Super User Stack Exchange
Super User Stack Exchange

Questions tagged [ntfs]

NTFS (New Technology File System) is the default file system for Windows NT and its derivatives (2000, XP, Vista, 7, 8, Server 2003 and 2008).

NTFS (New Technology File System) is the default file system for Windows NT and its derivatives (2000, XP, Vista, 7, 8, Server 2003 and 2008).

Its origins lie in the HPFS (High Performance File System) developed by Microsoft and IBM as part of the ill-fated OS/2 partnership; NTFS was developed to replace the FAT file system, whose limitations rendered it incapable of supporting the capabilities required by Windows NT. As a journaled filesystem, NTFS offers greater reliability than its predecessors; more recent versions offer extended features such as transactional writes and filesystem-level encryption.

2075 questions
551
votes
4 answers

"directory junction" vs "directory symbolic link"?

In the context of NTFS: MKLINK [[/D] | [/H] | [/J]] Link Target /D Creates a directory symbolic link. Default is a file symbolic link. /H Creates a hard link instead of a symbolic link. /J Creates a Directory Junction. Link …
Pacerier
  • 26,733
  • 82
  • 197
  • 273
199
votes
15 answers

"This file came from another computer..." - how can I unblock all the files in a folder without having to unblock them individually?

Windows XP SP2 and Windows Vista have this deal where zone information is preserved in downloaded files to NTFS partitions, such that it blocks certain files in certain applications until you "unblock" the files. So for example if you download a zip…
Tom Kidd
  • 1,627
  • 7
  • 24
  • 26
184
votes
9 answers

Why should I use exFAT over NTFS on removable media?

So, basically I always format my removable mass storage devices as NTFS by default, but someone told me I was better off using exFAT. Now I've been looking around google, but can't find any good reasons why I should. Is there anything that exFAT…
Pylsa
  • 30,630
  • 16
  • 89
  • 116
146
votes
2 answers

Windows 10 "Enable NTFS long paths policy" option missing

For some time, Microsoft has supported an option to remove the limit of 260 symbols for NTFS file name length. The web is full of articles, describing what should be done. Hit the Windows key, type gpedit.msc and press Enter. Navigate to Local…
Dimitar Tsonev
  • 1,665
  • 3
  • 13
  • 9
124
votes
1 answer

How can a file's size on disk be 0 bytes when there's data in it?

I have a file in Windows 10 with 362 bytes of data, but the "size on disk" is just 0 bytes. It's a simple "Hello world" program written in assembly, and saved in Notepad++. How is it possible that the size on disk is zero when the size of the file…
Coder88
  • 1,113
  • 3
  • 10
  • 12
104
votes
5 answers

Why the heck does NTFS allow invisible executables?

You can hide any file inside of another file just by typing: type sol.exe > container.txt:sol.exe and to run the file hidden file just use: start c:\hide\container.txt:sol.exe But the crazy part about this is it doesn't increase the size of the…
Kredns
  • 3,007
  • 7
  • 41
  • 55
103
votes
4 answers

What is the difference between NTFS hard links and directory junctions?

The title says it all... what's the difference? When do I use one and when do I use the other? Added: Note that Junction points, Hard links and Symbolic (soft) links are three separate things on NTFS.
Vilx-
  • 4,145
  • 7
  • 31
  • 38
97
votes
11 answers

How to create and format a partition using a Bash script?

Is there any way to create and format a partition using a Bash script? I think it can be done with fdisk but I don't know how to feed commands from the Bash script into the fdisk shell and then exit the fdisk shell. I'd like to create a partition…
GlassGhost
  • 1,229
  • 1
  • 10
  • 11
91
votes
5 answers

Max files per directory on NTFS vol vs FAT32

What's the max number of files that can be present in a directory on a NTFS volume? Same question for a directory for FAT32 volume?
Gaurav
90
votes
9 answers

What "allocation unit size" should I use for a drive with a single NTFS partition?

I'm formatting a 1TB external hard drive as a single NTFS partition. This drive is mainly meant for storing media. Should I choose something other than the default allocation unit size? The options range from 512 bytes to 64K. Are there any…
Andrew Keeton
  • 2,871
  • 4
  • 27
  • 28
89
votes
6 answers

View a list of symbolic links on system?

Is there a way to see a list of all the symbolic links that are active on a Windows machine? I have accepted @JoachimOtahal's answer as it works within a single second and I think provided what I needed when the questionw as asked. Former accepted…
Louis Waweru
  • 23,945
  • 39
  • 132
  • 198
77
votes
7 answers

How does NTFS compression affect performance?

I've heard that NTFS compression can reduce performance due to extra CPU usage, but I've read reports that it may actually increase performance because of reduced disk reads. How exactly does NTFS compression affect system performance? Notes: I'm…
bwDraco
  • 45,747
  • 43
  • 165
  • 205
66
votes
7 answers

How to hide desktop.ini files without hiding other hidden files/folders?

Is there anyway to hide desktop.ini files, but unhide them when I need them? They get in the way when I'm moving files and such but I do use them so deleting them isn't an option.
Oztaco
  • 1,505
  • 4
  • 18
  • 35
65
votes
6 answers

How do I remove a file named "NUL" on Windows?

I have a Windows XP box (NTFS filesystem) on which I found a file named NUL. I have not been able to remove this file in any usual way. The file appears to be owned by Administrator in the SYSTEM group, unlike any other file in the same directory…
Greg Mattes
  • 3,302
  • 5
  • 25
  • 22
62
votes
9 answers

Delete old windows / program files from second drive?

My PC has a bunch of extra drives. Most of them contain old copies of Windows and Program Files. My PC is called "PC", and my admin user is called "Tim". I've assigned ownership of these second drives to the user "PC\Tim", and also given the user…
frumbert
  • 997
  • 2
  • 10
  • 19
1
2 3
…
99 100