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WINDOWS FILES June 2000 • Vol.6 Issue 6 Page(s) 62-64 in print issue |
Windows File Systems What You Need To Know About FAT16, FAT32 & NTFS | ||
Jump to first occurrence of: [FAT]  Three file systems currently populate the various Microsoft Windows operating systems: FAT16 (file allocation table), FAT32, and NTFS. FAT16 is the oldest and most widely compatible. FAT32 is a more efficient system released with a later version of Windows 95. NTFS was developed to offer efficiency and security to Windows NT users, but it is now also the default for Windows 2000. Windows users could safely ignore their computer's file systems except for one critical issue: hard drive space. Those still running a version using FAT16 have room to gain by converting to FAT32. In a Knowledge Base article, Microsoft calls converting from FAT16 to FAT32 "one of the biggest performance enhancements you can make to your Windows 98-based computer." Think of it as turning your computer's FAT into hard drive muscle. "You certainly gain a lot of additional storage space," said Jim Boyce, author or co-author of 40 books on computer issues. While Microsoft estimates a 10%-15% gain in free space, others, including Boyce, hike that estimate to 25% or more. Windows NT and Windows 2000 users are less likely to switch from the default file system, NTFS, to FAT16 or FAT32. But there are exceptions. For example, users who dual boot a version of Windows earlier than WinNT or Win2000 need to use FAT16 in order for both operating systems to access the same data. To decide whether you want to take the time to change file systems, you first need to understand what your file system does for your computer.  File Systems. FAT is one of five areas (master boot record, partition table, boot record, root directory) that your hard drive uses for organization. If you think of your computer as a library of data, the file system is like the card catalog. The file allocation table keeps track of the location, content, and status of files and folders saved to your hard drive. The file allocation table locates files and folders in various clusters, the spaces reserved on your hard drive for files. A cluster is the smallest amount of hard drive space an operating system will allocate to saving data. Clusters are made up of sectors, which are the smallest unit of storage. When you are working in a software application and request a file, the file allocation table finds it. It sounds easy, but in reality, files—specifically larger files—are saved among many clusters. The file allocation table keeps tracks of how many clusters are needed to construct a file and in what order they should be put together. As a file system, NTFS is the same in theory, but different operationally, than the traditional FAT. It still uses clusters made up of sectors to store data. But it uses an MFT (master file table) and offers functionality not available with FAT16 or FAT32. FAT16. FAT16 is often shortened to FAT, because it's the original file allocation table. Developed in 1977 by Microsoft to organize data on diskettes, this 16-bit file system was standard for DOS and Windows and is compatible with Linux, OS/2, Windows NT, and others. Because it is the most compliant across the different operating systems, FAT16 was the gold standard for years. FAT16 may have remained popular if not for its inability to handle larger hard drives. This wasn't an issue in the late 1970s, but as the 1980s brought leaps-and-bounds growth of hard drive size, this major limitation had to be addressed. Today, the maximum hard drive size FAT16 will work with is 2GB (gigabytes), which is tiny compared to what many computers ship with today. FAT32. Microsoft formulated a solution to FAT's hard drive size limitation and released a 32-bit FAT with Windows 95 OEM Service Release 2. The major difference was a much smaller cluster size than FAT16, allowing FAT32 to use space more efficiently. In addition, the new version reduced the danger of a single point of failure, due to its ability to utilize a backup copy of FAT32. FAT32's smaller cluster size can support hard drives of up to 2TB (terabytes, a terabyte is 1 trillion bytes), a size that once seemed unimaginable. FAT32 also offers an unlimited root directory, while FAT16 limits its root directories to 512 files and folders. FAT32 also allows the root directory to be moved, whereas FAT16 requires the root directory to be at the beginning of the hard drive, creating a critical failure if that section of the hard drive becomes damaged. NTFS. NTFS was engineered not only for efficiency, but also for reliability and security. For this reason, it's considered best for high-end systems and servers. Originally designed for use on WinNT systems, this file system is now also the default for Win2000. In NTFS, the cluster size has again decreased, allowing more efficient use of hard drive space. There are, however, other major differences between NTFS and FAT16 and 32. For example, NTFS users sharing files through a network can be assigned very specific permission levels. Each file allows different levels of access to users: read only, read/write, or deleting. Unlike FAT32, NTFS prevents security breaches on local computers by letting you protect individual files as well as directories. FAT32 supported only share permissions, which protect a file over a network but don't prevent someone from sitting at your computer terminal and accessing it. NTFS also offers improved fault tolerance. It repairs hard drive errors seamlessly by comparing files to copies saved on the hard drive. If a copy doesn't match, NTFS avoids that hard drive section and rewrites the copy to another part of the drive. Take Up the Slack. The major difference between the three file systems, other than increased functionality of NTFS, is how efficiently they use space. Cluster size for each file system can change with hard drive size, but the relative cluster sizes remain constant: FAT's clusters are the largest, FAT32's are smaller, and NTFS' clusters are smaller yet. For example, in a computer with a hard drive just over 1GB, the following values would apply: FAT16: 32KB clusters FAT32: 4KB clusters NTFS: 1-2KB clusters A 2KB (kilobyte) file would require one cluster of 32KB in FAT16, wasting nearly 30KB of space. That same file would take up one 4KB cluster in FAT32, wasting just 2KB of space. In NTFS, that 2KB file would take just one or two clusters and waste virtually no space. That unused part of a cluster is called "slack." Taking up the slack is one benefit of converting from FAT16 to FAT32 or, where possible, NTFS. Find Your FAT. To find out what file system you have, double-click My Computer, right-click the drive, usually C:, and then click Properties. In this dialog box, you'll see File system: followed by FAT or FAT32 (Microsoft drops the 16).
