Shoutbox

Not using FAT32 because it is 'old' is no reason at all....
Choosing another file system just for the reason that it is 'newer' is imo stupid (yes, I said stupid). That's almost like wanting to always have the lastest just because you can. There may be other reasons why you don't want to use FAT32 though but age shouldn't be anything do with it.
File size shouldn't be a factor either as that doesn't matter as long as the file size is smaller than 4GB. Which is unlikely, but granted not entirely impossible, seeing we're talking about using it on a USB stick.

But I do agree that it wouldn't hurt either if you reformat to NTFS of course, as I already said in my previous post. But it is not 'needed' per-say for stuff like this.

And as for Ex3, you missed the point I think. I know Linux wasn't mentionned anywhere, but this isn't about Linux but about other file systems than the build-in ones on XP. Ex3 was just given as yet another example of such an alternative filesystem, just like you already mentionned exFAT as another alternative (which isn't nativly supported on XP either). It is just the same thing for that matter.

I could have mentionned any other existing journaled filesystem made for any other existing OS for that matter. So it is as much mute as your given alternative I think, because they all require additional drivers on XP and they all don't bring much extra if he is never going to use the USB stick on anything else than a Windows system (incl XP) to begin with, not to mention he wouldn't be able to use it on other Windows XPs which don't have the extra driver installed nomatter if it is Ex3 or exFAT.