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The document compares the FAT, FAT32, NTFS, and exFAT file systems. FAT was originally designed for small disks and simple folder structures, while FAT32 improved on FAT but had limitations such as a 4GB file size limit. NTFS was developed to eliminate FAT's limitations, improve performance and security, and support larger files and disks. exFAT is an updated version of FAT32 that eliminated its 4GB file size limit. The conclusion is that NTFS is best for system drives due to its advantages, while exFAT supports a wide range of devices.

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19 views4 pages

3644

The document compares the FAT, FAT32, NTFS, and exFAT file systems. FAT was originally designed for small disks and simple folder structures, while FAT32 improved on FAT but had limitations such as a 4GB file size limit. NTFS was developed to eliminate FAT's limitations, improve performance and security, and support larger files and disks. exFAT is an updated version of FAT32 that eliminated its 4GB file size limit. The conclusion is that NTFS is best for system drives due to its advantages, while exFAT supports a wide range of devices.

Uploaded by

محمد محمد
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© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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University of Benghazi

Information Technology college

Department of Computer networks and data Communications

:)Network operating system(CN312): Homework 3

Comparison between FAT & FAT32 & NTFS & exFAT

As the most large-scale operating system for computing devices, «Windows» is


designed to interact with various file systems («NTFS» and «FAT»),
but «NTFS» supports larger file and volume size and ensures more efficient ways to
organize data, in comparison with other file systems.

In spite of their common goals, «NTFS» and «FAT» file systems differ by how they
organize and store data, and by the way they treat file attributes. Below, we will
describe particular file systems in detail.

«FAT» file system

The abbreviation «FAT» stand for «file allocation table». This is a simple classic file
system originally designed for small disks and simple folder structures. In other
words, «FAT» file system is a group-type method of organization, where the file
allocation table is a separate logical area which resides at the beginning of the
volume. To protect the volume from accidental errors that may affect correct table
presentation, two copies of the table are kept, in case one becomes damaged.

«FAT32» file system

Actually, «FAT32» is a newer standard developed to replace earlier file systems


like «FAT», «FAT12» and «FAT16», and it is the default choice for most types of
removable drives. The space in «FAT32» is logically divided into several parts: a
reserved region, FAT region, root directory region, and data region where file
contents are stored. This file system allows using FAT32 storage devices with both
newer PC models and older machines or consoles as long as they have
a «USB» port.

Nevertheless, «FAT32» has certain system limitations. A file stored on


a «FAT32» drive cannot be larger than 4 GB. In addition, the
entire «FAT32» partition should be less than 8 TB in size. Considering all of its
peculiarities, «FAT32» is believed to be a suitable choice for «USB drives» or
external hard disks. For an internal disk, absence of certain features in «FAT32» is a
serious problem, especially if you want to install the latest version of the operating
system, «Windows 10», so it’s better to consider a more advanced file system
instead.

«exFAT» file system

«exFAT» is an abbreviation for «Extended File Allocation Table». This standard is an


updated version of «FAT32» by «Microsoft». By its main features, «exFAT» is very
similar to «FAT32», but the most significant difference is that the limitations inherent
to «FAT32» have been eliminated and now users could store files larger than 4 GB
without any issues.

Also, «exFAT» has a reduced number of overwrite instances for sectors that actually
store data, which is especially important for flash drives due to the inevitable wear-
out of memory cells after a certain number of write operations, and this file system
has an improved mechanism for allocation of free space.

«NTFS» file system

«NTFS» («new technology file system») was developed to eliminate the limitations
and downsides of «FAT» – series file systems, improve performance, reliability and
efficiency of disk usage, and to create a reliable mechanism for data protection and
storage. «NTFS» stores file data in its «Master File Table» («MFT»), implements
various levels of access to data for different users, and prevents unauthorized access
to file contents by using the so-called «Encryption File System» which involves
the «user-transparent encryption» to protect data.
In addition, «NTFS» has a function that is missing from «FAT»: it can open files the
names of which don’t use English letters and so it allows using any «UTF» symbols.
This way, there are no limitations to the symbols used in file names: it supports even
difficult languages like Hindi, Korean, or Cyrillic.

The difference between file systems «NTFS», «FAT», «FAT32» and «exFAT»

Initially, «FAT» file system was designed for small-capacity storage devices and
supported file size up to 4 GB, while «NTFS» pushed the file size limit to the
impressive 16 TB. Below, see other differences in detail:

«NTFS»

 Support for files and disks of larger capacity that any other file systems can deal
with.
 Support for extended file names and foreign characters from difficult languages.
 Severe decrease in system performance when «chkdsk» is used to check the
local hard disk or an external disk.
 The standard system maintenance app «chkdsk» is notorious for its
sluggishness.
 Increased security with the new file encryption feature.
 Much faster operation on drives smaller than 40 GB.
 Smaller file clusters.
 Compression is supported at the file system level for files, directories and drives
to reduce disk space.
 User permissions for files and folders.
 File copies are «undone» if the interrupted cluster is cleaned.
 Small files are kept in the Master File Table at the beginning of the drive.

«FAT»

 It is incompatible with the latest version of «Windows», and supports hard disks
from 32 MB to 2 TB.
 More powerful and efficient recovery utilities.
 Support for quick «chkdsk» operation.
 Simple operating system allocation and quicker file read algorithm.
 Faster operation with disks less than 10 GB in capacity.
 Cluster chains containing data from interrupted copies are marked as damaged.
 Master File table is separated from other files.

«FAT 32»

 It lacks security features implemented in a newer file system, «NTFS».


 Also, it doesn’t allow installation of the latest version of «Windows» (because its
file is too large and can only be installed to disks formatted with «NTFS»).

«exFAT»

 «exFAT» drives can be accessed in «Linux» operating system by installing the


appropriate software.
 Works with all versions of «Windows» and modern versions of «Mac OS X».

Conclusion

Depending on the requirements for storage devices, you can read this comparative
review to learn more about peculiarities of various file systems and decide on the
best choice for every specific device. At your own convenience, you may leave the
initially configured file system as it is, if you plan to use the storage with a wide range
of computing devices, or choose to upgrade to the most advantageous file
system, «NTFS», if the storage is meant to be used as the system drive for
installation of «Windows 10».

REFERENCES

hetmanrecovery.com.1

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