Saturday, August 14, 2010


since, we were taught about the file systems in the last lecture, so i am blogging on it.

                                                                      NTFS or FAT, which one is better? For most users running Windows XP, NTFS is the obvious choice. It's more powerful and offers security advantages not found in the other file systems. But let's check the differences among the files systems so we're all clear about the choice. There are essentially three different file systems available in Windows XP: FAT16, short for File Allocation Table, FAT32, and NTFS, short for NT File System.


The FAT16 file system was introduced way back with MS–DOS in 1981. It was designed originally to handle files on a floppy drive, and has had minor modifications over the years so it can handle hard disks, and even file names longer than the original limitation of 8.3 characters, but it's still the lowest common denominator.




                                                The NTFS file system is generally not compatible with other operating systems installed on the same computer, nor is it available when you've booted a computer from a floppy disk. so, it is, recommended that users format at least a small partition at the beginning of their main hard disk as FAT. This partition provided a place to store emergency recovery tools or special drivers needed for re-installation.

When to Use FAT or FAT32


                          if you have anything to say about my blog, feel free to comment.


  1. Seems u had to do gr8 research ova the topic before writin the blog..explains well..
    Can u just tell what if we are using 2-3 diff o.s. on the same hard disk...then wats the scene..

  2. Other operating systems have begun reading NTFS for at least a couple of (2) years now. NTFS was not read by Linux by default a couple of years ago, but even then there was a software for mounting NTFS drives and partitions, and NTFS was never a problem. Not to mention it's safer, faster, and more advanced.
    This article could have been more relevant 3 years ago, though.

  3. @ Arjun : The OSes will be on different partitions anyway, so it won't make any difference. But there is a limit to the number of partitions you can create on a single hard disk. Hence, there is an unfortunate limit to the number of OSes you can install at a time.