When you use your computer, you probably don’t think about how your computer works. Far less, do you agonize the operating system in your computer using a particular method for organizing its free space and data. But you have to trust me when I tell you that this file system method controls how Windows writes and reads data onto your hard drive.
In general, there are two systems mainly used by Windows. The NTFS, also called the NT system, is most often used by the Windows XP and Windows NT operating systems. The second file system, the FAT-32 (File Allocation Table), uses 32 bit storage elements.
Windows 95 and earlier versions used the FAT-16 or 16 bit storage elements. If necessary the operating system can use file systems from older versions. This means you could use the hard drive from a system such as Windows 3.11 with the new Windows XP version to recover data.
Both the NTFS and FAT use the MBR (Master Boot Record) with a partition table for the structure of files. You can find these within the first sector of the drive. If an error occurs within the partition table or MBR, Windows cannot read anything that is on that particular drive.
Sometimes, you can use different utilities provided by Windows to fix any problems you have with your partition table. You would use Chkdsk for problems within Windows XP and NT, while you can use Scandisk with partition tables on older platforms.
Typically, when you turn on your computer and it begins to boot up, Windows will run these programs to check for problems when the computer has abruptly shut down . You should first use these utilities when trying to repair file system errors. Since they come with the system, with a few clicks of the mouse you can begin checking for errors.