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NTFS

NTFS is a Windows file system that organizes files through a master file table and uses a recovery log to restore filesystem consistency.

Related Observatory article: NTFS on hesela.com

Each file has at least one master file table (MFT) entry, including the MFT itself. Attributes and content can reside in MFT records or in storage described by those records. Deleting a file makes its record reusable without shrinking the MFT. [2]

The recovery log and checkpoints support consistency after a system failure. Access-control lists govern permissions; quotas and rich metadata support file management. These functions address different requirements from validating file payloads against an independently trusted original. [1]

Relations

related
ReFS, File storage, Filesystem consistency invariant, Sparse file, exFAT

Limitations

  • A successful chkdsk scan concerns filesystem checks, not a comparison with a trusted application digest; repair modes can modify the volume. [3]

Citations

  1. Microsoft Learn: NTFS overview, recovery log and access control (accessed 2026-10-21)
  2. Microsoft Learn: Master File Table (Local File Systems) (accessed 2026-10-21)
  3. Microsoft Learn: chkdsk, scan and repair scope (accessed 2026-10-21)
Sources & caveats
  • Source review of Microsoft documentation, accessed 21 October 2026; no Windows crash or repair experiment was performed.

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Hesela team. NTFS. Hesela. 2026-10-21. https://hesela.dev/terms/ntfs/