Linux - NewbieThis Linux forum is for members that are new to Linux.
Just starting out and have a question?
If it is not in the man pages or the how-to's this is the place!
Notices
Welcome to LinuxQuestions.org, a friendly and active Linux Community.
You are currently viewing LQ as a guest. By joining our community you will have the ability to post topics, receive our newsletter, use the advanced search, subscribe to threads and access many other special features. Registration is quick, simple and absolutely free. Join our community today!
Note that registered members see fewer ads, and ContentLink is completely disabled once you log in.
If you have any problems with the registration process or your account login, please contact us. If you need to reset your password, click here.
Having a problem logging in? Please visit this page to clear all LQ-related cookies.
Get a virtual cloud desktop with the Linux distro that you want in less than five minutes with Shells! With over 10 pre-installed distros to choose from, the worry-free installation life is here! Whether you are a digital nomad or just looking for flexibility, Shells can put your Linux machine on the device that you want to use.
Exclusive for LQ members, get up to 45% off per month. Click here for more info.
Does it matter what file system you use when formating a disk in linux? I know there is a host of options that are available in the system, but which ones are best to use?
For Linux I use ext4 though I've seen people recommend ext3 instead.
For usb flash drives, fat32 is usually recommended for cross-platform compatibility, the same can be said for sd/mmx cards.
The other options are generally intended for specific needs and can mostly be ignored.
A lot of installs default to ext4 these days but ext3 is fine too. I have a laptop with Arch Linux and is formatted ext2, as it's quick but not as forgiving as ext3/4 due to lack of journalling. For backup partitions and flash drives then its bog standard FAT32.
Does it matter what file system you use when formating a disk in linux? I know there is a host of options that are available in the system, but which ones are best to use?
Yes, it does matter. It comes down to what you plan to do with the partition. For example, If you plan to use a large partition as storage for large files XFS is more efficient then ext4. If you want share files with Windows NTFS would be the way to go. If you want to share with Windows and MacOS X FAT32 is your only option.
But usually, if you have no special purpose for that partition, you will be fine with ext4, it is stable and faster than its predecessors.
I will use ext2 for thumb drives. I don't run windows, and ext2 will have fewer writes without a journal.
For /boot, I usually use ext2. For / and /home and the rest, I use ext4.
If you aren't running a large database or video streaming server, ext4 should be fine.
LinuxQuestions.org is looking for people interested in writing
Editorials, Articles, Reviews, and more. If you'd like to contribute
content, let us know.