Langmeier Backup FAQ

A file system is a storage structure on a computer that organizes data. This allows the user to access data quickly and easily.
Windows offers three file systems: NTFS, FAT32 and FAT16. Data carriers must be formatted with an appropriate file system before a backup, for example.

The FAT file system

FAT stands for File Allocation Table and was developed by Microsoft in 1977. The FAT family of file systems includes FAT12, FAT16, FAT32 and exFAT. FAT is still a common format for USB sticks and external hard disks today. The oldest system is FAT12, which is used for floppy disks with up to 16 megabytes. FAT16 is mostly used for mobile data carriers with a maximum size of 4 gigabytes, but more often only up to 2 gigabytes. FAT32 is also suitable for all mobile storage devices with up to 4 gigabytes. The abbreviation exFAT stands for Extended File Allocation Table and was produced in 2006 specifically for flash memory. The maximum file size for exFAT is 512 terabytes.

The NTFS file system

NTFS stands for New Technology File System and was designed by Microsoft for Windows NT in 1993. The following versions of NTFS exist to date: NTFS 1.0, NTFS 1.1, NTFS 2, NTFS 3.0 and NTFS 3.1, whereby the versions are backwards compatible.
Since Windows Vista, internal hard disks can only be formatted with NTFS. The maximum file size of the NTFS file system is theoretically 16 terabytes.

Comparison of the FAT and NTFS file systems

The FAT file system has the advantage over NTFS of being compatible with many operating systems. FAT32 is also compatible with Microsoft DOS, Windows 98, Windows 2000, Windows XP, Windows 7 and Windows Vista. It is also compatible with other operating systems such as Linux. Furthermore, many other devices such as digital cameras, MP3 players or receivers also use FAT32.
In contrast, NTFS is only supported by the operating systems Windows NT/2000, Windows XP, Windows 7 and Windows Vista.

A decisive advantage of the NTFS file system is the file size. But NTFS also has more to offer in terms of data security. Users and user groups can be granted authorizations for reading, writing or executing drives, folders or files. When using FAT, data can be lost after a crash, while NTFS has better backup mechanisms by logging file changes. Other advantages of NTFS are file encryption, data compression, fast defragmentation and the setting of security attributes.

Due to its small file size and high compatibility with various operating systems, FAT is best suited for mobile data carriers such as USB sticks or memory cards. If external hard disks are to be temporarily connected to computers with other operating systems, FAT is the better choice. NTFS, on the other hand, is ideal for large hard disks.

Look it up further: NTFS, FAT32

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