How to view your computer's file system. Computer file system. Indirect signs for determining the structure of partitions on disks
The choice of file system determines the security of the computer and how much information on the hard drive will weigh. By security I mean stability of operation and protection against data loss.
The Windows XP operating system supports two file systems for hard drives: FAT and NTFS.
File system FAT ( File Allocation Table) is best suited for use on disks and partitions up to 200 MB in size
FAT is the simplest file system supported by Windows NT.
The FAT directory has no specific structure and files are written to the first available free space on the disk. Additionally, the FAT file system only supports four file attributes: System, Hidden, Read-Only, and Archive.
Permissions cannot be set for files located on FAT partitions.
File system NTFS ( New Technology File System organizes files into directories and sorts them by name.
NTFS is best suited for use on drives larger than 400 MB. As the disk size increases, the performance of the NTFS file system does not drop like FAT, but this system is more demanding on computer resources, especially RAM. Exactly NTFS file system used by most users, although, as always, there are a number of disadvantages:
Operating systems no older than Windows XP run on NTFS
Currently, NTFS does not have file encryption built-in;
If the logical disk is more than 90 percent full, performance slows down sharply
But there are also advantages:
The maximum disk size can reach 18 TB;
It works with files larger than 4GB;
If in FAT there is a high chance of file corruption when the operating system fails, then in NTFS this possibility is practically excluded;
NTFS allows you to compress files, thereby reducing their disk space;
Uses disk space more economically:
It is possible to restore the system... etc.
Finding out what file system is used on the disk with your operating system is very simple.
To do this, you need to click on the icon on the desktop My computer-> select the drive where your operating system is installed (usually drive C)
Right click and select Properties- go to tab Are common.
Should be written File System: NTFS. But maybe Fat32 or Fat16
Moreover, it is not a fact that all your local disks have the same file system. To find out, look at all the other discs.
By the way, in the same window we can find out Disk capacity, and also see how much free space is left on it (and, accordingly, how much space Busy)
The topic of partition tables for GPT and MBR disks became relevant after the spread of computers and laptops with pre-installed Windows 10 and 8. In this instruction there are two ways to find out which partition table, GPT or MBR, a disk (HDD or SSD) has - using the operating system, as well as when installing Windows on a computer (i.e. without loading the OS). All methods can be used on Windows 10, 8 and Windows 7.
You may also find useful materials related to converting a disk from one partition table to another and solving typical problems caused by a partition table that is not supported in the current configuration: (and vice versa), about errors when installing Windows:,.
To use this method, you can either in Windows OS or press Shift+F10 (on some laptops Shift+Fn+F10) while installing Windows from a disk or flash drive to open the command line.
At the command line, enter the following commands in order:
- diskpart
- list disk
- exit
Notice the last column in the output of the list disk command. If there is a mark (asterisk) there, then this disk has a GPT partition style, those disks that do not have such a mark are MBR (usually MBR, since there may be other options, for example, the system cannot determine what kind of disk it is ).
How to find out if a disk is MBR or GPT in Windows PowerShell
Another way is to use Windows PowerShell and the command to get information about the drives: (from the Administrator or not, it doesn’t matter) and enter the command:
Get-Disk | ft -Auto
As a result, in the table you will receive information about the disks of your computer or laptop, including the partition structure in the last column:
Indirect signs for determining the structure of partitions on disks
Well, some additional signs that do not provide guarantees, but are useful as additional information, allowing you to find out whether a GPT or MBR disk is used on your computer or laptop.
Sooner or later, a novice computer user is faced with such a concept as a file system (FS). As a rule, the first acquaintance with this term occurs when formatting a storage medium: logical drives and connected media (flash drives, memory cards, external hard drive).
Before formatting, the Windows operating system prompts you to select the type of file system on the media, cluster size, and formatting method (quick or full). Let's figure out what a file system is and why it is needed?
All information is recorded on the media in the form, which must be located in a certain order, otherwise the operating system and programs will not be able to operate with the data. This order is organized by the file system using certain algorithms and rules for placing files on the media.
