Filename Limitations Under Real Mode

If Windows 95 is started in single MS-DOS application mode (real mode), only the standard FAT file system (and not the long filename FAT file system) is supported. This means that long filenames that are created in a Windows environment will not be visible when the user exits to single MS-DOS application mode, although the names themselves are physically present on the media. Only the alias (the 8.3 filename) will be visible.

When down-level file systems (such as MS-DOS version 6.0, Windows version 3.1, Microsoft® Windows NT® version 3.1, and OS/2® version 2.11) read a floppy disk that contains long filenames created using Windows 95, the long filename will not be visible; only the alias (the 8.3 filename) will be visible. However, Windows NT version 3.5 supports long filenames. Windows 95 will see the long filenames of files on a floppy disk that were created using Microsoft Windows NT version 3.5, and Windows NT version 3.5 will see the long filenames of files on a floppy disk that were created using Windows 95. Windows 95 will be able to see the long filenames on NTFS or Novell NetWare's file system if there are long filenames on the server.

Because down-level systems are not aware of long filenames, they will not preserve them. If you copy a file from a floppy disk to the hard disk on a down-level system, the long filename associated with the file is not copied over. If you edit a file on the floppy disk using the alias and then save a new copy back on the floppy disk using the down-level system, the long filename associated with the file will most likely be lost. If you take the floppy disk back to the Windows 95 system, only the alias will be associated with the file.