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Microsoft Windows File Systems

University of Phoenix
POS/421

July 23rd 2012 *

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Microsoft Windows File Systems File systems are representations of arranged data and metadata that define the stored data. Microsoft Windows has used three types file systems, File Allocation Table (FAT), FAT 32 and since Windows 2000 and Windows NT 4.0 with Service Pack 4 or later the standard has been New Technology File System (NTFS) (Microsoft, 2012). File systems are also be a part of disk partitions, which are isolated storage segments that can also be used for running multiple operating systems. FAT FAT is the original and most simplistic form of file systems and because of this it has many limitations, but in some cases it may be the only option. According to LLC SysDev Laboratories (2012), FAT, “Consists of file system descriptor sector (boot sector or superblock), file system block allocation table (referenced as File Allocation Table) and plain storage space to store files and folders.” Directories stored in FAT systems use arrays of 32 byte records. The simplest form of FAT is FAT12 which was only used for old floppy disks, next FAT16 also known as just FAT and FAT32 are mostly used for memory cards and USB devices, digital cameras and mobile phones (LLC SysDev Laboratories, 2012). FAT is limited to a maximum of a 4 GB drive and FAT 32 is supported by drives ranging from 5122 MB to 2 TB, but only through Linux, otherwise Windows can only create FAT32 systems up to 32 GB.
NTFS
NTFS was first introduced in Windows NT and has been the standard file system for Windows and is the only file system supported for disk partitions over 32 GB (LLC SysDev Laboratories, 2012). Security and permissions are controlled by the file resources and NTFS supports the greatest protection along with the support of limited access accounts, encryption and the ability to control access to files and folders. NTFS is not supported by older versions before Windows XP except for Windows 2000 and Windows NT 4.0 with Service Pack 4 or later (Microsoft, 2012). Master File Tables are used in NTFS as file descriptors that contain all of the files information, such as name, size and allocation (LLC SysDev Laboratories, 2012). The biggest differences between FAT and NTFS include security, space efficiency and reliability. FAT will allow any user that has access to a drive, access to all files on that drive, unlike NTFS that will allow for file and resource control based on user preference. Unfortunately though, NTFS is not supported by Windows 95/98/Me Operating Systems and FAT32 must be used for all systems prior to Windows NT 4.0 (Foley, 2011). FAT volumes can be upgraded to NTFS file systems but NTFS can only be converted by formatting the drive and only if the drive is less than 32 GB for Windows machines or 2 TB for Linux machines. Space efficiency is increased through NTFS by the use of disk quotas and compression support. According to Foley (2011), “NTFS supports disk quotas, allowing you to control the amount of disk usage on a per user basis. NTFS provides smaller cluster sizes and less disk space waste than FAT32.” In addition to better space proficiency, NTFS is far more reliable and volumes using NTFS can recover from errors faster than FAT volumes. Log files are another advantage to NTFS file systems, with log files users can track and schedule automatic system repairs (Foley, 2011). Dynamic cluster remapping for bad sectors is also supported by NTFS which prevents them from being used in forthcoming situations.
Conclusion
FAT file systems have several limitations to include disk sizes. NTFS offers much advancement in the areas of disk reliability, security, such as encryption and limited access accounts. Unfortunately, NTFS is not supported in older operating systems so the need for FAT and FAT 32 still exist for many organizations.

References
LLC SysDev Laboratories. (2012). Understanding File Systems. Retrieved from http://www.ufsexplorer.com/und_fs.php
Microsoft. (2012). Choosing between NTFS, FAT, and FAT32. Retrieved from http://www.microsoft.com/resources/documentation/windows/xp/all/proddocs/en- us/choosing_between_ntfs_fat_and_fat32.mspx?mfr=true Foley, J. (2011). FAT32 or NTFS: Making the Choice. Retrieved from http://www.theeldergeek.com/ntfs_or_fat32_file_system.htm