[USB SATA connection] Changing file system from NTFS to Ext3

[Ted Hilts]

My Ubuntu machine is a dual boot (XP and Ubuntu).  I am gradually 
formatting the original XP NTFS IDE drives over to Ext3 so there will be 
just a small  XP system and a large Ubuntu system. In order to build a 
Linux source respository I obtained a SATA Terra Byte USB external drive 
which the store had already set up as NTFS which Ubuntu had no problem 
integrating.  Problem is I want Ext3 not NTFS.  Also, this USB Sata 
drive prevents boot up and I have to turn it off before shutting down 
and turn it on once the system has passed the boot up stage.  This 
situation has caused me to wonder what I am doing wrong.  I was just 
going to leave the system (including the USB external Sata drive) 
running and then "umount" the  USB Sata drive, format as Ext3 and then 
"mount" but I think I am missing something here because I want the USB 
external Sata drive to be permanently in place so that it powers up with 
the rest of the system and powers down with the rest of the system 
without me having to turn it OFF and ON as a separate disk entity.

Is there someone knowledgeable on this subject that can give me some 
direction?

Thanks in advance for any guidance, Ted Hilts