What Is The Difference Between NTFS and FAT32 File System

12/22/2016 (4) What is the difference between NTFS and FAT32 file systems?
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Samarth Bharani, Something interesting goes here... Right? What is the difference and similarities between
Written Jun 10, 2013 FAT/FAT32; NTFS; ext3; ISO9660 and where are they
used? Which have multiuser security & which...
FAT32 is one of the most commonly used file systems around. Most Operating
systems, including Windows 98+, OS X, Linux, support the FAT32 file system. NTFS What is actually the difference between NTFS and
FAT32 file system and which is better in what case?
has lower support and has only read support in OS X.
What is FAT32?
FAT32 does not support file compression, encryption and other functions supported
What are the advantages of a FAT32 file system?
by NTFS. Probably the difference that will be most noticed by users is NTFS's support
for large Hard drive and file sizes. FAT32 has a upper limit of 2TB on Hard drives and I have recently bought a pen drive of 32gb. Should I
convert it from FAT32 to NTFS?
a limit of 4GB on single files. NTFS on the other hand, has a limit of 16EB for both
hard drives and single files. And just for clarification, an EB or an Exabyte is 1024 What's the difference between FAT and FAT32?
Petabytes, and each Petabyte is 1024 Terabytes. Thats a ridiculously large upper limit
What is FAT32 and NTFS?
(for now) for data storage.
Why the FAT32 can only storage a file with 4GB limit
size in windows?
Also, with respect to speed, Microsoft has a surprisingly useful page that gives you a
good idea about NTFS's performance over FAT32. Does transferring files from a FAT32 to NTFS disk
Link: Which Is Faster - FAT16, FAT32, or NTFS? take longer than transferring files from NTFS to
NTFS?
For small volumes, FAT16 or FAT32 usually provide faster access to files than NTFS Why do most pen drives have a file system like
because: FAT16, FAT32 and not NTFS?
The FAT structure is simpler. More Related Questions

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12/22/2016 (4) What is the difference between NTFS and FAT32 file systems? Quora
The FAT folder size is smaller for an equal number of files. Question Stats2 4
FAT has no controls regulating whether a user can access a file or a folder; 22 Followers
therefore, the system does not have to check permissions for an individual 45,163 Views
file or whether a specific user has access to the file or folder. This advantage Last Asked Oct 7, 2014
is minimal because Windows 2000 still has to determine if the file is read- 1 Merged Question
only, or whether the file is on a FAT or NTFS volume. Edits
NTFS minimizes the number of disk accesses and time needed to find a file. In
addition, if a folder is small enough to fit in the MFT record, NTFS reads the entire
folder when it reads its MFT record.
A FAT folder entry contains an index of the file allocation table, which identifies the
cluster number for the first cluster of the folder. To view a file, FAT has to search the
folder structure.
In comparing the speed of operations performed on large folders containing both
long and short file names, the speed of a FAT operation depends on the operation
itself and the size of the folder. If FAT searches for a file that does not exist, it has to
search the entire folder— an operation that takes longer on a FAT structure than on
the B-tree structure used by NTFS. In mathematical terms, the average time to find a
file on a FAT folder is a function of N /2, where N is the number of files. On an NTFS
folder, the average time is a function of Log N .
Several factors affect the speed with which Windows 2000 reads or writes a file:
Fragmentation of the file. If a file is badly fragmented, NTFS usually requires
fewer disk accesses than FAT to find all of the fragments.
Cluster size. For both file systems, the default cluster size depends on the
volume size, and is always a power of 2. FAT16 addresses are 16 bits, FAT32
addresses are 32 bits, and NTFS addresses are 64 bits.
The default FAT cluster size is based upon the fact that the file allocation
table can have at most 65,535 entries, so the cluster size is a function of the
volume size divided by 65,535. Therefore, the default cluster size for a FAT
volume is almost always larger than the default cluster size for an NTFS
volume of the same size. The larger cluster size for a FAT volume means that
there might be less fragmentation in files on a FAT volume.
Location of small files. With NTFS, small files are entirely contained within 2 4
the MFT record. The file size that fits in the MFT record depends upon the
the number of attributes for the file.
PS: MFT is the Master File Table, which stores meta data about files, such as
size, type, media length, duration etc. A B+ tree is a sort of n-ary tree that
allows for easier search and retrieval of data in a file system, through block
based access.
36.2k Views · View Upvotes
Upvote 27 Downvote Comments 1+
Piyush Pandey, Game developer, Guitarist,Loner
Written Oct 8, 2014
Originally Answered: What is the difference between a NTFS and FAT32 file system?
FAT (File Allocation Table) was created by Bill Gates and Marc McDonald in the year
1977. It has undergone many changes since then. The number "32" in FAT32 denotes
the number of bits needed to keep track of the files. FAT16 was popular until the
arrival of 4GB hard disks.
NTFS was born from HPFS file system in collaboration of Microsoft and IBM. NTFS
appeared initially for Windows NT platform
Features of NTFS vs FAT

