File System Comparison (Windows Embedded Standard 2009)
4/23/2012
The type of file system you use determines how you set up user permissions. There are two file system types: NTFS (NT File System) and FAT (File Allocation Table). The following table shows the two file system types and when to use them.
| File System Type | Description |
|---|---|
NTFS |
If your device is set up using NTFS, you can set multiple permission levels on individual files and folders in the file system using Access Control Lists (ACL). Any file or directory in the file system can have multiple levels of access permissions. You can restrict user access both remotely and on the device. NTFS also supports active directory, which allows your system to join a domain and use server-based authorization to establish file permissions. Because NTFS offers the greatest level of control, use NTFS when multiple users have access to the file system. |
FAT |
If your device is set up using FAT, all users have access to all files and folders on the device, regardless of their account type (administrator, standard, or limited). You cannot set multiple permission levels for individual files and folders. |
NTFS is the best choice to maintain the greatest control over files and folders because you can encrypt specific files and directories both locally and remotely. For example, a user who doesn’t have permission to access a file remotely cannot access it by logging onto the device on which the file is stored.
FAT, on the other hand, relies solely on share permissions to protect files and folders. While you can protect a file across a network, you cannot prevent a user from accessing a restricted file if they have access to the device on which that file is stored. Share permissions also can become difficult to manage if you have multiple users on a server who all have their own directories. You can potentially have multiple shares and overlapping shared directories.
NTFS offers a number of additional advantages over FAT, including greater fault tolerance and file compression capability. For more information, see NTFS Security Benefits.
See Also
Concepts
User and Administrator Account Setup