Write NTFS

This page probably doesn't belong here and links to a fair bit of commerical software that does what the Linux NTFS and Captive driver do already. But it's roundup of NTFS drivers if you, for instance, wanted to start reverse-engineering multiple existing implementations... ahem.

Note: writing to NTFS partitions is considered experimental and at least some people think it very risky (see for example [http://www.ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?t=81021 thread] and [http://www.ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?t=42632 thread]). If you are going to use the software below to write to an NTFS partition, make sure you have backups first.

Linux

Read:

• [http://linux-ntfs.sourceforge.net/ linux-ntfs], old Linux driver, Free source

• [http://linux-ntfs.sourceforge.net/ linux-ntfs], new Linux driver, Free source

• [http://www.ntfs-linux.com/features.htm Paragon NTFS for linux] demo, $0 commerical binary, method unknown

  • Supplied as a self-extracting .exe containing a tarball. D'oh! (unzip works). Uses interface source-code + pre-compiled x86 library libufsd.a

Write:

• [http://www.jankratochvil.net/project/captive/ captive], Free source, wraps and uses ntfs.sys

• [http://www.ntfs-linux.com/features.htm Paragon NTFS for linux], $70 commerical binary, method unknown

  • Presumbly read-write equivalent of above.

Resize:

• Partition Magic / PQDisk library, commerical (PQdisk is shipped with Xandros Delux at $60)
  • Can resize/move contents
• ntfs-resize, Free source
  • Seems to require a defragment of the disk from XP first (to move everything to the front of the disk), then it seems to adjust the bad-clusters and in-use bitmaps.

• [http://www.acronis.com/homecomputing/products/diskdirector/partitioning.html Acronis Partition Manager], $50 commerical binary

  • Seems to be able to resize/move contents of NTFS

DOS

Read:

• [http://www.sysinternals.com/ntw2k/freeware/ntfsdos.shtml NTFSDos], $0 distributable binary

  • Same functionality as the Linux driver: " Significant understanding of the NTFS file system layout was derived by studying the Linux-based NTFS driver code maintained by Martin von Loewis. We acknowledge his indirect contribution to this endeavor."

• Paragon Mount Everything Personal, $40 commerical binary

Write:

• [http://www.sysinternals.com/ntw2k/freeware/ntfsdospro.shtml NTFSDosPro], commerical binary, wraps ntfs.sys

  • aka captive-for-dos: "The advantage NTFSDOS Professional has over NTFSDOS is that it relies on Microsoft's implementation of NTFS rather than our own information on the NTFS file-system layout."

• Paragon Mount Everything Professional, $150 commerical binary

Win 9x

Read:

• [http://www.diskinternals.com/products/ntfs-reader/ ntfs-reader]

• [http://www.paragon-gmbh.com/f_ntfs.htm Paragon NTFS], $0 commerical binary, method unknown

Write:

• [http://www.paragon-gmbh.com/f_ntfs.htm Paragon NTFS], $29 commerical binary, method unknown

CategoryUdu