OS/2 and High Performance File System 
  
Why should I use High-Performance File System (HPFS)? What does it offer 
me? Does it work with Disk Operating System (DOS)?  
 
HPFS is an Installable File System (IFS) provided with OS/2 Warp that can 
be used instead of (or alongside of) the standard DOS-style File Allocation 
Table (FAT) file system. HPFS offers long file names (up to 254 characters 
including the path. This greatly exceeds the "8 dot 3" limit in DOS's FAT 
file system). HPFS also offers contiguous storage of extended attributes, 
resistance to file fragmentation, improved media error handling, smaller 
cluster size, support for larger file storage devices (up to 512 
Gigabytes), and speedier disk operation, particularly on large hard disks, 
for systems with more than 6 Megabytes of Random Access Memory (RAM). HPFS 
is not case sensitive, although it does preserve case in file names. 
However, HPFS is not currently supported on removable media, although some 
programs (e.g., BACKUP) preserve long file names on such FAT disks. Also, 
native DOS cannot access an HPFS partition without a special utility. 
However, DOS/Windows sessions running under OS/2 can use all files that 
conform to the "8 dot 3" naming conventions, even if they are stored on 
HPFS volumes. (FAT is not required for compatibility with DOS and Windows 
applications running under OS/2 Warp.) 
 
If you have any questions about this procedure, please post a note in the 
appropriate topic or forum area. Be sure to include your OS version and 
your model number (i.e., 2155-G82).