Extended FAT File System
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8/28/2008
Extended file allocation table (exFAT) is a new file system that is better adapted to the growing needs of mobile personal storage. The exFAT file system not only handles large files, such as those used for media storage, it enables seamless interoperability between desktop PCs and devices such as portable media devices so that files can easily be copied between desktop and device. In addition, exFAT can be adopted with minimal effort.
The exFAT system offers the following advantages:
- Enables the file system to handle growing capacities in media, increasing capacity to 32 GB and larger.
- Handles more than 1000 files in a single directory.
- Speeds up storage allocation processes.
- Removes the previous file size limit of 4 GB.
- Supports interoperability with future desktop OSs.
- Provides an extensible format, including OEM-definable parameters to customize the file system for specific device characteristics.
In addition, you can choose to add transaction support to your exFAT implementation (TexFAT) to ensure transaction-safe operations. As of Windows Embedded CE 6.0 and later, TexFAT can only be supported in an exFAT environment.
See Also
Concepts
FAT File System
OEM Parameter Definition with exFAT
Transaction-Safe Extended FAT File System