What is NTFS (New Technology File System)?

NTFS (New Technology File System) is one of the most powerful, flexible, and robust file systems today.

What is the NTFS File System and Its History?

NTFS is a file system developed by Microsoft. It was first released in July 1993 with the release of WinNT 3.1. Prior to this, Windows operating systems used the FAT32 structure.

However, FAT32 had limitations such that it could only work with files smaller than 4GB and a maximum of 8TB partitions. Also, it did not provide any data protection in case of power failure.

This system’s metadata is used for better support and performance due to better data configuration and more reliability.

NTFS Architecture

This system relies on something called MFT (Master File Table) to keep track of all the files. NTFS lets you use long names for files, but unlike FAT32, it pays attention to whether letters are uppercase or lowercase.

When it comes to speed, getting files from the partition is quicker than in a FAT-type partition because it uses intelligent methods to find them. In theory, it can handle segment sizes up to 16 exabytes (that’s 17 billion terabytes).

Features

It’s a file system made for Windows NT to build a robust, efficient, and safe system from the ground up.

It can compress and encrypt local files and handle operations. It’s inspired by IBM/Microsoft’s HPFS system used in OS/2, and it’s got some similarities to Apple‘s HFS file format.

It took over from the old Microsoft structure, called FAT, in MS-DOS and early Windows versions.

This new structure has better compatibility with metadata and lots of new features like security and access control lists. It uses more innovative methods to make things faster and more stable and uses less disk space compared to FAT.

The smallest recommended partition size is 10 MB. You can make bigger ones, but the most significant practical size is around two terabytes (that’s a lot of data!) for each volume. So, this size limit affects how big your files can be.

The Advantages and Disadvantages of NTFS File System

Pros

The advantages of this directory method, which is a reliable document system, are;

1. Restores file system consistency in case of power loss or structure failure. You can also reassign bad sectors by moving recoverable data from these sectors to healthy ones.
2. It offers security by allowing you to set permissions on files and folders so that only users and user groups can access them.
3. Theoretically, it supports large partitions with a maximum of 16 EIB (exbibytes) minus 1 KB and approximately 1,152,921 TB (terabytes). However, the partition size accepted by Microsoft OSes is 256 TB.
4. It supports disk quotas, the tool for controlling storage space, and allows administrators to adjust the amount of information each user can store on a particular drive or partition.
5. It uses document compression to increase storage space.
6. You can access disk volumes as regular folders on your document structure.
7. It can recover free space by checking zero fields sequentially from files on disk.
8. Instead of conserving disk space, it reports the free space to the operating system via metadata.
9. Keeps track of files added, modified, or deleted to a drive.

Cons

1. It needs good hard disk space for itself, so it is not recommended to use it on less than 400 MB of free disks.
2. It is not compatible with MS-DOS, Windows 95, Windows 98, or Windows ME.
3. It cannot be used on floppy disks.
4. Many mobile devices, such as Android smartphones and tablets, are not compatible with this directory method.
5. NTFS formatted drives can be read on Mac OS computers but can only be written with the help of third-party software.
6. Some older devices, such as DVD players, televisions, or digital cameras, also do not offer support for storage devices.
7. It does not include a system that guarantees the performance and bandwidth of the file structure.
8. It cannot work with an unlimited number of subdirectories. It is limited to 16,000 folders in a single directory.

NT File System’s Versions

As a document system, it has evolved over its lifetime as it developed the first version of Microsoft and released a number of updates over the years. The main versions of the NT structure are as follows:

These versions are sometimes called v4.0, v5.0, v5.1, v 5.2, and v 6.0 in relation to the Windows version in which they are included. There are some new features in the latest versions, such as disk quotas and volume mount points.

Usage Areas

This famous file structure is the default one used by Microsoft operating platforms since the XP edition. All Windows versions of this use version 3.1. It is also a popular system as it is an excellent choice on an external hard drive.

It is generally not used on SD cards and USB sticks with small storage capacity. FAT32 or exFAT is preferred because of its compatibility with multimedia devices.

Conclusion

To sum up, NTFS is a strong and flexible document system that’s been around since 1993. It has lots of benefits, like protecting your data, controlling who can access it, and compressing your disk to save space. That’s why it’s a good pick for Windows.

But it does have downsides, like not handling lots of subdirectories well and not working with some devices. Still, it is the primary file system for Windows and is crucial for handling and arranging digital storage.