There are limitations that come from the file system and those that come the operating system. A file system is a kind of basic format/structure for a hard disk that is created when the medium is formatted and later filled with files. There are three common file systems that can be used for hard drives on Windows computers:
Limitations of the different file systems
File system:
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FAT
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Partition size:
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up to 2 GB
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Maximum file size:
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2 GB
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File system:
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FAT32
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Partition size:
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512 MB to 2 TB
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Maximum file size:
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4 GB
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File system:
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exFAT
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Partition size:
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up to 512 TB
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Maximum file size:
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The maximum backup size is only limited by the partition size!
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File system:
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NTFS
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Partition size:
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up to 256 TB (depending on the cluster size)
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Maximum file size:
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16 TB on Windows 7 and older, 256 TB on Windows 8
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FAT32 partitions are still frequently in use, especially on external hard disks, because they are supported by many different operating systems. If a backup archive larger than 4 GB should be created on a FAT32 medium, the backup file is automatically split (multi-spanning).
FAT32 and NTFS – what you need to know about these file systems:
FAT32 – Advantages
•Almost all operating systems can read it, most can write it
•Almost all devices use it (Digital cameras, Receivers, MP3 players, …)
FAT32 – Disadvantages
•Maximum file size: 4 GB
•Therefore not always suitable for large backups!
•a bit slower than NTFS
NTFS – Advantages
•newer operating systems can be installed on it
•higher data rates
•file sizes up to 16 TB möglich
•writes data „intelligently“ to avoid fragmentation
•logs file changes to avoid data corruption if the computer freezes
•supports security permissions
•supports encryption of files and volumes
•supports compression of files and volumes
•faster defragmentation
•file accesses can be logged
NTFS – Disadvantages
•Windows ME and older cannot access NTFS volumes
•Devices cannot read it
Important
Limitations of Z-DBackup The free standard version of Z-DBackup can save at most 10 GB (4 GB in a compressed backup archive) per backup set!
The standard version (freeware version) can only create multi-spanning files up to 2 GB in size.
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