ReactOS NTFS driver reaches installable milestone, beta release nears
ReactOS's built-in NTFS driver has matured enough to install and run the operating system, and can now format NTFS partitions as well.
Summary
ReactOS, the open-source Windows-compatible operating system, has achieved a long-standing goal: its native NTFS driver is now capable of installing and running the OS. NTFS formatting support has also been added. The project notes this brings it closer to a beta release. However, the driver still lacks caching, journaling, and security features, resulting in slower performance than other NTFS implementations.
What the NTFS driver milestone means for ReactOS
- Installation support: The NTFS driver can now handle ReactOS installation and day-to-day system use, not just read-only or limited access
- Formatting capability: New NTFS partition creation is now possible through the driver
- Known limitations: No caching layer (performance penalty), no journaling, no security/ACL support
- Remaining risks: Undiscovered bugs are acknowledged by the project
- Release significance: This capability is flagged as a blocker-level milestone toward the planned beta release
Why it matters
NTFS support removes a key compatibility barrier for ReactOS, which aims to run Windows applications and drivers natively. The milestone may attract more testers and contributors, though the missing caching and journaling limit practical deployment.
Original reference: www.phoronix.com →