- FAT (File Allocation Table) was the original file system developed by Microsoft for early versions of Windows to organize files on disks. It stored metadata in a file allocation table and used a linked list data structure. - NTFS (New Technology File System) was developed later to replace FAT as disk sizes increased. NTFS uses more advanced data structures like B-trees and provides features like security, compression, encryption, and journaling. - In NTFS, files are stored in clusters across the disk. The master file table stores metadata about every file and directory, including attributes like security and extended properties. System files also store information to enable features like recoverability.