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Everything about File Allocation Table
File system used by MS-DOS and Windows 9x
File Allocation Table (FAT) is a file system developed for personal computers and was the default file system for the DOS and Windows 9x operating systems. Originally developed in 1977 for use on floppy disks, it was adapted for use on hard disks and other devices. The increase in disk drive capacity over time drove modifications to the design that resulted in new versions: FAT12, FAT16, FAT32, and exFAT. Wikipedia →
🧭 Start here: a 6-step reading path
- Read the overview: File Allocation TableA 5-minute orientation
- Pick up a classic book: The C Programming LanguageThe most-reprinted book on the subject
- Read the landmark paper: A dynamic storage allocation algorithm suitable for file structuresCited 4 times
- Go sideways: BIOS parameter blockA closely related topic
- Go sideways: Long filenameA closely related topic
📖 Definitions
Noun A table used internally by the operating system to keep track of the structure of a disk and where files are stored on it.
🗂️ The subject at a glance
🏆 Landmark papers (most cited)
📚 Books worth reading
The C Programming LanguageBrian W. Kernighan, Dennis MacAlistair Ritchie · 1978
Modern Operating SystemsAndrew S. Tanenbaum, Herbert Bos · 1992
Data Communications and NetworkingBehrouz A. Forouzan, Catherine Ann Coombs · 2000
An introduction to computer scienceJean-Paul Tremblay, Richard B. Bunt · 1979
The Conspirators HierarchyJohn Coleman · 1992
System softwareLeland L. Beck · 1985
An introduction to data structures with applicationsJean-Paul Tremblay, Paul Gordon Sorenson · 1976
Fundamentals of data structures in CEllis Horowitz · 1993
Ranked by number of editions on Open Library, a rough measure of how lasting a book is.
🔗 Related topics
- BIOS parameter block In computing, the BIOS parameter block, often shortened to BPB, is a data structure in the volume boot record (VBR) describing the physical layout of a…
- Long filename Long filename (LFN) support is Microsoft's backward-compatible extension of the 8.3 filename (short filename) naming scheme used in MS-DOS. Long filenames…
- FAT filesystem and Linux Linux has several filesystem drivers for the File Allocation Table (FAT) filesystem format. These are commonly known by the names used in the mount command…
- Partition type The partition type (or partition ID) in a partition's entry in the partition table inside a master boot record (MBR) is a byte value intended to specify…
- 8.3 filename An 8.3 filename (also called a short filename or SFN) is one that obeys the filename convention used by CP/M and old versions of DOS and versions of Microsoft…
- Extended boot record An extended boot record (EBR), or extended partition boot record (EPBR), is a descriptor for a logical partition under the common DOS disk drive partitioning…
- Comparison of file systems The following tables compare general and technical information for a number of computer file systems. All widely used file systems record a last modified…
- Disk formatting Disk formatting is the process of preparing a data storage device such as a hard disk drive, solid-state drive, floppy disk, memory card or USB flash drive…