Usually, we may often need to format computer disks, USB disks or mobile hard disks. However, when formatting the hard disk, file system options will pop up, generally speaking, they are ntfs and fat32. , exfat, these three formats, many friends may not know the difference between them, and they don’t know which format is better. The editor below will introduce their specific differences to you, come and take a look.
The difference between ntfs, fat32, and exfat when formatting a USB disk
1. Partition example: NTFS
NTFS is now the most widely used partition example. We can Set permissions, and has many more functions than Fat32, and is excellent in security, ease of use, and stability. It became popular after Win2000, and now it has developed to the point where NTFS supports a maximum of 256TB (MBR), and a GPT partition supports a maximum of 128EB. Nowadays, most computer hard drives use NTFS. When partitioning, we recommend the first choice of NTFS partitioning example! It is not recommended to use NTFS for USB flash drives, as it will greatly shorten the lifespan.
Since the NTFS partition paradigm is a patent of Microsoft, it is more or less a little troublesome for Mac users. MAC users need to use third-party software to write to the NTFS file system, so if you consider multi-platform Users, we increasingly recommend the exFAT format.
2. Partition example: FAT32
Usually U disks are basically in FAT32 format, but its compatibility is better. Almost all mainstream systems now read this format. Write, but its security is not high, permissions cannot be set, and the disk utilization efficiency is relatively low. The key is that the capacity of a single file is limited. The copy size cannot exceed 4GB, and the file name cannot exceed 255 characters. Since the capacity of USB flash drives is getting larger and larger, FAT32 format is not recommended.
When we copy a file, if the file size exceeds 4GB, the system will remind you that the file is too large and the copy cannot be completed.
3. Partition example: exFAT
exFAT can also be called FAT64, which has appeared since Windows CE6. It solves the problem that FAT32 does not support large-capacity files above 4G, and directly supports the maximum 16EB (currently 256GB), applicable to both Windows and Mac, and has very strong cross-platform capabilities. It is a file system specially designed by Microsoft for flash memory (U disk, memory card) flash memory devices, and has very good compatibility. It is recommended that mobile devices such as USB flash drives are preferred.
What is the best format for USB disk format?
Regarding the choice of hard disk formatting, there is no doubt that NTFS is more suitable for disks (mechanical hard drives, solid-state drives), while exFAT is suitable for flash disks (U disks). plate). ExFAT is an upgraded version of FAT32, which mainly breaks through the limitations on the capacity of a single file.
Theoretically, the NTFS format does have a certain impact on the life of the flash drive. This is due to the working principle of its file system. It is a journal-type file system, which means that various files Actions are written to the storage device in detail, so when file corruption or failure occurs, the previous situation can be easily restored through the log. This gives NTFS an incomparable advantage over FAT32 in the operation of the operating system.
But the problem is also here. Whether the U disk uses an MLC chip or an SLC chip, there is a theoretical value for the number of writes. Obviously, the read and write operations of the storage device in the NTFS format are much more frequent than that of the FAT32. All kinds of excellent characteristics were obtained in exchange for this. The reason is very clear. As the number of reads and writes increases, the life of the U disk becomes relatively shorter.
And for some devices, such as digital cameras, MP3, etc., due to their design characteristics, they cannot support the NTFS format and can only use the FAT32 format. However, the FAT32 format has many defects, such as it is easy to produce Fragmentation, not supporting large files above 4G, etc. There is no file fragmentation problem for U disks, but not supporting large files above 4G is quite fatal. Sir, if you often download game disc images or directly extract high-definition movies You know, they are often monsters with 4G or above. If you cannot use a USB flash drive to copy these resources, it will obviously make it difficult to use the computer in daily life. Using NTFS format will shorten the life of the USB flash drive, which is a dilemma.
exFAT is the format that emerged to solve this problem. It is an extension of the FAT format rather than a completely new format. Strictly speaking, it is a format higher than FAT and lower than NTFS. It is just to solve the problem of U There are some disadvantages of using FAT32 for disks, such as not supporting large files, loss of life, etc. First of all, the transmission speed of the FAT format is lower than that of NTFS. In addition, other aspects are sacrificed in order to extend the life, and there is a decrease in speed. And due to the special format, there are currently very few softwares that support exFAT data recovery. If you only seek speed and do not consider service life, it is better to use NTFS format.
Summary:
1. Partition example: NTFS
NTFS is now the most widely used partition example. We can set permissions more than Fat32. Many functions, and excellent in terms of security, ease of use, and stability. It became popular after Win2000, and now it has developed to the point where NTFS supports a maximum of 256TB (MBR), and a GPT partition supports a maximum of 128EB. Nowadays, most computer hard drives use NTFS. When partitioning, we recommend the first choice of NTFS partitioning example! It is not recommended to use NTFS for USB flash drives, as it will greatly shorten the lifespan.
Since the NTFS partition paradigm is a patent of Microsoft, it is more or less a little troublesome for Mac users. MAC users need to use third-party software to write to the NTFS file system, so if you consider multi-platform Users, we increasingly recommend the exFAT format.
2. Partition example: FAT32
Usually U disks are basically in FAT32 format, but its compatibility is better. Almost all mainstream systems now read this format. Write, but its security is not high, permissions cannot be set, and the disk utilization efficiency is relatively low. The key is that the capacity of a single file is limited. The copy size cannot exceed 4GB, and the file name cannot exceed 255 characters. Since the capacity of USB flash drives is getting larger and larger, FAT32 format is not recommended.
When we copy a file, if the file size exceeds 4GB, the system will remind you that the file is too large and the copy cannot be completed.
3. Partition example: exFAT
exFAT can also be called FAT64, which has appeared since Windows CE6. It solves the problem that FAT32 does not support large-capacity files above 4G, and directly supports the maximum 16EB (currently 256GB), applicable to both Windows and Mac, and has very strong cross-platform capabilities. It is a file system specially designed by Microsoft for flash memory devices (U disks, memory cards), and has very good compatibility. It is recommended that mobile devices such as USB flash drives are preferred.
All the above content is to provide you with an introduction to the differences between ntfs, fat32, and exfat when formatting a USB flash drive, as well as a detailed introduction to what format is good for formatting a USB flash drive~ I hope it will be helpful to everyone,
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