Understanding Disk File Systems
A disk must be formatted with a file system that allows it to work with the operating system to store, manage, and access data. Two of the most common file systems are FAT (or FAT32, which is an improvement on FAT technology) and NTFS. Disks on DOS, Windows 3.1, or Windows 98/Me computers use the FAT file system, while disks on computers running Windows NT 4.0, Windows 2000, Windows XP and later can use either the NTFS or FAT system. NTFS is a newer file system that improves on some of the shortcomings of FAT disks that make them less desirable on a network. NTFS is the preferred file system for Windows Vista.
There are important differences between FAT and NTFS file systems:
FAT
When you format a disk with the ...
Get Microsoft Windows Vista On Demand now with the O’Reilly learning platform.
O’Reilly members experience books, live events, courses curated by job role, and more from O’Reilly and nearly 200 top publishers.
