What is NTFS & FAT File System

There are various file systems, which are compatible with different operating systems. Basically, one can say that file systems are the different way to store and organize files on multiple storage devices. Therefore, in this section, we are going to discuss two most common file formats that are NTFS and FAT.

Brief Introduction of NTFS and FAT File Systems

What is NTFS File System?

NTFS is file system which was developed by Microsoft Corporation for the operating system. NTFS is an acronym that stands for New Technology File System. It was introduced in 1993 with the release of Windows NT 3.1. It is a primary file system that is used in Windows 10, Windows 8, Windows 7, Windows Vista, Windows XP, Windows 2000, and Windows NT operating system. NTFS is loaded with the number of features such as data structure to increase performance factor, the addition of security access control (ACL), disk space utilization etc.

What is FAT File System?

FAT file system is another common file system, which was first introduced in 1977. Basically, FAT stands for File Allocation Table that is maintained by the operating system to keep the track of the content of a hard drive used by early Microsoft operating system. FAT is used by operating system to manage files on the hard drives and other computer systems. Moreover, it is also found on digital cameras, portable devices, flash memory etc.

Versions of NTFS & FAT File Systems

Features of NTFS Over FAT File System

There are many features which make NTFS more powerful and efficient than FAT file system. Some of the features are explained below:

Reliable File System: New Technology File System automatically performs the recovery operation, when the system shuts down unexpectedly. After that, it checks the consistency by making use of transaction log and journal file.

Security: NTFS provides more security than FAT file system. It increases the security by inserting extra attributes to every file and folder.

Large File Support: NTFS can support hard drive up to 256 TB in size.

Access Control List (ACL): NTFS support Access Control list. With NTFS a user can set permissions using access control lists (ACL) which determines who else can modify or access a particular file.

File Level Encryption: With this feature of the NTFS file system, user’s file content is protected from unauthorized access.

Disk Quotas: It is one of the main features of NTFS v3 which enables the administrator to limit the disk space that a user may use. It also maintains a records by tracking how much disk space is being used by each user. If the user exceeds the limit of disk space specified by the administrator then he/she is not able to store new data on a volume.

File Compression: This is a very useful feature provided by NTFS file system as with this feature a user can compress large files. This helps the user to utilize the disk space efficiently.

Additional Features: Scalability, Hard Link, Sparse File, Transaction, Journalling, Resizing, Volume Shadow, Security, ADS – Alternate Data Stream etc.

Some of the Issues related to NTFS and FAT File System

There are many reasons due to which file system of the hard disk is affected. In turn, this will affect the data which is stored on it. Sometimes issues occur due to human errors or there can be some technical faults also that can lead to multiple issues. So, it is important to know the root cause of any issue to fix it. The issues that are frequently faced by the users are discussed below:

1. Improper shut down of the system
2. Failure at the time of system shut down due to programs running at back-end
3. Power Failure
4. Power Surges which leads to PC reset
5. Hardware related problems like processor fan not working properly
6. Issues with RAM in the system
7. Broken motherboard or over-heated hard drive
8. BIOS failure or physical damage to the hard disk drive
9. Bad sectors in the hard drive
10. Head crash etc.

Solution to Troubleshoot "NTFS Partition Showing as Unallocated" Error

One can resolve ‘NTFS Partition Showing as Unallocated’ error by using CMD and disk management. You just have to follow the steps given below:

1. First of all, open Diskpart and you have to type: list volume and then hit the Enter key
2. Now, you have to type: select volume X and then press Enter key (X is representing the drive letter of your unallocated external hard drive)
3. After that, type: delete volume and hit Enter
4. You have to type: list volume and then press Enter key. If still, you are not able to create a new volume via Disk Management tool then continue the steps given below.
5. Now, type: select volume X and then hit the Enter key
6. Again you have to type: delete volume and press Enter key
7. Finally, type: delete volume override and then hit Enter
8. At last, enter the Disk Management and then right-click on the unallocated external hard drive to create a new volume.
9. Set the file system to fix ‘NTFS Partition Showing as Unallocated’ error.

Conclusion

In this write-up, we have discussed the entire information of two common file systems that are NTFS and FAT. Along with this, we have also explained a perfect solution to fix the most common error faced by the user that is ‘NTFS Partition Showing as Unallocated’. With the help of this blog, the user will be able to understand every aspect of NTFS and FAT file systems.