File Allocation Table

E195199

computer file system file system architecture

The File Allocation Table (FAT) is a simple, widely used file system architecture that tracks the allocation and organization of files on disk storage, commonly employed in older and removable storage devices.

Try in SPARQL Jump to: Surface forms Disambiguation Statements Elicitation Referenced by

All labels observed (8)

Label	Occurrences
File Allocation Table canonical	4
FAT file system	2
FAT12	2
File Allocation Table file system	2
MS-DOS file system	2
FAT file system specification	1
MS-DOS FAT	1
Microsoft FAT specification	1

How this entity was disambiguated

This entity first appeared as the object of triple T1724647 — resolving that mention is where its identity was fixed. The disambiguator weighed these candidate entities and picked the highlighted one (or “None”, minting a new entity). This is how homonymy is resolved: the same surface form can point to different entities.

NED1 Entity disambiguation (via context triple) gpt-5-mini-2025-08-07

Target entity: File Allocation Table
Context triple: [FAT16, uses, File Allocation Table]

A. FAT16
FAT16 is an older 16-bit File Allocation Table file system widely used on early DOS and Windows systems, known for its simplicity and limitations in maximum partition and file sizes.
B. FAT32
FAT32 is a widely used 32-bit file system format developed by Microsoft, commonly employed on older Windows systems and removable storage devices for broad compatibility.
C. VFAT
VFAT is a Linux-compatible variant of the FAT file system that adds support for long filenames and improved interoperability with Windows systems.
D. NTFS
NTFS (New Technology File System) is a Microsoft-developed file system known for its support of large volumes, file permissions, encryption, and advanced reliability features used in modern Windows operating systems.
E. exFAT
exFAT is a Microsoft-developed file system optimized for flash drives and SD cards, designed to handle large files and volumes with broad cross-platform compatibility.
F. None of above. chosen
G. Unsure - the case is ambiguous/there is not enough information to decide.

NED2 Entity disambiguation (via description) gpt-5-mini-2025-08-07

Target entity: File Allocation Table
Target entity description: The File Allocation Table (FAT) is a simple, widely used file system architecture that tracks the allocation and organization of files on disk storage, commonly employed in older and removable storage devices.

A. FAT16
FAT16 is an older 16-bit File Allocation Table file system widely used on early DOS and Windows systems, known for its simplicity and limitations in maximum partition and file sizes.
B. FAT32
FAT32 is a widely used 32-bit file system format developed by Microsoft, commonly employed on older Windows systems and removable storage devices for broad compatibility.
C. VFAT
VFAT is a Linux-compatible variant of the FAT file system that adds support for long filenames and improved interoperability with Windows systems.
D. NTFS
NTFS (New Technology File System) is a Microsoft-developed file system known for its support of large volumes, file permissions, encryption, and advanced reliability features used in modern Windows operating systems.
E. exFAT
exFAT is a Microsoft-developed file system optimized for flash drives and SD cards, designed to handle large files and volumes with broad cross-platform compatibility.
F. None of above. chosen

Statements (49)

Predicate	Object
instanceOf	computer file system ⓘ file system architecture ⓘ
abbreviation	FAT ⓘ
characterizedBy	lack of advanced security features ⓘ limited scalability ⓘ simple implementation ⓘ susceptibility to fragmentation ⓘ wide compatibility ⓘ
commonlyUsedOn	Linux ⓘ Windows ⓘ macOS ⓘ
compatibleWith	most operating systems ⓘ
dataStructureType	table ⓘ
designedFor	disk storage ⓘ
developedBy	Microsoft ⓘ
hasLimitation	limited metadata support ⓘ no built-in journaling ⓘ
hasVariant	FAT12 ⓘ FAT16 ⓘ FAT32 ⓘ exFAT ⓘ
introducedInYear	1977 ⓘ
maximumFileSize	4 GB minus 1 byte for FAT32 ⓘ
maximumVolumeSize	2 TB for FAT32 with 512-byte sectors ⓘ
organizesDataIn	clusters ⓘ sectors ⓘ
originallyDevelopedFor	MS-DOS ⓘ Stand-alone Disk BASIC ⓘ linked to: Microsoft BASIC
replacedBy	NTFS in modern Windows systems ⓘ more advanced file systems on modern computers ⓘ
standardizedIn	ECMA-107 ⓘ ISO/IEC 9293 ⓘ
stores	bad cluster markers ⓘ cluster allocation information ⓘ end-of-file markers ⓘ
supportsFeature	long filenames (VFAT extension) ⓘ short 8.3 filenames ⓘ simple directory structure ⓘ
usedFor	managing free space on disk ⓘ tracking file allocation ⓘ tracking file organization ⓘ
usedIn	USB flash drives ⓘ digital cameras ⓘ early hard disks ⓘ embedded systems ⓘ floppy disks ⓘ memory cards ⓘ older storage devices ⓘ removable storage devices ⓘ