

The root directory of the disk contains the total number of cluster files in each file of that directory. Each entry contains the total number of clusters in the file, or an unused disk space, or the special reserved areas of the disk. Each cluster contains entries for storage in the disk. A cluster is a unit of space which is used for storage of files and directories. It was created by Microsoft in 1977 and is widely used and found in different portable and embedded devices.Īccording to Wikipedia, the name, FAT, of the file system originates from its prominent use of an index table that is allocated at the time of formatting. The term FAT is an acronym for ‘File allocation Table’. This article differentiates between the two popular file systems, NTFS and FAT File Systems.

The data can also be upgraded or degraded while formatting the system. The devices write and store the data in their systems so that the data can be modified, accessed, deleted, or distributed at the time of need. NTFS stands for New Technology File System while FAT stands for File Allocation Table.įile System is the most popular and widely used technique to store data on different types of devices such as a hard drive, memory card, USB, etc. Both are two different methods, which store the data in a structured way on a disk partition. Key difference: NTFS and FAT are both file systems.
