Storage systems have been improving over time on our computers. We refer to the hard drives that they mount, in addition to the external drives that we normally use. Of course, not all are the same, their differences are what make a PC faster or optimal for certain tasks.
But its operation is not only influenced by hardware as such, but also has a lot to do with the treatment at the software level that we make of hard drives. And you have to bear in mind that when using these internal hard drives that we are talking about, such as external ones or a USB memory , we have to format them first.
What is the use of formatting hard drives or USB sticks
When we talk about formatting a storage unit, whatever the type, it is something basic so that it can work. Here we actually mean that your logical data structure is properly formatted. In this way, what we really achieve is that the operating system is able to understand this structure and thus be able to work with it. Otherwise the hard drives of the computer or those that we connect via USB , could not work.
This is a task that we can carry out quickly by simply clicking on the drive to be formatted with the right button in Windows Explorer.
Well, if we focus on the most used operating system in the world on desktop computers, Windows, to say that there are three types of basic formats. To give us an idea, here we have the possibility to choose between three different types of format such as FAT32, NTFS and ExFAT. Despite being different types of unit formats, some of you may not know their differences. In fact, the operating system itself in principle does not indicate the existing differences. This can translate into that sometimes we find ourselves with certain doubts when choosing the type that interests us the most.
Differences between FAT32, NTFS and ExFAT in Windows
Well, it is precisely for all this that we are going to try to explain the characteristics of each type of format below. This, as you can imagine, in the future will help us choose which one to use at all times.
FAT32, the oldest format
To begin with, we will talk about a type of format for hard drives that has been around for a good number of years. Specifically, we refer to the FAT32 type. It is worth mentioning that this older format that we will talk about here. In fact, it has been with us since the launch of Windows 95 by the Redmond. Initially FAT32 was developed and released to replace the previous FAT16 , so that little by little it would be forgotten.
But of course, thanks to that seniority we are talking about, FAT32 presents us with some advantages. And it can be said that practically any storage device is compatible with it. This is something that becomes especially important when we need to share files between two computers . To give us an idea, this could help us when we need to copy a file to a USB memory formatted in FAT32. Here we will not have a problem on Windows computers, but at the same time we will be able to read its content on a television, game console, etc.
But yes, at the same time we must know that little by little its use is falling. The main reason for all this is due to the advancement of hard drives in general and their gradual increase in capacity. It should be noted that despite its enormous compatibility, this file system has an important limitation. With this what we want to say is that the units formatted in FAT32 cannot store files of more than 4 gigs.
Thus, if the files that we save here are smaller than that size, there is no problem. But if we try to copy a larger file we will get an error. Another of its limitations is that partitions formatted in FAT32 cannot be larger than 8 teras, although this is less frequent today. Therefore FAT32 is ideal for memories or external hard drives where we are not going to save files larger than 4 gigs. It is also interesting to know that FAT32 systems produce greater file fragmentation than NTFS, hence the usefulness of defragmenters here.
NTFS, a more current file system
On the other hand we find the successor to FAT32 and that at the time was created by Microsoft themselves, we refer to NTFS . Of course, how could it be otherwise, NTFS eliminates the two limitations that we talked about before in FAT32. Thus we can handle files of more than 4 gigabytes and partitions of more than 8 teras.
At the same time, it is worth pointing out that this file format also includes a series of improvements that were included at the time to adapt to these times. In addition, it must be taken into account that modern operating systems do not stop advancing, so the storage units have to go accordingly.
To give you an idea, on a drive formatted in NTFS, we have the ability to configure file permissions. We can also create and save a change diary to help us recover the hard drive if something happens to the computer or it has a problem. On the other hand, it should be noted that NTFS also supports the creation of instant backup copies, something basic in these times. Together with these, you also have to know that here we can encrypt the stored files .
Although NTFS is a very advanced file system with few limitations, it has the downside of compatibility with some older devices. Of course, all current operating systems work perfectly with NTFS, but if we use somewhat outdated devices or with outdated systems, we may have difficulty reading NTFS memories or disks. Therefore we could say that this file format is suitable for working with internal hard drives based on Windows.
exFAT, the file system for external devices
Next we also want to talk about the format of units in exFAT . This is something more current, although it has been with us since 2006. Specifically, this came to be the natural substitute for the aforementioned FAT32 and was introduced in most modern operating systems. It is worth mentioning that one of the main format characteristics is specially designed to be used with flash drives .
To say that it is actually a lighter and simpler file system than NTFS, without its security functions, but also without those of FAT32.
All desktop operating systems such as Windows, Mac or Linux are natively compatible with exFAT, as opposed to NTFS. This file format is also compatible with a large number of devices such as televisions, media players, game consoles , etc.
Therefore, for many exFAT it is actually an update of FAT32 where compatibility and simplicity prevail. As we told you, here the restrictions of the 4 gigabytes that we commented before are eliminated, and working with partitions of more than 8 teras. Therefore, as it is easy to deduce, the use for exFAT is for external drives such as USB memories where we are going to save files of more than four gigabytes and that is also compatible with most devices and systems.
