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I have a question related to what I'm currently testing/working on/trying to understand.

I created a small text file with the following content

abc.txt

ABCDEF

Now when I view File Properties

enter image description here

I see the file's size is 6 Bytes (since there are 6 characters) & Size on disk is 4Kb.Fair enough. There must be some metadata associated with this file such as Type of File, Timestamps, Security Information etc.

Where is all this information stored ? Is it the MFT (I'm almost certain it is) ? If so, Can I in any possible way find out how much space is consumed by the metadata for this file ?

Dhiwakar Ravikumar
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  • Hi I don't think this is a duplicate question. I understand the difference between Size & Size on Disk. What I want to know is the size of file in bytes for data+file metadata (Please see the last question I've asked) – Dhiwakar Ravikumar Oct 28 '14 at 17:32
  • Ahh in that case you want: [How are the file metadata stored in Windows?](http://superuser.com/questions/659410/how-are-the-file-metadata-stored-in-windows) – Ƭᴇcʜιᴇ007 Oct 28 '14 at 17:36
  • thanks that's helpful @TECHIE007. If I feel the answer there answered by question, I will delete this question immediately :) – Dhiwakar Ravikumar Oct 28 '14 at 17:39
  • @DhiwakarRavikumar - You shouldn't delete the question. If you ask tons of questions that are not well received by community and delete them. Eventual you won't be allowed to ask new questions. Questions that are deleted still count toward your hidden score toward that event. – Ramhound Oct 28 '14 at 18:14
  • Okay @Ramhound. Thanks for Warning me. Hopefully I won't be barred from asking questions :). I won't delete this one. – Dhiwakar Ravikumar Oct 28 '14 at 18:18
  • @DhiwakarRavikumar - Ask well researched, detailed questions, and it will be well received. – Ramhound Oct 28 '14 at 18:25

1 Answers1

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That is not the case. Your file has an absolute size of 6 bytes. The file system you are using, however, has a block size of 4KB, meaning the partition is segmented in 4KB blocks and your file, while having only 6 bytes, has to be written on a 4KB block, thus "Size on disk".

All the files in your system will have a minimum "size on disk" of 4KB due to this, even if they are actually smaller and all of your files will have a "size on disk" that is multiple of 4KB (4096 bytes).

The metadata size you referred will not appear there at all, even if it's stored with the file at the file system level.

Ryakna
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