When a program needs a file stored on disk, it does not need to know how or where it is stored. All that is required of the program is to know the file name, its size and attributes in order to transfer this data to the file system, which will provide access to the desired file. The same thing happens when writing data to a medium: the program transfers information about the file (name, size, attributes) to the file system, which saves it according to its own specific rules.
To better understand, imagine a librarian giving a book to a client based on its title. Or in reverse order: the client returns the book he read to the librarian, who places it back into storage. The client does not need to know where and how the book is stored; this is the responsibility of the establishment's employee. The librarian knows the rules of library cataloging and, according to these rules, searches for the publication or places it back, i.e. performs its official functions. In this example, the library is the storage medium, the librarian is the file system, and the client is the program.
Basic File System Functions
The main functions of the file system are:
- placement and organization on a data carrier in the form of files;
- determining the maximum supported amount of data on the storage medium;
- creating, reading and deleting files;
- assigning and changing file attributes (size, creation and modification time, file owner and creator, read-only, hidden file, temporary file, archived, executable, maximum file name length, etc.);
- determining the file structure;
- directory organization for logical organization of files;
- file protection in case of system failure;
- protecting files from unauthorized access and changing their contents.
Information recorded on a hard drive or any other medium is placed there on the basis of a cluster organization. A cluster is a kind of cell of a certain size into which the entire file or part of it fits.
If the file is cluster size, then it only occupies one cluster. If the file size exceeds the cell size, then it is placed in several cluster cells. Moreover, free clusters may not be located next to each other, but may be scattered over the physical surface of the disk. This system allows you to make the most efficient use of space when storing files. The task of the file system is to distribute the file when writing into free clusters in an optimal way, and also to assemble it when reading and give it to the program or operating system.
Types of file systems
During the evolution of computers, storage media, and operating systems, a large number of file systems have come and gone. In the process of such evolutionary selection, today the following types of file systems are mainly used to work with hard drives and external storage devices (flash drives, memory cards, external hard drives, CDs):
- FAT32
- ISO9660
The last two systems are designed to work with CDs. Ext3 and Ext4 file systems work with Linux-based operating systems. NFS Plus is a file system for OS X operating systems used on Apple computers.
The most widely used file systems are NTFS and FAT32, and this is not surprising, because... they are designed for Windows operating systems, which run the vast majority of computers in the world.
Now FAT32 is being actively replaced by the more advanced NTFS system due to its greater reliability in data safety and protection. In addition, the latest versions of Windows OS simply will not allow themselves to be installed if the hard drive partition is formatted in FAT32. The installer will ask you to format the partition to NTFS.
The NTFS file system supports disks with a capacity of hundreds of terabytes and a single file size of up to 16 terabytes.
The FAT32 file system supports disks up to 8 terabytes and a single file size up to 4GB. Most often, this FS is used on flash drives and memory cards. External drives are formatted in FAT32 at the factory.
However, the 4GB file size limitation is already a big disadvantage today, because... Due to the distribution of high-quality video, the file size of the movie will exceed this limit and it will not be possible to record it on the media.
Share.How to determine the file system type?
Master's answer:
Typically, the user is well aware of the installed operating system on the computer and the file system used. But you may need to determine the file system type. It usually occurs when you sit down to work on someone else's computer.
The method of organizing and storing data on various storage media, including hard drives, is determined by the file system. There are many different file systems. The most common file systems for Windows operating systems are: NTFS, FAT16, FAT32. For the Linux operating system and for Unix - ext2 and ext3.
The file system type can be found in different ways. One of the ways (the simplest) is to open “My Computer”, select the disk that interests you, right-click on it and select “Properties” in the menu that opens. A window will open in which the type and file system of the disk will be written. For example, for Windows XP and Windows 7 operating systems, the NTFS file system will be shown.
If in front of you there is a non-working computer that refuses to boot, then information about its disks can be viewed using the Acronis Dick Director program. It starts directly from the CD. To select boot from disk after start, press F12, a boot device selection window will open. There are computers on which the boot window is called up using other keys.
