File Management Improvements
The Microsoft Windows 95 file system is better and faster than the Windows 3.x file system. The following table summarizes the significant improvements.
| Feature | Improvement |
|---|---|
| 32-bit VFAT | Disk access is provided by the 32-bit VFAT (virtual file allocation table). This virtual device works in protected mode, requiring no time-consuming mode changes every time the system needs to write to the disk. |
| Long filenames | Filenames can now be as long as 255 characters (including the path). Long filenames in Windows 95 are implemented without creating incompatibilities with 16-bit applications. |
| Demand paging | This is an advanced algorithm for paging memory to the swap file. It is faster than a permanent swap file in Windows 3.x and dynamic (adjusts according to the load on the system). |
| VCACHE | This 32-bit cache driver replaces SMARTDrive (a 16-bit real mode driver). |
| CD-ROM support | Windows 95 uses a protected mode 32-bit file system to speed up CD performance, CDFS (CD-ROM File System). |
| IDE and SCSI support | Windows 95 has its own EIDE and SCSI drivers so it no longer relies on third-party drivers. |
| Port drivers | These 32-bit drivers communicate directly with specific disk devices, thus allowing a floppy disk to be formatted in the background. |