How to prevent `atime` in Linux from overwriting `Date created` in Windows on NTFS?

Question

From Linux, if I alter files on an NTFS external HD so that I get some specific values for mtime, atime and ctime (readable with the stat command, and with ctime = mtime because one cannot change access permissions of files on NTFS from Linux - I think) and if I then connect the same external HD on a Windows 7 system, I see that Date modified = mtime (as expected) but I also get Date created = atime.

How comes atime takes the placeholder associated with the NTFS CTime timestamp, and is there a way to avoid this behavior, for example would using the noatime option on NTFS volumes be a proper solution? My goal is to be able to work from both Windows and Linux on this same external HD without mingling too much the timestamps.

Edit

After re-investigating the issue, it turns out that the problem is not present in the end. I must have been confused at the time I asked the question. I still leave the question as it has generated some comments and an answer.

Answer 1

This was too big to write as a comment, but I think it can help.

Well if you want to avoid this behavior, you can do something like this:

 $current_ctime=$(getfattr -n system.ntfs_crtime_be -e hex yourfile | grep system.ntfs_crtime_be | cut -d= -f2) 

Then after the changes restore the current_ctime using:

setfattr -n system.ntfs_crtime_be -v $current_ctime yourfile 

For multiple files, you can store for example all the ctimes using a for loop and restoring them in the same way for each file.

Not very beautiful but it works.