Now select boot from CD and press Enter. A menu will appear in which you need to select Acronis Dick Director. After loading, the program window will appear. In it you will see the computer disks indicating the file system types. The Acronis Dick Director utility is a very convenient program that allows you to partition disks in the way you want and format them in the desired file system. Using the same program, you can, with a high degree of probability, recover disk partitions after they were accidentally lost. You can restore disks with all folders and files.
There is a version of the Acronis Dick Director utility that runs under Windows. Using it, you can also view information on file systems. But it is not recommended to carry out any operations on this version, since after rebooting the system there is a very high risk that the computer will not boot at all. If you need to split the disk, it is better to use the CD version, as it is very reliable.
When you format a hard drive or flash drive, you prepare it for the operating system to store information. During formatting, all information is deleted and a clean file system is installed.
You may have heard of FAT or NTFS file system, but do you know which one is used on your system? This article explains how the file system is structured and what the differences are between different file systems. I'll also show you how to find out what file systems your drives are using.
What is a file system?
Disk space is divided into sectors, each of which is approximately 512 bytes in size. Sectors are grouped into clusters. Clusters, also called allocation blocks, range in size from 512 bytes to 64 kilobytes because they are typically made up of multiple sectors. Clusters are contiguous blocks of disk space.
Operating systems rely on the file system to organize clustered information storage. The file system is a database that contains information about the state of each cluster. Essentially, the file system tells the operating system in which cluster (or clusters) the file is stored, and where new data can be written.
What file systems should you know about?
Basically, Windows OS uses FAT (File Allocation Table), FAT32 and NTFS (New Technology File System) file system.
In short, NTFS can store files larger than 4 GB, and partitions can be larger than 32 GB. NTFS manages free space better than the FAT or FAT32 file system and therefore results in less disk fragmentation. NTFS also supports some security features, including on-the-fly file encryption.
Compared to NTFS, FAT and FAT32 file systems accommodate smaller space, are less hard drive intensive, and therefore work faster with small flash drives. In addition, FAT and FAT32 are cross-platform file systems. The main disadvantage of FAT and FAT32 is the 32 GB partition size limit, as well as the 2 GB and 4 GB file size limit, respectively.
To store information on flash drives, the new file system exFAT (Extended File Allocation Table), also known as FAT64, is mainly used. Like NTFS, it supports files larger than 4 GB and partitions larger than 32 GB, and its file management system avoids disk fragmentation. At the same time, it is fast, optimized for mobile media and media file processing.
What operating systems work with these file systems?
FAT and FAT32 are read/write on almost all operating systems. Previously, formatting a disk for the NTFS file system was a surefire way to make it inoperable outside of Windows. However, NTFS read/write support is now built into many Linux distributions. There is also a hack that allows you to work with this file system on Mac OS X version 10.6, although it seems to be unstable, so using MacFuse is recommended. On the other hand, exFAT requires installation of drivers in both Windows XP and Linux and is supported by the latest versions of Windows (Vista SP1, Windows 7, 8) and Mac OS X.
Why is cluster size important?
If you have already formatted the disk, you should know that you can select the cluster size (or allocation block size).
Depending on the cluster size (from 512 bytes to 64 kilobytes), the file can be stored in one or hundreds or thousands of clusters. When the file size is smaller than the cluster size, the remaining space is wasted. This phenomenon is called "lost space". Consequently, storing many small files on a disk with a large cluster size will result in large amounts of wasted space. On the other hand, if we choose a small cluster size, large files will be split into many small pieces, which can slow down disk operations since it will take more time to read the corresponding file. In other words, be smart about cluster size.
How to find out the type of file system on a disk?
The file system is specified in the disk properties. Go to My Computer, right-click on the desired drive and then select Properties from the context menu. In the General tab, in the File system line, you will see the file system type.
To find out the cluster size of a disk with the NTFS file system, use the key combination + [R], the Run window will open. Make sure you are logged in as a user with administrative rights. In the Run a program window, type cmd in the text box and click OK. Next, enter the command > fsutil fsinfo ntfsinfo and press Enter.
In Windows XP and Windows 7, you can also view and change the cluster size using third-party applications such as .
What file system do you prefer to use on disks and why? Have you encountered problems using the NTFS file system, and how did you solve these problems?
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