FAT32 File System
The FAT file system organizes data on fixed and floppy disks. The main advantage of FAT file system volumes is that they are accessible by MS-DOS, Microsoft Windows, and OS/2 systems. The FAT file system is the only file system that is currently supported for floppy disks.
The FAT32 file system is the most recently defined file system based on the FAT file system format, which is included with Windows 95 OSR2, Windows 98, and Windows Me. The FAT32 file system uses 32-bit cluster identifiers, but reserves the high 4 bits, so it has 28-bit cluster identifiers.
Valid file names have the following syntax:
[[drive:]][[directory\]]filename[[.extension]]
The drive parameter must name an existing drive and can be any letter from A through Z. The drive letter must be followed by a colon
).
The directory parameter specifies the directory that contains the file directory entry. This value must be followed by a backslash (\) to separate it from the file name.
If a specified directory is not in the current directory, directory must include the names of all directories that are in the file path, separated by backslashes. The root directory is specified by using a backslash at the beginning of the name. For example, if the directory ABCD is in the directory SAMPLE, and SAMPLE is in the root directory, the correct directory specification is \SAMPLE\ABCD. A directory name consists of any combination of up to 8 letters, digits, or the following special characters: $ % ' _ @ { } ~ ` ! # ( )
A directory name can also have an extension that is any combination of up to 3 letters, digits, or special characters that are preceded by a period (.).
The filename and extension parameters specify a file. The filename can be any combination of up to 8 letters, digits, or the special characters previously listed. The extension can be any combination of up to 3 letters, digits, or special characters that are preceded by a period (.). The filename can also include embedded spaces, which are spaces preceded and followed by 1 (one) or more letters, digits, or special characters. For example, disk 1 is a valid value for filename.
The FAT file system volumes are case insensitive, and do not distinguish between uppercase and lowercase letters.
