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Partition size limits for NTFS & FAT32?

SUOrangeman

SUOrangeman

Diamond Member
I understand that NTFS can handle 2 terabytes.

I have a new 45GB drive that I tried to partition to as one FAT32 voume with no luck (max I could get for an extended partition was 32GB). I went with NTFS instead and have had no problems. Now, I've read that some folks have FAT32 volumes up to 80GB! How did they do that? Is FAT32 limited to 32GB? 🙂

-SUO
 


<< I tried to partition to as one FAT32 voume with no luck (max I could get for an extended partition was 32GB). >>




Try making one partition using option 1 then option 1 again. Psssst! *Primary not Extended!*.....😉
 
I had a feeling someone would say that, but I don't want *any* kind of primary partition on that drive. I was already running 4 OSes happily on one drive and adding a primary partition *may* foil that set up. But, maybe I'll try a primary Linux swap partition there or something.

Thanks anyway.

-SUO
 
I probably should have been patient and tried something like Ranish. 🙂 Man, hindsight is a beast. (But, you had better believe that I'm gonna archive the data on that drive and try again tomorrow ... with FAT32!)

Well, here's part of my problem:



<< You cannot format a volume larger than 32 GB in size using the FAT32 file system in Windows 2000. The Windows 2000 FastFAT driver can mount and support volumes larger than 32 GB that use the FAT32 file system (subject to the other limits), but you cannot create one using the Format tool. This behavior is by design. If you need to create a volume larger than 32 GB, use the NTFS file system instead. >>



If was so valuable, MS put it in the KnowledgeBase twice!

Now, I would be content if I can understand why fdisk from DOS wouldn't let me make an extended partition greater than 32GB ...

BTW, the max size for FAT32 can reach 8TB (same links as above). I think NTFS is still 2TB.

-SUO
 
OK....here are the limitations for FAT32:

1. Clusters cannot be 64 kilobytes (KB) or larger. If clusters were 64 KB or larger, some programs (such as Setup programs) might calculate disk space incorrectly.

2. A volume must contain at least 65,527 clusters to use the FAT32 file system. You cannot increase the cluster size on a volume using the FAT32 file system so that it ends up with less than 65,527 clusters.

3. The maximum possible number of clusters on a volume using the FAT32 file system is 268,435,445. With a maximum of 32 KB per cluster with space for the file allocation table (FAT), this equates to a maximum disk size of approximately 8 terabytes (TB).

4. The ScanDisk tool included with Microsoft Windows 95 and Microsoft Windows 98 is a 16-bit program. Such programs have a single memory block maximum allocation size of 16 MB less 64 KB. Therefore, The Windows 95/98 ScanDisk tool cannot process volumes using the FAT32 file system that have a FAT larger than 16 MB less 64 KB in size. A FAT entry on a volume using the FAT32 file system uses 4 bytes, so ScanDisk cannot process the FAT on a volume using the FAT32 file system that defines more than 4,177,920 clusters (including the two reserved clusters). Including the FATs themselves, this works out, at the maximum of 32 KB per cluster, to a volume size of 127.53 gigabytes (GB).

5. You cannot decrease the cluster size on a volume using the FAT32 file system so that the FAT ends up larger than 16 MB less 64 KB in size.

6. You cannot format a volume larger than 32 GB in size using the FAT32 file system in Windows 2000. The Windows 2000 FastFAT driver can mount and support volumes larger than 32 GB that use the FAT32 file system (subject to the other limits), but you cannot create one using the Format tool. This behaviour is by design. If you need to create a volume larger than 32 GB, use the NTFS file system instead.



Here are the limitations for NTFS:

Practical support for drives up to 2TB. Theoretical limit is actually 4 exabytes. (I don't even know how big that is).
 
SUOrangeman, Microsoft has artificially limited the FAT32 partition sizes on Windows 2000 to 32GB. They want you to use NTFS for large volumes.
 
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