FAT32 is a fluff-free and simple system that is documented and mainly keeps track of
file locations. The simplicity of FAT32 has made it the file system of choice for
portable storage mediums like in memory cards, mp3 players and flash players. NTFS
file system is more complex and offers multiple enhancements that increase security
as well as performance. NTFS file system allows automatic file compression prior to
being written freeing up hard disk space.
NTFS is much more flexible than FAT32. NTFS does file-level encryption, sparse file
support, disk usage quotas, distributed link tracing, file compression, hierarchical
storage management etc.
10.3k Views · View Upvotes · Answer requested by Amogh Mishra 2 4
Upvote 6 Downvote Comment
Nathan Aeder, MCITP Enterprise Administration Engineering and
Architecture of Windows Server, Exchange and VMWare
Written Feb 14, 2011
FAT32 is based on the old Fat16 file systems. With FAT32 there are many limits due to
the age and needs of the time when it was developed. FAT32 does not support many
advanced functions supported by NTFS like disk encryption, file security, and
unicode. If you need large files (over 4GB) you will need NTFS as FAT32 will not
support file sizes that big.
Skylly Wang, 5 years experience of working in computer company
Written Aug 15
Hi,FAT32 and NTFS are file systems created for keeping track of files in the hard disk.
A file system is a set of logical constructs that dictate how the space on a disk volume
is to be utilized. NTFS is more robust and effective simply because of its advanced
features and functionalities. FAT, in general, comprises of overly simplistic data
structures, hence making operations more time consuming. The functionalities of
NTFS are far more over-powering since it makes use of advanced data structures to
improve reliability, disk space utilization and overall performance.
Origins of FAT and NTFS
FAT (File Allocation Table) was created by Bill Gates and Marc McDonald in the year
1977. It has undergone many changes since then. The number "32" in FAT32 denotes
the number of bits needed to keep track of the files. FAT16 was popular until the
arrival of 4GB hard disks. NTFS was born from HPFS file system in collaboration of
Microsoft and IBM. NTFS appeared initially for Windows NT platform. Since then it
has developed and appears in recent versions of Windows like Vista, XP. Microsoft
continues to hold on to NTFS patent.
Features of NTFS vs FAT 2 4

