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Topic starter 01/08/2025 10:00 pm
🗂️ FAT16 (File Allocation Table 16-bit) is an early file system developed by Microsoft, widely used in the DOS and Windows 9x era. It was designed to organize and manage files on smaller storage devices like floppy disks and early hard drives.
🧠 Core Characteristics
- 16-bit cluster addressing: Can reference up to 65,536 clusters, which limits volume size
- 8.3 filename format: Filenames are restricted to 8 characters plus a 3-character extension (e.g.,
REPORT.TXT) - Simple structure: Easy to implement and compatible with many operating systems
📐 Technical Specs
| Attribute | FAT16 Details |
|---|---|
| Max volume size | ~2 GB (or 4 GB with 64 KB clusters) |
| Max file size | Same as volume size |
| Max number of files | ~65,000 |
| Filename format | 8.3 (ASCII only) |
| Journaling | ❌ No |
| Supported OS | DOS, Windows 95/98, Linux (read/write) |
🧪 Real-World Use Cases
- Legacy systems: FAT16 was the default for MS-DOS and early Windows
- Embedded devices: Still used in some low-resource environments
- Bootable media: Supported by BIOS for booting from USB or floppy
⚠️ Limitations
- No support for long filenames (unless using VFAT extensions)
- No journaling or advanced permissions
- Inefficient space usage on larger volumes due to large cluster sizes
