What is FAT

File Allocation Table (FAT) is a file system

invented and owned partly by Microsoft
Corporation, for the use of MS-DOS. It is also
the file system of all the non-NT core
Microsoft windows. As the capability of the
computer was limited at that time, FAT file
system was simplified. Therefore, it almost
can be used by all the operating system of all
personal computers.
--Source from
http://www.powerdatarecovery.com/data-re
covery/fat.html
Definition of FAT
File Allocation Table (FAT) is a file system invented and owned partly by Microsoft
Corporation, for the use of MS-DOS. It is also the file system of all the non-NT core
Microsoft windows.
As the capability of the computer was limited at that time, FAT file system was simplified.
Therefore, it almost can be used by all the operating system of all personal computers.
This superiority makes it become the ideal floppy and memory card file system. It also can
be used in data exchange between different operating system.
However, FAT has a vital defect. When the file is deleted and the new data is written at the
same place, their sections are usually scattered, which slow down read-write speed. Disk
fragment reforming can solve the problem, but the recombination should be used
frequently to keep the efficiency of FAT file system.
FAT also has the following defects:
1. Large capacity disk is a waste of space.
2. Low efficiency of disk utilization
3. Limitation of file store
4. Non-support of long file name, only for 8 characters.
5. Low security
Third-party support
Other IBM PC Optional operating systems such as Linux, FreeBSD and BEOS are in
support of FAT format, and most of them also quickly support VFAT and FAT32 format
after the release of corresponding Windows version. The early edition of Linux includes
UMSDOS format which is stored as an independent FAT called Linux with Unix file
attributes(such as long file name and access permission).UMSDOS was stopped after
the release of VFAT, and the function was forbidden since the use of core 2.5.7. Besides

startup disk, the other volumes are also in support of FAT system.