I recently switched to Linux Mint and had previously stored all my data on a portable HDD formatted with exFAT. After installing Mint, I wanted to transfer my files back to my laptop to get settled in. However, I've encountered some frustrating issues. The transfer speeds are much slower on Windows than I expected, and it frequently stops midway during transfers, especially with larger files. Now, after a few attempts, my HDD seems to be damaged and is no longer readable on either Linux or Windows, requiring me to format it on Windows. I found out that I might need to install some packages to enable exFAT support on Linux, but I don't recall any clear guidance on file systems during the installation. Do I really need to reformat my HDD to a Linux-native file system to avoid these issues in the future? And why isn't there more warning about hardware compatibility?
2 Answers
Generally speaking, exFAT is the go-to file system if you’re exchanging files with Windows machines. But for long-term storage on Linux, you might want to consider using btrfs or ext4. The downside is that if you switch to those, your HDD won’t be easily readable on Windows without extra tools. If you plan to use the HDD mainly with Linux, then go for btrfs or ext4. But if you still need to use it with Windows, exFAT is still your best bet.
Oh man, it sounds like your HDD might just be having some issues aside from the file system. After trying to transfer multiple times and running into problems, it seems like it could be failing. If you can, check the health of your HDD using a tool like CrystalDiskInfo on Windows to get some clarity on its status.
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