whats the difference between FAT and NTFS hard disk ?

Question

what are the different performances they do .

Answer 1

Harddisk isn't actually differentiate by FAT and NTFS. FAT and NTFS is more of a "logical" protocol on how data is stored. In computing, we have some many diverse operating systems, like Window 95, Window 98, window 2000, window XP, Unix, Linux, iMAc, Novell, OS/2 and etc. So this operating systems is develop by different company and there lies the birth to FAT and NTFS. Harddisk only a device that write information in bits (0 and 1). But it's the FAT or NTFS that determine how these information is arranged and stored.

FAT is a old file system used since the old DOS, windows like win95, win98 and etc. It an acronym for "File Allocation Table". For FAT, it also went thru evolution of itself from FAT, FAT16, FAT32 with every release of new Microsoft Operating systems. This FAT is develop by Microsoft.

Then Microsoft realize that for company and organizations, it needs a better type of file systems that is able to protect or set certain access right on the data. This leads to the birth of NTFS in Win NT and has since evolved over the year thru win2000(win2k). NTFS is actually acronym for "New Technology File System".

NTFS has several improvements over FAT such as improved support for metadata and the use of advanced data structures to improve performance, reliability and disk space utilization plus additional extensions such as security access control lists and file system journaling. The exact specification is a trade secret of Microsoft.

NTFS has five versions: v1.0, v1.1 and v1.2 found in NT 3.51 and NT 4, v3.0 found in Windows 2000 and v3.1 found in Windows XP, Windows Server 2003, and in current pre-release versions of Windows Vista. These versions are sometimes referred to as v4.0, v5.0 and v5.1, after the version of Windows they ship with. Newer versions added extra features. For example, Windows 2000 introduced quotas.


This link, http://www.ntfs.com/ntfs_vs_fat.htm will show you the comparisons of the feature and limitation of each FAT and NTFS version. For example, you notice that latest FAT32 can only support up to 32GB disk space for hard disk. So if you got a 80GB hard disk, you'll need to partition your hard disk into different segments, e.g. 30GB, 30GB 20GB in order to format the hard disk to a FAT system. So that is why there is hardly anyone that still uses the FAT.

Other disadvantages of FAT is that the hard disk with latest FAT 32 can only store 4,194,304 files only while NTFS support infinate no of files.. But i hardly think anyone will have so much files on their computer except for company computers..

With NTFS, you can set quotas of disk space based on the accout currently login into the windows. E.g. in my home, i set my acocunt as super admin with no limit while i limit my little sister account to only 5GB of disk space in my C drive on my Win XP.

NTFS also allows permission set to files. Now i can set all my love letters to be read and edited by my account only so that i can still maintain my privacy and let my sister use my PC. Newer NTFS have better features like encryption and compression ability.

For FAT, the performance in terms of speed is fast if your capacity is low like 2 or 3 GB of data. But if you have lots of files up to 20GB and above, then NTFS would perform much faster.

Answer 2

You are mixing two different things for hard drives.

First FAT and NTFS are file system structures on the hard drives, how the files are stored, and other things.

FAT is a very basic file system, and has no security besides the file attibutes, which any one that has access to the drive can change. NTFS is more like a database in the way it stores files, and also has better capabilities with file system security.

Now PERFORMANCE is a direct relation to these file systems, only when you start looking at the size of the drives, and depending on how big or how small the drive is, you could get better performance out of FAT or NTFS, just due to the wasted space that is used when you format the drive, and it will be different depending on the size of the drive, and which File system you use.

You also have different versions of FAT that you can use, again, depending on the size of the drive. NTFS also changes depending on what version of Windows NT, 3, 3.51, 4.0 Windows 2000, or Windows XP that you used to format the hard drive as well. So again, there are variables in the versions of the file systems themselves.


But PERFORMANCE also depends on hardware for the computer as well, processor speed, amount of RAM, the type of hard drive, IDE, SCSI, ATA, ATA-66, ATA-100, EIDE, and all the others available. It also depends on the interface card for the hard drive, the speed of the hard drive, the driver for the hard drive, and of course the operating system being used.

Answer 3

FAT(File Allocation Table) is a partition of hard-disk used in almost all versions of Windows. An earlier version was called FAT16 and even earlier was called FAT. The version used today is FAT32. NTFS is New Technology File System. It came to be used later after Windws 2000 for security purposes. It gives awesome security and encryption. You can compress files on NTFS directly on the the explorer. A FAT partition of 20GB may be 21 or 20.8GB on an NTFS partition. NTFS is less prone to virtual bad sectors than FAT. It offers quicker and more effective defragmentation, trust me on that. The files are indexed in a MFT table and so are readily available when indexing services are enabled. NTFS also offers very fast searches and cool copy-paste files when compared to a FAT partition, after all NTFS is new technology.

