File Systems

Microsoft Windows 2000 supports four types of file systems on readable/writable disks: the NTFS file system and three file allocation table (FAT) file systems: FAT12, FAT16 and FAT32. Windows 2000 also supports two types of file systems on CD-ROM and digital video disk (DVD) media: Compact Disc File System (CDFS) and Universal Disk Format (UDF). The structures of the volumes formatted by each of these file systems, as well as the way each file system organizes data on the disk, are significantly different. The capabilities and limitations of these file systems must be reviewed to determine their comparative features.

In This Chapter

Quick Guide to File Systems

Overview of Windows 2000 File Systems

File System Comparisons

FAT

NTFS

Compact Disc File System

Universal Disk Format

Using Long File Names

File System Tools