what is file system FAT32 on windows xp home?

Question

I see it on disc defrag screen

Answer 1

FAT stands for "File Allocation Table", it's a table at the start of the disk that contains the information about where the data for all of the files are physically located.

FAT32 is a specific file storage system, developed by Microsoft, which uses a FAT. It was based on the earlier FAT16 once hard drives started getting too big for that system to handle. In Windows, FAT32 has now in turn been superceeded by the NTFS file system.

NTFS offers a number of advantages over FAT32, including speed and the ability to encrypt and compress files. However, Microsoft haven't released full details of the NTFS specification, so FAT32 is still a better choice for devices such as memory sticks or SD cards that are may need to be used on non-Microsoft machines or older versions of Windows. Devices such as digital cameras typically use FAT32 as well for this reason.

Answer 2

Windows XP, either Home or Pro, does not use FAT32. XP uses NTFS, or NT File Service. FAT32 is used by Windows 98 and Windows 2000. It is a term of file allocation on the hard drive, making it easier for the system to find the files it needs to run the computer.

Answer 3

It means that who ever installed Windows XP Home on that computer , kept the file system in Fat32 which is used for WIndowsME and Windows98. They chose not to convert the drive to NTFS.

Answer 4

It's your file system on your hard drive.What else did you want to know about it?

Windows XP does indeed have the capability of installing and booting off of FAT32. And Windows 2000 defaulted to NTFS, just like XP does. Where the hell did you learn about computers, Lucee?

Answer 5

It's the method and architecture used to store files on your hard disk. FAT means 'file allocation table'. Think of it like the indexing system at the library. The library shelves are the rest of your hard drive.

Answer 6

See this
http://www.computerhope.com/fat32.htm