FAT File System (Windows CE 5.0)

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The file allocation table (FAT) driver works with any external storage cards that you can plug into your target device, such as Advanced Technology Attachment (ATA) cards, linear flash cards, and, primarily, PC Cards. These cards can contain a file system partitioned into sections. Each section is mounted as a FAT volume and placed under a special folder in the root directory. The device driver associated with the card provides the name of the mounted folder. If no name is provided, the name Storage Card is used to mount the file system. Once the file system is mounted, it can hold folders, files, and databases.

The following table shows the FAT file system IOCTLs.

IOCTL Description
IOCTL_DISK_FORMAT_VOLUME Formats a FAT volume.
IOCTL_DISK_SCAN_VOLUME Scans a FAT volume for errors.

The following table shows the FAT file system utility functions.

Function Description
DefragVolume Defragments files on a volume and removes any free space in fragmentation. It calls scan disk first to verify volume is free from errors.
DefragVolumeUI Defragments a volume according to the options specified. It contains a dialog box user interface that can be displayed standalone or invoked from another place such as a control panel window.
FormatVolume Formats a volume according to the options specified.
FormatVolumeUI Formats a volume according to the options specified. It contains a dialog box user interface that can be displayed standalone or invoked from another place such as a control panel window.
ScanVolume Scans a volume for errors in the FAT and directories, and for lost clusters according to the options specified.
ScanVolumeUI Scans a volume according to the options specified. It contains a dialog box user interface (UI) that can be displayed alone or invoked from another place, such as a control panel window.

See Also

FAT File System Registry Settings | File System Driver Creation | File System Driver Loading | Storage Manager | File System Filters | Block Drivers

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