The document discusses and compares different file systems, including FAT, FAT32, NTFS, and their key features and limitations. FAT is the oldest file system and was designed for small disks and simple structures. It uses a file allocation table to organize files. NTFS is proprietary to Windows and offers improvements like larger volume sizes, security features like encryption, compression and quotas. It also has better performance, especially on large volumes.

1. Tanveer Ahmed
329
Presentation
DIT(1st)
OS (NTFS, FAT)
Submitted : Sir MEHMOOD
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2. What Is a File System?
• The organizational method used by an OS to store
files and folders on a secondary storage device
– FAT (file allocation table) file system
– Files and directories
– File naming conventions
– File organization
– Partitions and logical drives on a hard drive
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3. File Allocation Table
FAT File System
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4. FAT File System
File allocation table – where the OS records how the disk
space is used.
The File Allocation Table (FAT) file system is a simple file
system originally designed for small disks and simple folder
structures.
The FAT file system is named for its method of organization, the
file allocation table, which resides at the beginning of the
volume.
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5. File Systems
• FAT 16 – oldest, created for DOS, supported by
most OSs’, cannot be installed on partitions larger
than 2 GB, or on hard drives larger than 4GB.
• FAT 32 – supports disks from 512 to 2TB,
compatible with Windows 98 and up
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6. Each FAT type has its limits; this table displays these limits:
FAT type Max Clusters Cluster sizes Max volume size
FAT12 4,086 0.5 to 4KB
16,736,256 bytes
(16MB)
FAT16 65,526 2KB to 32KB
2,147,483,648 bytes
(2GB)
FAT32 268,435,456 4KB to 32KB
8,796,093,022,208 bytes
(8TB)
FAT Limitations
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7. Showing FAT16 in the
HDD Properties Window
File System Types
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8. Converting FAT16 to FAT32
 At the command prompt:
Cvt1.exe
 This will allow you to convert a FAT16 file
system to a FAT32 system without losing any
data.
Converting FAT to NTFS
 At the command prompt:
Convert.exe
 This will allow you to convert a FAT16 or FAT32
file system to a NTFS system without losing any
data.
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9. New Technology File System
NTFS
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10. NTFS System Files
NTFS is a high-performance, self-healing file system
proprietary to Windows XP and later. Features include
• File-level security, compression, and auditing
• Support for large volumes and powerful storage
solutions such as built-in RAID support
• The ability to encrypt files and folders to protect your
sensitive data
• More efficient drive management due to its smaller
cluster size capabilities
• Support for very large drives made possible by its 64-
bit clustering arrangement
• Recoverable file system capabilities
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11. RAID is a data storage technology that combines multiple
Disk Drives components into a logical unit for the
purposes of data redundancy and performance
improvement. Data is distributed across the drives in one
of several ways, referred to as Raid Levels, depending on
the specific level of redundancy and performance required
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12. 12
NTFS System Files
This design makes file access very fast. Consider, for
example, the FAT file system, which uses a file allocation
table to list the names and addresses of each file. FAT
directory entries contain an index into the file allocation
table. When you want to view a file, FAT first reads the file
allocation table and assures that it exists. Then FAT
retrieves the file by searching the chain of allocation units
assigned to the file. With NTFS, as soon as you look up the
file, it's there for you to use.
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13. • NTFS has always had the ability to detect
metadata corruptions
– Its response was to:
• Mark the volume as corrupt
• Fail the operation
• With self-healing NTFS can not only detect
corruptions but it can also repair some
corruptions
– Only repairs certain MFT related corruptions
– Repairs failure without failing operation
13
Self-healing

14. NTFS File Encryption
The Encrypting File System (EFS) provides the core file
encryption technology used to store encrypted files on NTFS
volumes. EFS keeps files safe from intruders who might gain
unauthorized physical access to sensitive, stored data (for
example, by stealing a portable computer or external disk
drive).
