Research any topic before you write.

Find related topics. | Discover entities. | See connections. | Build a topical map.

Design of the FAT file system

The FAT file system is a file system used on MS-DOS and Windows 9x family of operating systems. It continues to be used on mobile devices and embedded systems, and thus is a well-suited file system for data exchange between computers and devices of almost any type and age from 1981 through to the present.

Fragmentation, Overview & Data region

Use the mouse wheel or two fingers (on touchscreens) to zoom in and out of the map.

Research this topic

Explore the main themes, entities and connections around Design of the FAT file system. Start with the topic map, then use the sections below for research and deeper semantic analysis.

Explore this topic

Start with a few of the strongest sections from the source topic. These are research directions, not a list of keywords you must use.

Key facts & relationships

High-confidence facts extracted from structured source data. Use them as anchors for further research.

Attributes
Read-only, Hidden, System, Volume, Directory, Archive
Bad blocks
Cluster tagging
Date range
1980-01-01 to 2099-12-31 (2107-12-31)
Date resolution
2 seconds for last modified time, 10 ms for creation time, 1 day for access date, 2 seconds for deletion time
Dates recorded
Modified date/time, creation date/time (DOS 7.0 and higher only), access date (only available with ACCDATE enabled), deletion date/time (only with DELWATCH 2)
Developer(s)
Microsoft, SCP, IBM, Compaq, Digital Research, Novell, Caldera

Topics to explore

Browse the full topic structure. Each item opens a new analysis centered on that subject.

Overview

Reserved sectors area

Data region

Size limits

Fragmentation

VFAT long file names

Advanced semantic analysis

Deeper signals for content research, entity SEO and topical coverage. The plain-language headings explain what each technical view is useful for.

Map overview Semantic statistics

Design of the FAT file system

Nodes90
Edges89
Triples30
Avg. degree1.98
Density0.022222
Components1

How this topic connects Entity context

See the strongest relationship patterns around the current topic before diving into the raw triples.

Design of the FAT file system

Top relations

related to Fragmentation · 7
Design of the FAT file system → Also, DMA, FAT, I/O, On, The FAT, While
Attributes · 1
Design of the FAT file system → Read-only, Hidden, System, Volume, Directory, Archive
Bad blocks · 1
Design of the FAT file system → Cluster tagging
Date range · 1
Design of the FAT file system → 1980-01-01 to 2099-12-31 (2107-12-31)
Date resolution · 1
Design of the FAT file system → 2 seconds for last modified time, 10 ms for creation time, 1 day for access date, 2 seconds for deletion time
Dates recorded · 1
Design of the FAT file system → Modified date/time, creation date/time (DOS 7.0 and higher only), access date (only available with ACCDATE enabled), deletion date/time (only with DELWATCH 2)
Developer(s) · 1
Design of the FAT file system → Microsoft, SCP, IBM, Compaq, Digital Research, Novell, Caldera
Directory contents · 1
Design of the FAT file system → Table
File allocation · 1
Design of the FAT file system → Linked list
File system permissions · 1
Design of the FAT file system → FAT12/FAT16: File, directory and volume access rights for Read, Write, Execute, Delete only with DR-DOS, PalmDOS, Novell DOS, OpenDOS, FlexOS, 4680 OS, 4690 OS, Concurrent DOS,…

Important terminology Word statistics

Use these terms to understand the vocabulary surrounding the topic, not as a checklist for keyword stuffing.

Important terminology

fat file directory fat32 sector cluster dos fat12 system entry fat16 entries used operating systems number clusters also sectors first

Entity relationships Subject–Predicate–Object triples

SubjectPredicateObjectConfidenceSrc
Design of the FAT file systemAttributesRead-only, Hidden, System, Volume, Directory, Archive1.00infobox
Design of the FAT file systemBad blocksCluster tagging1.00infobox
Design of the FAT file systemDate range1980-01-01 to 2099-12-31 (2107-12-31)1.00infobox
Design of the FAT file systemDate resolution2 seconds for last modified time, 10 ms for creation time, 1 day for access date, 2 seconds for deletion time1.00infobox
Design of the FAT file systemDates recordedModified date/time, creation date/time (DOS 7.0 and higher only), access date (only available with ACCDATE enabled), deletion date/time (only with DELWATCH 2)1.00infobox
Design of the FAT file systemDeveloper(s)Microsoft, SCP, IBM, Compaq, Digital Research, Novell, Caldera1.00infobox
Design of the FAT file systemDirectory contentsTable1.00infobox
Design of the FAT file systemFile allocationLinked list1.00infobox
Design of the FAT file systemFile system permissionsFAT12/FAT16: File, directory and volume access rights for Read, Write, Execute, Delete only with DR-DOS, PalmDOS, Novell DOS, OpenDOS, FlexOS, 4680 OS, 4690 OS, Concurrent DOS,…1.00infobox
Design of the FAT file systemForksNot natively1.00infobox
Design of the FAT file systemFull nameFile Allocation Table: FAT12 (12-bit version), FAT16 (16-bit versions), FAT32 (32-bit version with 28 bits used), exFAT (64-bit versions)1.00infobox
Design of the FAT file systemIntroduced1977 (Standalone Disk BASIC-80) FAT12: August 1980 (SCP QDOS) FAT16: August 1984 (IBM PC DOS 3.0) FAT16B: November 1987 (Compaq MS-DOS 3.31) FAT32: August 1996 (Windows 95 OSR2)…1.00infobox
Design of the FAT file systemMax file size4,294,967,295 bytes (4 GB - 1) with FAT16B and FAT321.00infobox
Design of the FAT file systemMax filename length8.3 filename, or 255 UCS-2 characters when using LFN1.00infobox
Design of the FAT file systemMax no. of filesFAT12: 4,068 for 8 KB clusters FAT16: 65,460 for 32 KB clusters FAT32: 268,173,300 for 32 KB clusters1.00infobox
Design of the FAT file systemMax volume sizeFAT12: 32 MB (256 MB for 64 KB clusters) FAT16: 2 GB (4 GB for 64 KB clusters) FAT32: 2 TB (16 TB for 4 KB sectors)1.00infobox
Design of the FAT file systemPartition IDsMBR/EBR: FAT12: 0x01 e.a. FAT16: 0x040x060x0E e.a. FAT32: 0x0B0x0C e.a. exFAT: 0x07 e.a. BDP: EBD0A0A2-B9E5-4433­87C0-68B6B72699C71.00infobox
Design of the FAT file systemTransparent compressionFAT12/FAT16: Per-volume, SuperStor, Stacker, DoubleSpace, DriveSpace FAT32: No1.00infobox
Design of the FAT file systemTransparent encryptionFAT12/FAT16: Per-volume only with DR-DOS FAT32: No1.00infobox

Related concept clusters Concept neighborhoods

These clusters group vocabulary that occurs around closely connected concepts in the source material.

    Connections between topic areas Semantic bridges

    Bridges can reveal useful research angles that are easy to miss in a flat list of related terms.

    Min side: 3
    For writers, content strategists, SEOs, marketers and creators — from quick topic research to advanced semantic analysis.