Don Davidson Computer


In case you are wondering about the distant past.
*
FAT32 vs. FAT16*

Windows 95 Build A used FAT16. If you upgrade to Win98, FAT16 is carried over.

If you have a large hard disk or a or drive C partition larger than 512MB, enable large disk support (i.e. FAT 32). The biggest benefit in using FAT 32 is its ability to more efficiently manage storage space on today's large hard disks. To do so, FAT 32 uses a 4KB cluster size for all hard disks under 8GB. This reduces the amount of slack, or wasted, space on your hard disk when you save small files. For example, on a 1GB hard disk using FAT 16, a 1KB files takes up a 32KB of space while on the same hard disk using the FAT 32 system, a 1KB files only takes up a 4KB of space, that's a savings of 28KB. While this may sound trivial, when you look at an entire hard disk with thousands of small files, the savings is dramatic. In fact, Microsoft guarantees that you'll see at least 10 to 15 percent more efficient use of disk space on the average large hard disk. However, in some cases, we've determined the space savings to be even larger, reaching for the 50 percent range. Of course, the results vary depending on the number of small files on the hard disk.

To enable this feature, in Windows98, go to "System Tools" then "Drive Converter (FAT32)"
Note: Most pre-installed Windows98 computers already have this feature enabled, if set up properly.

to
Help and Curiosities

Go to the top of this page

Don Davidson Computer Home