A computer file system described most simply is a process for organizing and storing computer data files. The file system should, at the very least, ensure that files are stored securely and are readily available for retrieval. At a minimum, a file system should allow the operating system to write new data files to the storage disk while protecting previously stored files, ensuring that they are not overwritten. And finally, a file system should make stored files easy to find and quick to retrieve. A discussion of the Microsoft file system requires an examination of the history related to how these file systems were introduced and the needs they were trying to meet. Microsoft operating systems now dominate the business and personal computer market. Since they were starting with their very first operating system, it was necessary for them to develop a file system. And over the years, Microsoft has changed its file system as Windows has become more complex and computer hardware has become faster and more powerful. Microsoft's changes to its file system are shown below in the table below. Microsoft file system versions. FAT12 Represents Microsoft's first file system introduced in 1977, it was bundled with Microsoft's BASIC disk. FAT16 Introduced in 1983 with the release of MS-DOS/PC-DOS 2.0FAT32 Introduced in 1996 with the release of Windows 95 OEM service version 2NTFS Introduced in July 1993 with the release of Windows NT 3.1 The name FAT is an acronym which stands for File Allocation Table and refers to a table or list of indexes of file names and clusters. This table is used to centralize information used to identify the physical areas of the disk that are used for storing files...... middle of paper ...... a page related to Windows Vista they go to great lengths to promote the benefits of NTFS. Some features available when you choose NTFS: • File encryption allows you to protect files and folders from unauthorized access. • Permissions can be set on individual files, as well as folders. • Disk quotas allow you to monitor and control the amount of disk space used by individual users • Better scalability allows you to use large volumes The maximum volume size for NTFS is much larger than that for FAT. NTFS performance does not degrade as the volume increases, as is the case in FAT systems • Recovery logging of disk activities allows information to be quickly restored in the event of a power outage or loss. Other System Issues (TechNet) These same pages also provide a table below that describes the size and domain limitations of each file system...