The type of file system installed on a volume determines the things you can and cannot do with that volume. For example, if you have a dual-boot computer and need to access a volume from Microsoft Windows Millennium Edition, you must format that volume using either FAT or FAT32; Windows Millennium Edition cannot access NTFS volumes. By contrast, if you need to enable disk quotas or use file and folder permissions, you must do this on an NTFS volume; neither capability is supported by FAT or FAT32.
The Win32_LogicalDisk class can be used to identify the file system installed on any logical drive on a computer.
NTFS is a more sophisticated file system than either FAT or FAT32. Because NTFS tracks additional attributes, such as quota information, reparse points, and file and folder permissions, NTFS typically provides slower access to files and folders on small volumes (less than 1 GB). On larger volumes, however, the superior search algorithms used in NTFS often make NTFS faster than either FAT or FAT32.
However, unlike FAT or FAT32, NTFS allows you to modify the way the file system works. In some cases, this enables NTFS to work faster and more efficiently, thus negating the performance advantage FAT or FAT32 might have on some volumes. The NTFS properties are not exposed directly. |
