NTFS Support of ReactOS

[Tobias-B-Besemer]

We should monitor the bugs that belongs to the NTFS Support and list them here:
https://github.com/UWBCD/UWBCD-ReactOS/wiki/ReactOS-Bugs-to-monitor

In https://www.reactos.org/wiki/File_Systems#NTFS is to read:

The first objective in this area is to be able to use the driver included in Windows XP, which would ensure ReactOS could support the file system.

So we should monitor this bugs, too.

As the driver included in Windows XP in proprietary, there is maybe a change to give the user a how-to how he can find them, copy them on a disc and we can maybe load them from the disc (or a USB Stick).

[ScriptTiger]

The first objective in this area is to be able to use the driver included in Windows XP, which would ensure ReactOS could support the file system.

They have their own open-source NTFS driver. Developing "to be able to use the driver included in Windows XP" was just "the first objective in this area" to make sure the XP driver is held as the standard and to ensure the open-source driver must later replace all of its functionality.

The open-source driver was started in 0.1.4
https://www.reactos.org/wiki/ChangeLog-0.1.4#Ntfs.sys

They have worked on it a lot since then, including a couple of Google Summer of Code Sessions:
https://reactos.org/blogs/gsoc-ntfs-2017-work-summary

It's not priority for the ReactOS dev team because there is obviously a lot that goes into Windows besides just the file system, but the open-source NTFS driver is being worked on in parallel by a select few.

The goal of the UWBCD project is to not need any how-tos, other than maybe how to download and burn a CD. Everything in ReactOS is fair game. Even if ReactOS was to distribute something as part of their license that was proprietary, that propriety component becomes part of their distribution license and we can still freely distribute it under their license. We can legally assume they are taking care of all the licensing for their project and its components. If we are wrong in that assumption, it is the ReactOS team that is liable and not us since it's their license. Although, obviously, as soon as we are made aware of their license being nullified, it's our responsibility to discontinue the distribution of effected software.

[Tobias-B-Besemer]

It is clear, that UWBCD-ReactOS will in future just use the NTFS driver delivered by ReactOS.
But for now, that we can test all software, we should have a work-around and a how-to to it, that we can work already with data on NTFS partitions.
I will look if I find information how it works with ReactOS to work with the proprietary driver from WinXP (load it e.g. from a diskette) and will create a how-to in the wiki to it.

[ScriptTiger]

Oh, you mean for our development purposes? Sorry, yes, I agree :P

[Tobias-B-Besemer]

For the notes: https://www.reactos.org/forum/viewtopic.php?f=4&t=17234