File Allocation Table: Difference between revisions

Revision as of 08:50, 19 October 2024

Revision as of 19:41, 21 October 2024

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{{Short description|Family ofComputer file systemssystem primarily used for MS-DOS, Windows9X and relatively originallysmall developedcapacity bysolid-state Microsoftstorage}}

{{further|Design of the FAT file system}}

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| developer = [[Microsoft]]<!-- original FAT, FAT16, FAT32 -->, [[NCR Corporation|NCR]], [[Seattle Computer Products|SCP]]<!-- FAT12 -->, [[IBM]], [[Compaq]]<!-- Compaq MS-DOS 3.31-->, [[Digital Research]]<!-- lots of extensions -->, [[Novell]]<!-- lots of extensions continuing the DRI line of products -->, [[Caldera (company)|Caldera]]

| full_name = File Allocation Table

| variants = 8-bit FAT, [[#FAT12|FAT12]], [[#FAT16|FAT16]], [[#FAT16B|FAT16B]], [[#FAT32|FAT32]], [[ExFATexFAT]], [[#FATX|FATX]], [[#FAT+|FAT+]]

| introduction_date = {{Start date|1977}}

| introduction_os = [[Standalone Disk BASIC-80]]

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}}

'''File Allocation Table''' ('''FAT''') is a [[file system]] developed for personal computers and was the default filesystem for the [[MS-DOS]] and [[Windows 9x|Windows 9x]] operating systems]].{{cn|date=September 2024}} Originally developed in 1977 for use on [[floppy disk]]s, it was adapted for use on [[Hard disk drive|hard disks]] and other devices. The increase in disk drivesdrive capacity requiredover fourtime majordrove modifications to the design that resulted in variantsversions: [[#FAT12|FAT12]], [[#FAT16|FAT16]], [[#FAT32|FAT32]], and [[ExFATexFAT]]. FAT was replaced with [[NTFS]] as the default file system on Microsoft operating systems starting with [[Windows XP]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://windows.microsoft.com/en-us/windows-vista/comparing-ntfs-and-fat-file-systems |title=Comparing NTFS and FAT file systems |publisher=Microsoft |access-date=2014-01-27 |archive-date=2016-06-20 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160620004455/http://windows.microsoft.com/en-US/windows-vista/Comparing-NTFS-and-FAT-file-systems |url-status=live }}</ref> Nevertheless, FAT continues to be commonly used on [[flashrelatively memory|flash]]small and othercapacity [[Solidsolid-state storage|solid-state]] technologies such as [[memorySD card]]s and modules (including, [[USB flash driveMultiMediaCard]]s (MMC), many portable and embedded devices[[eMMC]] because of its compatibility and ease of implementation.<ref>{{Cite web |title=A brief introduction to FAT (File Allocation Table) formats |url=http://www.wizcode.com/articles/comments/a-brief-introduction-to-fat-file-allocation-table/ |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150925082826/http://www.wizcode.com/articles/comments/a-brief-introduction-to-fat-file-allocation-table/ |archive-date=September 25, 2015 |access-date=2015-09-24 |website=www.wizcode.com |df=mdy-all}}</ref>

== Uses ==

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=== Historical ===

FAT was also used on [[hard disk drive|hard disks]] throughout the [[DOS]] and [[Windows 9x]] eras. Microsoft introduced [[NTFS]] with the [[Windows NT]] platform in 1993, but FAT remained the standard for the home user until the introduction of [[Windows XP]] in 2001. [[Windows Me]] was the final version of [[Microsoft Windows|Windows]] to use FAT as its default file system.

For floppy disks, FAT has been standardized as [[Ecma International|ECMA]]-107<ref name="Ecma-107" /> and [[International Organization for Standardization|ISO]]/[[International Electrotechnical Commission|IEC]]&nbsp;9293:1994<ref name="ISO_9293_1994" /> (superseding ISO&nbsp;9293:1987<ref name="ISO_9293_1987" />). These standards cover FAT12 and FAT16 with only short [[8.3 filename]] support; [[long filename]]s with [[#VFAT|VFAT]] were partially [[#Patents|patent]]ed.<ref name="Patent_5758352" /> While [[#FAT12|FAT12]] is used on floppy disks, [[#FAT16|FAT16]] and [[#FAT32|FAT32]] are typically found on the larger media.