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Questions tagged [ntfs-mft]

Master File Table (MFT) is an integral component of the NTFS file system. The MFT contains metadata about every file, directory, and metafile on an NTFS volume. It includes filenames, locations, size, and permissions.

The Master File Table (MFT) contains metadata about every file, directory, and metafile on an volume. It includes filenames, locations, size, and permissions. Its structure supports algorithms which minimize disk fragmentation. A directory entry consists of a filename and a "file ID", which is the record number representing the file in the Master File Table. The file ID also contains a reuse count to detect stale references.

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How do we access MFT through C#

I need to access Windows MFT(Master File Table) using C# in my .net application. I have googled about this and couldn't find any good results. I have been searching for the information from the past 2 days but have been unable to find any…
Pratik Singhal
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Implement Change Journal in Delphi (Step 2)

Continuing my previous question, I was able to use this delphi unit to implement crazy FAST drive scan using this EnumMFTEntries() function, but I have trouble doing the following tasks: Task #1: Query the change journal to get the newly modified…
TheDude
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How to get the full path for USN journal query?

I am trying to go through the example on MSDN (https://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/windows/desktop/aa365736%28v=vs.85%29.aspx) on how to query USN journal in order to trace file changes on a NTFS drive. The example code works well. However, in…
Leon
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Can the NTFS $MFT file have child records?

I am writing some code to parse through the MFT on disk in NTFS volumes. This is straightforward, but one particular corner case caught my eye, and I can't find a clear answer anywhere on the internet. For normal files in NTFS it is possible to…
DSII
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Master File Table cleanup utility?

Can anyone recommend a tool for MFT cleanup? I want to in my MFT restore the entries for files which once existed but have been deleted to a "pristine" state, with zeroed out entries.
user82238
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dumping the content of the $mft file

for some commercial project I'm doing I need to be able to read the actual data stored on the $mft file. I found a gpl lib that could help, but since its gpl i can't integrate it into my code. could someone please point me to a project that i could…
user407487
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Speed up NTFS file enumeration (using FSCTL_ENUM_USN_DATA and NTFS MFT / USN journal)

I'm enumerating the files of a NTFS hard drive partition, by looking at the NTFS MFT / USN journal with: HANDLE hDrive = CreateFile(szVolumePath, GENERIC_READ, FILE_SHARE_READ | FILE_SHARE_WRITE, NULL, OPEN_EXISTING, NULL, NULL); DWORD cb =…
Basj
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Finding a set of file names quickly on NTFS volumes, ideally via its MFT

I am in the middle of writing a tool that finds lost files of an iTunes library, for both Mac and Windows. On the Mac, I can quickly find files by naming using the wonderful "CatalogSearch" function. On Windows, however, there seems to be no OS API…
Thomas Tempelmann
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Get file info from NTFS-MFT reference number

In my C# application, I already have a way to examine the file system but I would like to take advantage of reading from the Master File Table (MFT) because it is so much faster. I understand that 1) it is a proprietary specification and therefore…
Craig Silver
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Does NTFS store the hash or CRC32 of every inode/file, how to access it?

I know how to read a file, pass these bytes to a hashing algorithm such as MD5SUM, SHA256 or CRC32, and get the hash. Here I'm asking something slightly different: Each time we write/modify a file on a NTFS partition, does it re-compute a hash or…
Basj
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How to read metafiles of NTFS file system using C

Can anyone show me how to directly access metafiles ($MFT, $Volume, $Bitmap...) ? I need to get info from these files.
s.viva13
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Implement Change Journal in Delphi

I'm seeking to use Change Journal instead of ReadDirectoryChangesW to track changes in my delphi XE2 application (as for why: ReadDirectoryChangesW is not that reliable) The closest I could find in delphi/pascal is something called Delphi…
TheDude
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Understanding the $ATTRIBUTE_LIST in NTFS

I'm examining the NTFS (New Technology File System) and have been stuck in a loop trying to figure out the $ATTRIBUTE_LIST attribute. From this documentation, it is unusual to come across an $ATTRIBUTE_LIST and they're only used if the MFT table is…
SameOldNick
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how to read ntfs master file table using c++

I want to enumerate all the files on a disk. I am using WinAPI FindFirst/FindNext for enumeration. But this method is taking a alot of time. I read somewhere that we can enumerate very fast by reading the ntfs master file table which contains all…
Sardeep Lakhera
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How do you open NTFS metadata/System Files: $LogFile, $Volume, $Bitmap?

I am running on 64-bit Windows 7. I want to get the FileID associated with some of the NTFS System Files. Some of them ("$Mft", "$MftMirr") I can open but others ("$LogFile" and "$Bitmap") fail with an "access denied" error or invalid parameter…
user3124401
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