An integral part of Microsoft’s Windows software, the FAT32 file system allows simplified computer file and folder management. Succeeding the original FAT16 file system and introduced with Windows 95 release 2, FAT32 supports larger files sizes and disk drives. The file system marks each file with six attributes: read-only, hidden, system, volume label, subdirectory and archive. The hidden attribute makes the file invisible to directory searches, unless you explicitly specify you want to see hidden files. It hides confidential files from naive users. These two attributes serve as FAT32’s only security. Unlike the more sophisticated NTFS file system, FAT32 does not distinguish between administrators and other types of users. FAT32 can mark one file in the root directory as a volume label. When you initialize a disk drive with the format command, it prompts you for an optional volume name, which helps distinguish the disk’s contents. If you type in a volume label, FAT32 creates a file with that as its name and marks it with the volume label attribute. If a program modifies a file, it sets the file’s archive attribute. This signals a backup program to copy the file, as the file’s content has changed. If the backup program is in “incremental” mode, it does not copy all files, just those with the archive attribute set. Once it copies the files, it clears the attribute. Writer Bio