FAT32 is a fluff-free and simple system that is documented and mainly keeps track of
file locations. The simplicity of FAT32 has made it the file system of choice for
portable storage mediums like in memory cards, mp3 players and flash players. NTFS
file system is more complex and offers multiple enhancements that increase security
as well as performance. NTFS file system allows automatic file compression prior to
being written freeing up hard disk space and also has disk quotas which allows
system administrator to allocate disk space to users.
FAT32 is a derivative of the (FAT) File Allocation Table which supports drives with
more than 2GB storage. The largest possible file is 4GB minus 2 bytes. In comparison
to its earlier versions, FAT32 uses small clusters and hence uses space more
effectively. It can relocate the root folder and use the backup copy of the FAT instead
of the default copy. NTFS is much more flexible than FAT32. NTFS does file-level
encryption, sparse file support, disk usage quotas, distributed link tracing, file
compression, hierarchical storage management etc.
Advantages and Disadvantages
FAT32 can be converted to NTFS but it is not so easy to convert NTFS back to FAT .
NTFS has great security, file by file compression, quotas and file encryption. If there is
more than one operating system on a single computer, it is better to format some
volumes as FAT32.
Using multiple operating systems in same computer would make FAT32 a better
choice if you want both OSs to read the drive. If there is only Windows OS, NTFS is
perfectly fine. Thus in a Windows computer system NTFS is a better option.
2.4k Views
Upvote Downvote Comment
Ashutosh Gupta, Knowledge Seeker
Updated Dec 2, 2014
Originally Answered: What is the difference between a NTFS and FAT32 file system?
FAT32 and NTFS are file systems created for keeping track of files in the hard disk. 2 4
A file system is a set of logical constructs that dictate how the space on a disk
volume is to be utilized. NTFS is more robust and effective simply because of its
advanced features and functionalities. FAT, in general, comprises of overly
simplistic data structures, hence making operations more time consuming. The
functionalities of NTFS are far more over-powering since it makes use of advanced
data structures to improve reliability, disk space utilization and overall
performance.
Origins of FAT and NTFS
FAT (File Allocation Table) was created by Bill Gates and Marc McDonald in the
year 1977. It has undergone many changes since then. The number "32" in FAT32
denotes the number of bits needed to keep track of the files. FAT16 was popular
until the arrival of 4GB hard disks. NTFS was born from HPFC file system in
collaboration of Microsoft and IBM. NTFS appeared initially for Windows NT
platform. Since then it has developed and appears in recent versions of Windows
like Vista, XP. Microsoft continues to hold on to NTFS patent.
Features of NTFS vs FAT
FAT32 is a fluff-free and simple system that is documented and mainly keeps track
of file locations. The simplicity of FAT32 has made it the file system of choice for
portable storage mediums like in memory cards, mp3 players and flash players.
NTFS file system is more complex and offers multiple enhancements that increase
security as well as performance. NTFS file system allows automatic file
compression prior to being written freeing up hard disk space and also has disk
quotas which allows system administrator to allocate disk space to users.
FAT32 is a derivative of the (FAT) File Allocation Table which supports drives with
more than 2GB storage. The largest possible file is 4GB minus 2 bytes. In
comparison to its earlier versions, FAT32 uses small clusters and hence uses space
more effectively. It can relocate the root folder and use the backup copy of the FAT
instead of the default copy. NTFS is much more flexible than FAT32. NTFS does
file-level encryption, sparse file support, disk usage quotas, distributed link
tracing, file compression, hierarchical storage management etc.
Comparison of Advantages and Disadvantages
FAT32 can be converted to NTFS but it is not so easy to convert NTFS back to FAT. 2 4
NTFS has great security, file by file compression, quotas and file encryption. If
there is more than one operating system on a single computer, it is better to format
some volumes as FAT32.
Using multiple operating systems in same computer would make FAT32 a better
choice if you want both OSs to read the drive. If there is only Windows OS, NTFS is
perfectly fine. Thus in a Windows computer system NTFS is a better option.
Reference- FAT32 vs NTFS - Difference and Comparison
Alice Phoebe
Written Aug 21, 2015
FAT32 and NTFS are file systems created for keeping track of files in the hard disk. A
file system is a set of logical constructs that dictate how the space on a disk volume is
to be utilized.
Basic Definition
FAT stands for File Allocation Table and FAT32 is an extension which means that data
is stored in chunks of 32 bits. These is an older type of file system that isn’t commonly
used these days.
NTSF stands for New Technology File System and this took over from FAT as the
primary file system being used in Windows.
Indeed, before making a choice you need to know about their capabilities. The table
below will give you a rough idea of the features and respective support.
2 4
Description of Features
Few of the things here are self explanatory. So, I will expand those which require little
description.
Fault Tolerance: NTFS maintains a log of disk changes and in case of power failure or
abrupt errors it repairs the files and folders automatically without the user being
notified anything. FAT32 maintains two different copies of the file allocation table
and uses a back up mechanism if some damage occurs.
Security: In FAT32 you will have to depend on share permissions for security. This
means that they are good in the Network but locally they are vulnerable. On the other
hand NTFS allows you to set permissions on local files and folders as well.
Compression: FAT32 offers no compression feature whatsoever. While NTFS lets you
compress files and folders individually so that you do not have to slow down the
system by depending on partition compressions.
2 4
Conversion: You may easily convert a FAT32 system to NTFS. But the reverse is not
true because NTFS follows a secure protocol. So, the only option here is to backup
your data and format the disk.
Conclusion
This is not an attempt to show which file system is better than one. This article is just
a brief comparison of the features and capabilities of each of them. You won’t come
across a need to understand or explain these file systems in your day to day life, but
sometimes when you do need to know what they mean or how they work, our article
should then act as a quick reference guide. Hence we suggest you bookmark this one
to come back to it when required.
And you can convert NTFS and FAT32
Difference between FAT32 and NTFS.

How to convert NTFS to FAT32 without data loss?
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12/22/2016 (4) What is the difference between NTFS and FAT32 file systems?

FAT32 NTFS File Systems Microsoft Windows Computer Science

Answer Request Follow 22 Comment Share 4 Downvote Update Your Interests

The FAT structure is simpler. More Related Questions

Upvote 27 Downvote Comments 1+

Features of NTFS vs FAT

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Origins of FAT and NTFS

Features of NTFS vs FAT 2 4

Advantages and Disadvantages

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Reference- FAT32 vs NTFS - Diﬀerence and Comparison

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And you can convert NTFS and FAT32

Diﬀerence between FAT32 and NTFS.

Upvote 13 Downvote Comment

Suggested · 2013 Answer written · Jan 4 Popular on Quora

What is the craziest thing you Where would you rate Steve Jobs What made you smile today?

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