Are you going to format a drive with your computer? We clarify some doubts about the most used file systems

Many times the moment comes when sooner or later you have to pull the system functionalities to fix the erratic operation or the failures that appear in a hard disk (external or internal) or in a memory external (either USB format or memory card). An action that can suddenly make us doubt, since when we begin the process on the computer we are going to face a question Which format to choose?

And the fact is that the system offers us several alternatives (it happens in Windows and Mac) and it is the user who has to determine which one is the most interesting for him.But before opting for one or the other, it is convenient to be clear about the differences between them, something that we are going to try to clarify in this article where we will see how FAT32 differs , NTFS and exFAT (the most common).

With this differentiation we refer to the different file systems thanks to which we are going to organize a certain unit A method that will allow us to have a classification based on a series of criteria and note, there are important differences between them, so depending on the use that we are going to give to the unit we must choose one or the other.

FAT32

It is the most common of the three, well, not in vain It is the one with the longest lifetime behind it FAT32 is the substitute for FAT16 and is over 30 years old (it arrived in 1995 with Windows 95).Although it is no longer used in computer equipment, it is the most used in internal memory units, especially USB type ones.

Being the most common, it is also the most usable and this makes it compatible not only with Windows, but also with Linux and Mac(on Mac the problems with NTFS have caused more than one headache). Thus, if we use a flash drive with this file format, we will guarantee compatibility with almost all _gadgets_ at home.

But as in all cases, there is a but. A negative part that in this case refers to a limitation, today more important than ever. Because FAT32 does not allow working with files larger than 4 GB (or 8 TB partitions), so if you try to copy a video file of For example, your vacation, which takes up more than 4 GB, you're going to run into a nice error message. There is then no choice but to seek another type of organization.

NTFS

And this is where the other file system comes into play. Second in popularity, which began its dominance with the arrival of Windows XP, the eternal Windows. NTFS is an acronym for (New Technology File System) and is the system currently used by most Windows computers (Mac is on the same page).

The main difference with respect to FAT32 is that here the size of the files that can be stored is up to 16 TB (the volumes can reach 264 TB each), a significantly higher capacity and much more in line with current times. But the size, although it matters, is not the only difference, since NTFS also allows working with longer names in the files and also allows their encryption.

And seeing all these virtues, isn't there a less good part? Well yes, there is.And in this case that part is relative, since it mainly affects MacOS X users, since drives with this file system can be read but not managed by Apple computersThis makes them have to resort to third-party programs (Tuxera or NTFS Paragon) that once installed allow it to be used as just another disk. A recurring problem on Linux computers.

exFAT

And since there aren't two without three, it's time to talk about the third option in contention: exFAT. This is the option that has sought to achieve the same degree of compatibility as FAT32 but eliminating the main limitation that it had and that was no other than the 4 GB limit when handling files.

These 4 GB now go up to 16 exabytes, so that the use that we can give to units formatted with this system is greatly expanded In addition, its degree of compatibility is greater, since it can be used with MacOS X and Linux, as well as with consoles such as the Playstation 4 and the XBOX One.

These are the three most common systems but be careful, they do not stop here and we must remember that work continues on new proposals.

ReFS

In the case of Redmond, the new format is called ReFS and is the successor to NTFS. A system optimized for handling large volumes of data while being compatible with NTFS. It will be in charge of making us forget about NTFS although it will not be a process that is carried out immediately and apparently the first recipients for the new system would be the professional environments.

MacOS Plus with registration or MacOS Plus (just dry)

It's first of all, mind you, incompatible with Windows With plain MacOS Plus we find a system that allows us to work with the names of Unicode file, Posix permissions, rich metadata... Meanwhile, the MacOS Plus variant with journaling, which is the default format for Apple devices, also adds advanced file system journaling to maintain file structure integrity. volumes, a system that seeks to facilitate the verification of the integrity of the volume through a record created in the event of a power outage.

HFS+

A system that Apple created to its measure and that makes systems built on GNU/Linux work with it without problems. If, on the other hand, you use Windows, you will only be able to read the contents of the disks formatted with it, but not write to them (inversely what happens with MacOS X and NTFS).

Ext2, ext3 and ext4 file system

Originated from Ext1, they are the evolutions of the former and are the file systems used by GNU/Linux distributions. A system that poses a problem. It can only be used by Linux systems and is therefore very limited.

Therefore we have different systems with which to deal with Now we have to choose which one best suits our needs and circumstances specific at all times. In this sense, it is interesting (in general) to work with the FAT32 system on USB memories while hard drives (HDD or SSD) are called upon to work with NTFS or exFAT since the volume of data with which they work is much greater.

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