What are the types of hard drive formats?

Generally, there are several types of hard disk formatting:

(1) FAT16

(2) FAT32

(3) NTFS

The difference between FAT32 and NTFS Before the introduction of the FAT32 file system, the file system usually used by PCs was FAT16. Systems such as MS-DOS and Win 95 all use the FAT16 file system. Under Win 9X, the maximum partition supported by FAT16 is 2GB. We know that computers store information on the hard disk in areas called "clusters." The smaller the clusters used, the more efficiently information can be saved. In the case of FAT16, the larger the partition, the larger the cluster, and the lower the storage efficiency, which will inevitably cause a waste of storage space. And with the continuous improvement of computer hardware and applications, the FAT16 file system can no longer adapt well to system requirements. In this case, the enhanced file system FAT32 was introduced.

Compared with FAT16, FAT32 mainly has the following characteristics:

1. Compared with FAT16, the biggest advantage of FAT32 is that it can support a disk size of up to 2TB (2047GB) , but cannot support partitions smaller than 512MB. Win 2000 based on FAT32 can support partitions up to 32GB; while Win 2000 based on FAT16 supports partitions up to 4GB.

2. Due to the use of smaller clusters, the FAT32 file system can save information more efficiently. For example, both partitions are 2GB in size, one partition uses the FAT16 file system and the other uses the FAT32 file system. The cluster size of a FAT16 partition is 32KB, while the cluster size of a FAT32 partition is only 4KB. In this way, the storage efficiency of FAT32 is much higher than that of FAT16, which can usually be improved by 15%.

3. The FAT32 file system can relocate the root directory and use a backup copy of FAT. In addition, the boot record of the FAT32 partition is included in a structure containing critical data, reducing the possibility of a computer system crash.

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NTFS file system

NTFS file system is a security-based file system The system is a unique file system structure adopted by Windows NT. It is an advanced file system based on protecting file and directory data while saving storage resources and reducing disk usage. The widely used Windows NT 4.0 uses the NTFS 4.0 file system. I believe that the powerful system security it brings must have left a deep impression on the majority of users. Win 2000 uses a newer version of the NTFS file system, NTFS 5.0. Its launch allows users to not only operate and manage computers as conveniently and quickly as Win 9X, but also enjoy the system security brought by NTFS.

The characteristics of NTFS 5.0 are mainly reflected in the following aspects:

1. The size of the partition (called a volume if a dynamic disk is used) that NTFS can support can reach 2TB. FAT32 in Win 2000 supports a maximum partition size of 32GB.

2.NTFS is a recoverable file system. Users rarely need to run disk repair programs on NTFS partitions. NTFS ensures partition consistency by using standard transaction logging and recovery techniques. When a system failure occurs, NTFS uses log files and checkpoint information to automatically restore file system consistency.

3.NTFS supports compression of partitions, folders and files. Any Windows-based application that reads and writes compressed files on an NTFS partition does not need to be decompressed by other programs in advance. When the file is read, the file will be automatically decompressed; the file will be automatically decompressed when it is closed or saved. The file is compressed.

4.NTFS uses smaller clusters to manage disk space more efficiently. In the case of Win 2000's FAT32 file system, when the partition size is between 2GB and 8GB, the cluster size is 4KB; when the partition size is between 8GB and 16GB, the cluster size is 8KB; when the partition size is between 16GB and 32GB, the cluster size is 16KB. In Win 2000's NTFS file system, when the partition size is below 2GB, the cluster size is smaller than the corresponding FAT32 cluster; when the partition size is above 2GB (2GB~2TB), the cluster size is 4KB. In contrast, NTFS can manage disk space more efficiently than FAT32, minimizing the waste of disk space.

5. On the NTFS partition, you can set access permissions for shared resources, folders and files.

Permission settings include two aspects:

(1) Which groups or users are allowed to access folders, files and shared resources;

(2) What level of access can a group or user with access permission have.

The setting of access permissions applies not only to users of the local computer, but also to network users who access files through shared folders on the network. Compared with accessing folders or files under the FAT32 file system, the security is much higher. In addition, in Win 2000 using NTFS format, you can apply audit policies to audit folders, files, and Active Directory objects. The audit results are recorded in the security log. Through the security log, you can check which groups or users have access to folders, files, etc. Or what level of operations are performed on Active Directory objects, so as to discover the illegal access that the system may face, and take corresponding measures to minimize this security risk. These cannot be achieved under the FAT32 file system.

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