FAT32 in Windows XP

FAT32 File System in Windows XP.

• Clusters cannot be 64 KB or larger. If clusters are 64 KB or larger, some programs (such as Setup programs) may incorrectly calculate disk space.

• A FAT32 volume must contain a minimum of 65,527 clusters. You cannot increase the cluster size on a volume that uses the FAT32 file system so that it contains fewer than 65,527 clusters.

• The max disk size is about 8 terabytes when you take into account the following variables:
The maximum possible number of clusters on a FAT32 volume is 268,435,445, and there is a maximum of 32 KB per cluster, along with the space required for the file allocation table (FAT).

• You cannot decrease the cluster size on a FAT32 volume so that the size of the FAT is larger than 16 MB – 64 KB.

• You cannot format a volume larger than 32 GB in size using the FAT32 file system during the Windows XP installation process. Windows XP can mount and support FAT32 volumes larger than 32 GB (subject to the other limits), but you cannot create a FAT32 volume larger than 32 GB by using the Format tool during Setup. If you need to format a volume that is larger than 32 GB, use the NTFS file system to format it. Another option is to start from a Windows 98 or Windows Me Startup disk and use the Format tool included on the disk.

• When you attempt to format a FAT32 partition that is larger than 32 GB during the Windows XP installation process, the format operation fails near the end of the process, and you may receive the following error message: Logical Disk Manager: Volume size too big.

• MS-DOS, the original version of Windows 95, and NT 4.0-and-earlier do not recognize FAT32 partitions, and are unable to start from a FAT32 volume.

• You cannot create a file larger than (2^32)-1 bytes (this is one byte less than 4 GB) on a FAT32 partition.