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15. NTFS File Encryption
Encryption is transparent to the user who encrypted the file;
the system automatically decrypts the file or folder when the
user accesses it. When the file is saved, encryption is
reapplied. Users who are not authorized to access the
encrypted files or folders transparently receive an “Access
denied” message if they try to open, copy, move, or rename
the encrypted file or folder.
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16. NTFS File Encryption
• To use Windows Explorer to encrypt a file, open the
File Property Window by right-clicking on the file
name. Click Advanced... The Advanced
Attributes dialog will be opened, allowing you to
mark the file as encrypted.by command in cmd
cipher.exe
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17. NTFS File Encryption
• Before saving new settings Windows will prompt the user to encrypt
only the file or the whole folder. It address a very important issue -
while the file itself could be perfectly protected, the application which
opens the file may create temporary copies of the file while working
with the document.
• The example is Microsoft Word. When the user opens an encrypted
document, EFS decrypts it transparently for Word. Then during the
work, Word creates a temporary hidden file where it automatically
saves the document in the process of editing, and deletes it on the
exit. This hidden file presents a real breach in security because it
contains user data in plain (not encrypted) form. Encrypting the whole
folder instead of only the file solves this problem.
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18. NTFS File Encryption
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19. NTFS5
• Windows 2000 and up features an improved NTFS,
referred to as NTFS5 and NTFS6. These versions
enable administrators to establish user hard disk
quotas limiting the amount of hard drive space
users can have access to.
• The NTFS system also offers enhanced system
security.
• Windows 2000+ provides an encrypted file system
and secure network protocol and authentication
standards.
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20. NTFS vs. FAT
Criteria NTFS5 NTFS FAT32 FAT16
Operating
System
Windows
2000,
Windows XP
Windows
NT,
Windows
2000,
Windows XP
Windows 98,
Windows
ME,
Windows
2000,
Windows XP
DOS,
All versions
of
Microsoft
Windows
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21. Criteria NTFS5 NTFS FAT32 FAT16
Limitations
Max Volume
Size
256TB 256TB 2TB 2GB
Max Files on
Volume
Nearly
Unlimited
Nearly
Unlimited
Nearly
Unlimited
~65000
Max File Size
Limited by
Volume Size
Limited by
Volume Size
4GB 2GB
Max Clusters
Number
Nearly
Unlimited
Nearly
Unlimited
268435456 65535
Max File
Name Length
Up to 255
characters
Up to 255
characters
Up to 255
characters
Standard – 8.3
Extended – up
to 255
NTFS vs. FAT
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22. NTFS vs. FAT
Criteria NTFS5 NTFS FAT32 FAT16
File System Features
Unicode File
Names
Unicode
Character Set
Unicode
Character Set
System
Character Set
System
Character Set
System Records
Mirror
MFT Mirror
File
MFT Mirror
File
Second Copy
of FAT
Second Copy
of FAT
Boot Sector
Location
First and Last
Sectors
First and Last
Sectors
First Sector First Sector
File Attributes
Standard and
Custom
Standard and
Custom
Standard Set Standard Set
Alternate
Streams
Yes Yes No No
Compression Yes Yes No No
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23. NTFS vs. FAT
Criteria NTFS5 NTFS FAT32 FAT16
File System Features
Encryption Yes No No No
Object
Yes Yes No No
Permissions
Disk Quotas Yes No No No
Sparse Files Yes No No No
Reparse
Yes No No No
Points
Volume
Mount Points
Yes No No No
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24. NTFS vs. FAT
Criteria NTFS5 NTFS FAT32 FAT16
Overall Performance
Built-In
Security
Yes Yes No No
Recoverability Yes Yes No No
Performance
Low on small
volumes,
High on Large
Low on small
volumes,
High on Large
High on small
volumes,
Low on large
Highest on
small volumes,
Low on large
Disk Space
Economy
Max Max Average
Minimal on
large volumes
Fault Tolerance Max Max Minimal Average
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25. THANKYOU 
END
SHOW
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