Answer 4

There's no such thing as a FAT or NTFS hard disk. FAT and NTFS are only the file systems used to write and read data from a disk. You can format a hard disk using whichever file system you want.
If you ask me, I'd recomend you the FAT32 file system.

Answer 5

FAT (FAT16 and FAT32) and NTFS are two methods for storing data on a hard drive. The hard drive has to either be formatted using one or the other, or can be converted from one to the other (usually FAT to NTFS) using a system tool. FAT is basically the same file system that has been used on PCs since the early DOS days, with a number of modifications made to allow it to work with larger hard drives. NTFS was originally developed to work in Windows NT, to support large hard drives from the get-go (up to 16 billion gigabytes per volume!) and to guard against the kinds of errors that routinely wreck FAT volumes. NTFS is just the better choice overall at this point and most computers running Windows are running a version of Windows that can handle it (i.e., Windows 2000 or XP). If you're using Windows 2000 exclusively, your best bet is to format or convert all drives in your system to NTFS. NTFS allows you to use larger drives, secure directories and files against unauthorized users, has better data-protection technologies, and doesn't succumb to errors or fragmentation as easily as FAT/FAT32. (Note that NTFS drives do get fragmented over time and will need to be defragged, but NTFS has slightly better management of free space to keep fragmentation from becoming as pronounced too soon.) The only time you should bother with FAT32 on a Windows 2000 system is if you are dual-booting between Windows 2000 and Windows 98/Me, or otherwise sharing a hard drive with a system that cannot read NTFS Thank you NIIT System Engineers

Answer 6

FAT and/or NTFS is not about the Hard disk. I about the partition file type system, what you create on your hard disc. You can have multiple partitions, everyone different (FAT, FAT32, FAT16, NTFS).

FAT is good for older operating systems like: Win95/98/ME
NTFS is for Windows NT/2000/XP

NTFS is much secure and if you boot your computer with an OS which is not able to see NTFS ...well you NOT gonna see the files.

under XP you can choose between NTFS or FAT.

So ...if you plan to use multiple OS on your computer the best is to go for a file system which can be accessed by al OSs = mostly FAT system.
If you looking for XP or 2000/NT ...go with NTFS.

Answer 7

The difference is that Windows 98/ME/95 doesn't support NTFS, while Windows 2000/XP will support either one. NTFS allows you to set more specific permissions on who can access a file. With FAT, you can only set share permissions. Also, you can't encrypt a FAT disk with the Encrypting File System (EFS).

Answer 8

fat is good for those systm which use multiple opearting system since the need to acess the same hard disk many time> ntfs is good because of the following reason :
1.it provide file encryption to save your data files.
2.it also defragment faster ( i think so)
3.it provide compression property to save your hard disk valuable space
to change fat or fat 32 to ntfs
open the command prompt or open run and tye cmd
specify the drive u want to change

use the process below

type "convert {drive letter}: /fs: ntfs
and u are done
some times it ask drive busy do want to mound the drive y/n type yes and conversion will start

Answer 9

The FAT File system is used by DOS and is supported by all the other operating systems. It is simple, reliable, and uses little storage.

NTFS provides everything. It supports long file names, large volumes, data security, and universal file sharing. A departmental NT file server will probably have all its partitions formatted for NTFS. Because the other operating systems cannot use it, NTFS is less attractive on personal desktop workstations or portables.

Answer 10

Those are two of the 150+ filesystems. Possibly, 'the Worst' two!

They are rough on hard drives. they trash drives. I have proof.

Just ask Microsoft.com why they switched all 15,000 servers over to Linux! Hotmail.com and MSN.com switched to Linux, also. That is 15,000 computers, EACH! Virus proof, hacker free is only ONE of the reasons! 50X faster is another! No license fees to the Mother Ship, is another.

The really great filesystems do a journalized record of everythiTg you store. They do Raid. they don't 'over work' the drives. The drives run 24/7/365 for up to 10 years, and many are not SCSI, which is more solid, more stable, and, if bought surplus, cheaper.
Most are now SATA drives, rated for 50% duty.

It is the filesystem that makes it so much more economical, in the hardware department, so they all run Linux, on one of the many journalized systems, like ReiserFS, JFS, Ext3...

Try it out for yourself, for FREE! getthe ISO, burn to CDrom, reboot! boots in CD, runs in RAM disc. Only goes on to the hard drive when you click the Install button, plus agree to all the partitioning. You can back out, anytime!
http://pclinuxos.com has 5,000 games, programs, apps. FREE!

Answer 11

FAT and FAT32 are older drive formats. (File Allocation Table) These are limited in size. The newer NTFS hard drive has a much higher size capacity and has more self-healing capabilities.

http://www.ntfs.com/ntfs_vs_fat.htm