however, because there is always a risk of corrupting the volume in a way that cannot be repaired.
• Making the NTFS volume a network share: This assumes that the NTFS volume is on its own hard drive that can be put into a different computer. If the Windows 95, 98, or Me computer is on a network, and there is a Windows NT 4.0, 2000, or XP computer available that's also on the network, then it's possible to install the NTFS-partitioned hard drive onto the NT-based computer and share the hard drive on the network. This gets around the problem of Windows 95, 98, and Me not reading NTFS partitions, because the operating system is actually reading a network share. The NT-based computer is doing the work of reading the NTFS partition, and it's putting that information on the network in a form that any other networked computer can understand.

However, the best solution is to avoid situations where a Windows 95, 98, or Me computer must read a local NTFS volume (for example, by using Windows XP, which can read NTFS volumes).