Both Windows 98 and SE (well, even Windows 95 after OSR 2.x ) supports FAT32. If I remember correctly, at least one of the FAT32 supporting Windows' had a utility (or option?) to convert FAT16 formatted drives into FAT32 ones. I guess there are utilities for doing just that, or maybe partitioning utilities can also do that, too. I don't really know, I never required to do that. 😊

Resizing without data loss is much easier. Many partitioning software, retail or free, can do that. Partition Magic for example is what I use.

Many thanks Tayyare ..
I may well try and transfer the data (newly created restored parition) fat16 to a FAT32 formatted drive...which might well avoid the need for conversion.
but am still curious about the built in conversion ability which presumably was built into windows at the time...or indeed a stand alone untility.
Anyone know which version of windows ...and how to use it ?
rgds

So ..fingers crossed this works..
I mounted the FAT16 600X drive/image with a USB interface on an old DELL laptop ...
Then booted the DELL with a PE built BART image ...
Thus the Disc Based OS sits outside both the DELLS hard drive and the usb mounted 600X hard drive.
This hopefully will allow me to clone the IBM data to a folder with no hidden files.
I'll then format a 30gb ide 2.5 inch HD with FAT32 ...and make the partition active ...and shift a copy of the FAT16IBM data onto it using the smae method in reverse.
I'll report back if this works.
Should take about an hour.
rgds
VS

..Well ..that was a waste of time ..
The answer is NO ..it doesn't work.
I assume the thinkpad bios is geared in such a way as to refuse to boot 98 files which were originally created in Fat when simply moved to FAT32
ie incompatible boot sector..?
doh !

Windows 98 has a FAT32 conversion utility, it should be under accessories. Otherwise Partition Magic 4.0 and newer can do the conversion.

Just use the utility, if its missing go to add/remove programs and add windows feature and install the utility, it works great

Cheers guys ..
I'll give the util it a try tomorrow..
I have a bit more free time on Sundays.
...not that I really need to now.
I watched a very interesting lecture series on youtube about the boot processes involved from XP onward ..
and whilst watching this the penny sort of dropped..
98 as you know doesn't need NTLDR ...but formatting a hard drive (FAT32) in any other machine than a DOS based machine ..results in a fat32 which isn't neccessarily backwards compatible.
I decided to do the whole thing again ..repeating the process as above ...
The only difference is that instead of allowing win7 to format my Hard Drive to fat 32..
I went 100% old school ..and fired up an old laptop with a floppy drive.
Good old FDISK to the rescue.
All aspects of HD prep where done by floppy.
and ..it works..
You can move the entire OS hidden files n' all between Fat16 and Fat32.
just gotta go old school to do it.
rgds
VS