Make The Choice. If you have Windows 98, FAT32 is recommended, particularly for hard drives or partitions of 8GB or smaller. In a hard drive or partition less than 8GB, cluster size is reduced to only 4KB, which means FAT32 can reclaim a lot of disk space. Microsoft says converting to FAT32 creates up to several hundred MB of extra disk space and will free up 10% to 15% of hard drive space wasted under the FAT16 system. Microsoft also points to advantages of faster loading and use of fewer system resources. If you have Windows 95, you need to make sure you have the OEM Service Release 2; that's the first version that allows conversion to FAT32. Do this by double-clicking My Computer, then clicking Properties. On the General tab, look for 4.00.950 B or 4.00.950 C by System. That means you have the Service Release 2 and can convert. Any Windows version earlier than this cannot convert beyond FAT16. If you upgrade from Win95, which uses FAT16, to Win98, which can use either FAT16 or FAT32, you won't automatically be converting to FAT32. Instead, you'll keep FAT16 as the default unless you choose otherwise. Microsoft does not automatically convert the file system because users may have reasons for sticking with their original. Windows NT users are less likely to convert from the default, security-rich NTFS, because of NT's network environment. However, if you load WinNT and Win98 on the same computer and both OSes require access to the same partition, you'll have to use FAT for that partition. That's not the case if you run only WinNT on a computer accessed by other operating systems through a network. Although Win9x systems can't read NTFS drives directly, they can read them over a network. Size is occasionally an issue, as well. If you are working with a partition smaller than 200 MB, you'll want to use a version of FAT instead of the larger NTFS. Boyce says, "There is some additional overhead with NTFS. In some situations, FAT32 is going to perform better." Win2000 offers NTFS as the default, and its main selling point is increased security. In fact, Boyce said, "If security is a critical issue, you don't want to use FAT16 or FAT32." Why Keep FAT? If FAT32 and NTFS are superior, why is FAT16 around at all? Because FAT16 is universally compatible. If you convert beyond FAT16, you can't dual boot to run earlier versions of Windows, such as Windows NT 3.x, 4.0, or Windows 3.0. In addition, a system using NTFS can't boot MS-DOS or Windows 9x, but a system running FAT16 can. Win98 can't boot to NTFS, but both Win98 and NTFS can read FAT16 drives. So if you're dual booting at all, you'll need a version of FAT. Once you convert to FAT32 or NTFS, you can't go back to FAT16 because there's no conversion tool to go the other way. To get back to FAT16, you'd need to repartition and reformat the drive as well as reinstall your operating system and backed-up files. Because repartitioning erases all data from a drive, it's not a first choice for many users.
Windows 95/98 Conversion Exceptions. You can't convert to FAT32 if your hard drive is compressed with some older compression programs, such as Microsoft DriveSpace or DriveSpace 3. If your hard drive is removable, and you use it with other operating systems that aren't FAT32 compatible, you won't be able to access your FAT32 drive. If your laptop uses the hibernate feature, converting to FAT32 may turn off this feature. If for any reason you want to go backwards—uninstall Win98 and return to a previous version of Windows that isn't compatible with FAT32—it won't work. Some disk tool software is not compatible with FAT32. If you have older versions of this type of software, you may need to check with the manufacturer for an upgraded version. You'll know if that's the case because the conversion wizard checks for incompatibility. Convert To FAT32 In Win98. If you've made the decision to convert, a little preparation will make the process fail-safe. First, make a boot disk. To do this, insert a blank diskette in your diskette drive. Click Start, Settings, Control Panel, and then Add/Remove Software. Click Startup Disk and then Create Disk. You will also have the opportunity to back up your system during the conversion process. If you haven't backed up recently, you may want to prepare to do this. To start the conversion process, click Start, Programs, Accessories, and System Tools. Find Drive Converter. The Driver Converter Wizard asks you which drive you want to convert and lists the C:/ FAT16 as the default. If that's correct, click Next. A warning appears alerting you that some antivirus and disk utilities do not work with FAT32. The wizard then checks your system and lists any incompatible programs. The next screen asks if you want to back up your files before converting. If so, you can click Create Backup to connect directly to this utility. Once backup is completed or cancelled, the next screen announces that to convert your drive, your computer must be restarted in the MS-DOS mode. Now your computer takes over. The first step is a blue screen informing you that your system is completing a list of tasks, including checking the drive, converting files, and making room for 32-bit FAT. This step takes a few minutes. Next your computer restarts and automatically begins the Disk Defragmenter. This step takes about 45 minutes. When done, you'll receive a message stating that the conversion was successful. Unfortunately, the converter program won't run if it finds disk errors on the hard drive, whether the errors came with your machine or you've acquired them along the way. To solve this problem, try running ScanDisk. Make sure the Automatically fix errors box is checked. Convert To FAT32 In Win95. Keep in mind that Win95 OSR2 is compatible with FAT32; older versions are not. FAT32 does not offer a conversion tool. Partitioning and reformatting the drive is required. You can use the disk partitioning tool that comes with Win95, FDISK. The down side of doing this is that it wipes out all of your data. To start the process, start your computer from a boot disk. Type FDISK at the prompt. FDISK will ask you, "Do you want to enable large hard drive support?" Answer Yes, and your drive will be formatted as FAT32. A better option may be PartitionMagic by PowerQuest (http://www.powerquest.com). This software lets you convert a Win95 hard drive to FAT32 without erasing data. Convert In WinNT &Win2000. Because there is no wizard to convert file systems in WinNT or 2000, the casual user may find the process time consuming and complicated. To start, you must boot from a system boot diskette and select command line mode during the booting process. To convert the C: drive to NTFS, for example, you would type in convert c:/fs:ntfs. by Sonja Carberry
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