What is NTFS and Working of NTFS

NT file system or New Technology File System is the process of an operating system(Specifically Windows NT) which use for storing, organizing, and finding files on a hard disk efficiently.

This file system was Firstly Introduced by Microsoft as a part of Windows NT 3.1 in 1993.

Benefits of NTFS over other File Systems such as File Allocation Table (FAT) and High-Performance File System (HPFS)

• Performance: NTFS allows file compression so the user can enjoy increased storage space on a disk.
• Security access control: This file system will allow you to place permissions on files and folders so that you can restrict access to mission-critical data.
• Reliability: NTFS focuses on the consistency of the file system so that at the time of a disaster, you still can restore your data.
• Disk space utilization: NTFS also allows disk quotas. This feature only enabled businesses to have more control rather than the user.
• File system journaling: This means that you can easily keep a log or audit⁠ of the files which are added, modified, or deleted on a drive. This audit is called Master File Table (MFT).

Drawbacks of NTFS

The primary drawback of this file system is its modern capabilities can not be accessible by the older technology. And, Because the NTFS is designed to work with Windows operating system, other devices which are operated by macOS or android aren’t always compatible. for example

1. Mac OS computers can read NTFS formatted drives, but for writing on NTFS systems they will need third-party software.
2. Media devices like DVD players, TVs, and digital cameras are likely too old to leverage NTFS storage devices

Additionally, NTFS does not include a system for guaranteeing performance and bandwidth to the file system, which can pose a problem to some users.

How Does NTFS Work

1. A hard disk should be formatted.
2. A file that we stored, gets divided into partitions within the hard disk.
3. Within each partition, the operating system tracks every file stored in a specific OS.
4. Each file is stored in one or more clusters.
5. Each cluster size will be in a range from bytes to 64 kilobytes.

Who Uses NTFS?

In today's world, NTFS is most often used by following operating system

• Windows 10
• Windows 8
• Windows 7
• Windows Vista
• Windows XP
• Windows 2000
• Windows NT

However, it is possible to use NTFS with other operating systems like Linux and BSD.

File Restore With NTFS Permissions

NTFS permissions provide access control for files as well as folders, containers, and objects on shared systems, typically network-attached storage (NAS). There are five basic NTFS permissions:

1. Read: Allows the user to read the file and view its attributes such as ownership, permissions set, etc.,
2. Write: Allows the user to overwrite the file, change its attributes, view its ownership, and view the permissions set.
3. Read & Execute: This allows the user or group to run and execute the application, and perform all actions allowed by the Read permission.
4. Modify: Allows the user or group to modify and delete a file, and perform all of the actions permitted by the reading, Write, and Read and Execute permissions.
5. Full Control: This allows the user or group to change the permission set on a file, take ownership of the file, and perform actions permitted by all other permissions

Comparative analysis on NTFS vs Fat file system