# ReactOS achieves NTFS installation after nearly ten years of driver work

> **Key takeaway:** ReactOS can now be installed and run from NTFS partitions using its own driver, though performance and security features remain incomplete.

**Published:** 2026-10-19T18:40:03+00:00 
**Source:** Linuxiac 
**Category:** distro-news 
**Canonical URL:** https://fosswire.org/news/reactos-achieves-ntfs-installation-after-nearly-ten-years-of.html 

## Summary
The ReactOS project announced that its NTFS driver now supports installing and running the operating system from NTFS partitions, a goal pursued for roughly ten years. The driver can also format NTFS partitions compatible with Windows. Previously, ReactOS installations required FAT-based filesystems. The improvements are part of ongoing development rather than a new stable release.

## What the NTFS driver still lacks
- **No caching**: filesystem operations run slower than they would with a complete driver
- **No journaling**: crash recovery features are absent
- **No filesystem security features**: Windows NTFS permission model not implemented
- **Experimental status**: undiscovered bugs expected; not production-ready
- **Builds on prior work**: FreeLoader bootloader gained NTFS boot support in 2022

## Why it matters
NTFS installation removes a practical barrier for users evaluating ReactOS as a Windows alternative, though the alpha status and missing features mean it remains primarily of interest to developers and testers.