by Jason Garland

Created on: January 10, 2009

In order to understand the differences between the FAT file system and NTFS we first need to understand what a file system is in the first place: A file system is a scheme used to logically divide up a hard drive into a grid that can then be cataloged for future reference when trying to locate files.

Think of it like this: you have a blank white sheet of paper and you draw a grid of squares onto it so it looks much like graph paper. Then you label its rows and columns with letters and numbers. Let's say you put a check box in Row A, Column 4. On the back of the page you can write, "Check in Row A, Column 4." You have now successfully created a file system for your sheet of paper. Hard drives work much the same way, except instead of checks the hard drive has to have a way to keep track of your files so that it can find them when you request them. Hence the need for some sort of scheme to divide up the available space on your hard drive.

File Allocation Table (FAT) was an early way of formatting the drive for storage, dating back to the time of DOS (circa 1981). Originally it was intended for small floppy disks, but as computer hard drives became feasible components for desktop computers, it was ported over, tweaked for many years, and finally reached its zenith as FAT32, which is still being used today by many home users. FAT is a relatively simple way of formatting a drive, very much akin to the graph paper example above. It supports no fancy bells or whistles, but it does the job in a pinch and supports a wide array of operating systems.

With the coming of NTFS, file systems got a major overhaul. Introduced with Windows NT, NT File System featured some new capabilities that FAT didn't, the most important of which was the ability to support file and folder permissions. Imagine being able to dictate the amount of access a user had to a certain file or folder, or whether or not that user had access at all? Top that off with the ability to compress or encrypt files and to set a quota on how much space a user can use on a given hard disk, and you can see why NTFS has become the file system of choice for most businesses.

While NTFS seems the obvious choice for most Windows users these days, providing as it does increased security and performance, sometimes FAT is still the best choice, particularly if you are running a multi-boot machine. Windows XP and Vista have no trouble reading NTFS formatted drives, but earlier versions of Windows (pre-NT) and non-Windows operating systems won't be able to make sense of an NTFS drive. FAT, therefore, is the best choice. If you don't need to worry about compatibility, NTFS is the best option if you want to take advantage of all XP or Vista have to offer.

So choose wisely when you format your next hard drive. There's a big difference between FAT and NTFS and the drives purpose will dictate the file system you choose.

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