File System Support

Windows 95 supports the long filename file allocation table (FAT) when running Windows. Any physical file on this extended FAT file system will logically be associated with two names — namely, the primary filename (also referred to as the long filename) and its alternate name or alias. Windows 95 automatically generates the alias, and it is always in the standard 8.3 filename format. When a file is saved to disk, the system creates a directory entry for both the long filename and alias. Because the number of entries in the root directory is limited, it is best to store files in a directory below it to avoid filling up the root. For more information about the filename conventions and how the system generates the alias, see Long Filenames.