NTFS and FAT partitions can coexist peacefully on your hard drive.
When partitioning your hard drive, you will have to choose between File Allocation Table (FAT) and New Technology File System (NTFS) partitions. NTFS partitions are considered to be superior to FAT for several reasons.
NTFS
NTFS partitions are an overarching system of ordering files. NTFS provides the blueprint for storing, locating, naming and accessing files. It is a sort of Dewey Decimal system for your PC.
FAT
FAT is also a blueprinting system for information storage and retrieval. FAT provides the structure to access your data stored in sectors and clusters on the hard drive.
Security
NTFS partitions have a security advantage. Files in an NTFS partition can be granted permission settings based on the user, limiting who has complete access to the file.
Storage
NTFS provides more efficient means of storage. It stores information in smaller clusters, so if a piece of data does not fill a cluster completely, it wastes less space and saves room on the hard drive.
Backups
NTFS uses log files to back up data. These log files can be accessed after a crash, and the data can sometimes be recovered. FAT systems also make a backup copy of each sector, but due to how they make that copy, the information is less likely to be retrievable in the event of corruption.
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