LaCie Mobile Drive User’s Guide 04/17/2003 v.2
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5.2 FAT 32 vs. NTFS
There are basically two file system formats:
FAT 32
and
NTFS
. Performance is very
similar between the two systems, and the following information will hopefully make
choosing one or the other a little easier.
FAT 32
FAT is an acronym for File Allocation Table, which dates back to the beginnings of
DOS programming. Originally, FAT was only 16 bits, but after the second release of
Windows 95 it was upgraded to 32 bits, hence the name FAT 32. In theory, FAT 32
volume sizes can range from less than 1MB all the way to 2TB. It is the native file
system of Windows 98 and Windows Me, and is supported by Windows 2000 and
XP. When FAT 32 is used with Windows 2000 and XP, though, volume size is limited
to 32GB (by the Windows partition utility, i.e. Disk Manager), and the individual file
size is limited to 4GB.
NTFS
This acronym stands for New Technology Filing System, and it is the native file system
for Windows NT, Windows 2000 and XP. NTFS offers several features that are not
available with FAT 32; i.e. file compression, encryption, permissions, and auditing,
as well as the ability to mirror drives and RAID 5 configurations. The minimum
supported volume size for NTFS is 10MB, with a maximum of 2TB, with no limit to file
size. Volumes created in NTFS can only be directly accessed (not through shares) by
Windows NT, Windows 2000 and XP, without resorting to help from third-party
products.
Guidelines for Choosing FAT 32 or NTFS
Use FAT 32 if
:
•
You will be dual booting with an Operating System other than Windows NT or
Windows 2000.
•
You want to access the stored volumes on any Operating System other than
Windows NT, Windows 2000 or XP.
•
You may need the ability to dual boot down the line. Once you have converted a
volume from NTFS to FAT 32, there is no going back. You can convert from FAT
32 to NTFS, but not the other way around.
Use NTFS if
:
•
You want to encrypt files, assign permissions to files, or want to audit files for
access.
•
You will be formatting partitions larger than 32GB.
•
You need to store individual files that are larger than 4GB.
•
You need a filing system that can be mirrored or structured like a RAID 5
configuration.