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Fat File System. Fat32 Fat16 Fat12

The document discusses the FAT file system which was originally designed for small disks and simple folder structures. It stores files in clusters and the cluster size is determined by the volume size. The FAT file system organizes the volume with a partition boot sector, file allocation tables to track clusters, and a root folder to store the first level of files and folders. FAT12 supports fewer than 4087 clusters, FAT16 supports between 4087-65526 clusters, and FAT32 supports up to 268 million clusters.

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93 views

Fat File System. Fat32 Fat16 Fat12

The document discusses the FAT file system which was originally designed for small disks and simple folder structures. It stores files in clusters and the cluster size is determined by the volume size. The FAT file system organizes the volume with a partition boot sector, file allocation tables to track clusters, and a root folder to store the first level of files and folders. FAT12 supports fewer than 4087 clusters, FAT16 supports between 4087-65526 clusters, and FAT32 supports up to 268 million clusters.

Uploaded by

sadiqabdul297
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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NTFS.com FAT FILE SYSTEM.

FAT32 FAT16 FAT12

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NTFS GENERAL INFORMATION Data Recovery Software QUESTIONS & ANSWERS

NTFS General Information > The Fat File System

THE FAT FILE SYSTEMS. FAT32 FAT16 FAT12

The File Allocation Table (FAT) file system is a simple file system originally designed for small disks
and simple folder structures. The FAT file system is named for its method of organization, the file
allocation table, which resides at the beginning of the volume. To protect the volume, two copies of
the table are kept, in case one becomes damaged. In addition, the file allocation tables and the root
folder must be stored in a fixed location so that the files needed to start the system can be correctly
located.

A volume formatted with the FAT file system is allocated in clusters. The default cluster size is
determined by the size of the volume. For the FAT file system, the cluster number must fit in 16 bits
and must be a power of two.

Structure of a FAT Volume

The figure below illustrates how the FAT file system organizes a volume.

Figure 4-1

This section covers information about the FAT system. Topics covered are:

● FAT Partition Boot Sector


● FAT File System
● FAT Root Folder
● FAT Folder Structure
● FAT32 Features

Table 4-1 displays differences between the FAT systems:

Table 4-1 Differences Between FAT Systems

http://www.ntfs.com/fat-systems.htm (1 of 2)10/6/2006 5:20:49 AM


NTFS.com FAT FILE SYSTEM. FAT32 FAT16 FAT12

Bytes Per Cluster


System Within File Cluster limit
Allocation Table

FAT12 1.5 Fewer than 4087 clusters.


FAT16 2 Between 4087 and 65526 clusters, inclusive.
FAT32 4 Between 65526 and 268,435,456 clusters, inclusive.

For more detailed information see resource kits on Microsoft's web site
http://www.microsoft.com/windows/reskits/webresources/default.asp

or Microsoft Developers Network (MSDN)


http://msdn.microsoft.com.

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