PSA - Avoid exFAT for Win10 file history backup use

[xSOSxHawkens]

TL:DR - Windows 10 File History will not backup between exFAT and NTFS drives.

I have long time held that for (modern) windows uses you should always use NTFS, and have always stuck to that...

This week a built up a RAID as mass storage, with full intent on making sure to setup a backup. I dont do anythign fancy for backup and stick to just using windows file history on an external through windows 10...

Though I have avoided it for years, I have seen *many* on here who espouse the benefits and importance of using exFAT on anything aside from the boot drive. That only the boot should be NTFS. That NTFS is inferior etc. That exFAT is more compatible with other hardware and thus a good option, etc.

I have seen many give the general advice that any added storage should be exFAT.

And so... My raid was exFAT. And I have had no issues... Until

Backup.

Windows File History will not allow an exFAT patitioned drive to be backed up to an NTFS drive. Gives error code 0x80070032 which when googled with exfat and ntfs shows it to be a minor, but known, issue.

So, to those that use file history. Avoid exFAT.

Now I am slowly pulling 4TB off the RAID-0 and reformating, cuz no way am I running a zero array without active backups. Will format it to NTFS and (hopefully) be golden.

[Omega]

On Windows always format any kind of permanent storage with NTFS, only format removable storage with (ex)FAT.

EXT4, F2FS, ZFS, BTRFS, XFS, everything else is poison.

Windows has only support for horrible filesystems. NTFS is the kind of filesystem which just corrupts during usage and needs a Windows machine which is contantly checking the disk and repairing errors.

(ex)FAT is garbage, it might be praised for it's compatibility, but this compatibility between devices is absolute garbage. It shouldn't be used for anything other then a boot partition (until mobos start supporting a superior file system that is). Only very recently did other operating systems such as Linux start to improve exFAT support with a new Samsung exFAT driver.