Top 10 Universal File System Drivers Articles By:| Paragon Software Group Blog

When one is not enough, get five!

We are proud to release Paragon UFSD (Universal File System Driver) Value Pack – a bundle of five essential cross-platform tools: NTFS for Mac, ExtFS for Mac, HFS+ for Windows, ExtFS for Windows, and NTFS-HFS Converter, powered with Lifetime UPGRADE ASSURANCE for each product in the bundle.

The UFSD Value Pack has been developed for users working with multiple operating systems to instantly solve compatibility issues. The UFSD Value Pack comes with a lifetime free upgrade guarantee, and is available for just $49.95 — a savings of nearly $100 compared to purchasing the included tools separately. For existing Paragon NTFS for Mac 14 customers, the UFSD Value Pack is available for just $19.95 in their personal MyParagon accounts. For all users with NTFS for Mac 12 version and lower the final bundle price is $24.95. Check out your offer now >>

Paragon UFSD Value Pack includes:

Paragon NTFS for Mac^® 14: Full, ultra-fast read/write access to NTFS partitions under macOS.

Paragon ExtFS for Mac^® 10: Full read and write access to Ext2/3/4 partitions under macOS with data transfer rate similar to native file system performance. The same driver also checks, repairs, creates, and formats Ext2/3/4 volumes.

Paragon HFS+ for Windows^® 11: The only solution with full access to HFS+ partitions on disks of any type (GPT, MBR), with higher transfer rates than native HFS file-system performance.

Paragon ExtFS for Windows^®: Fast and transparent access to Ext2/Ext3/Ext4 partitions under Windows; read and write support for LVM (Logical Volume Management).

Paragon NTFS-HFS Converter: Converts NTFS volumes to HFS+ and vice-versa, with a backup option.

Paragon UFSD Value Pack includes the essential tools for unprecedented high-performance read and write access to NTFS, HFS+, and ExtFS partitions from macOS or Windows-based systems. With Paragon UFSD Value Pack installed, dual-boot users can easily write files to NTFS-formatted USB flash drives, SSDs, or traditional hard drives, and copy data to NAS-based storage from a macOS-based computer.

All these products come with lifetime free upgrade guarantee, which means free upgrades for all included tools delivered directly to the user’s personal MyParagon account, plus free online support!

Paragon UFSD Value Pack is available here for $49.95.

Still have questions? Check this detailed support FAQ!

Paragon Software’s UFSD technology chosen by Western Digital to drive seamless connectivity for new WD Pro series

Our Universal File System Driver (UFSD) technology has been selected by Western Digital Corporation to provide advanced connectivity capabilities for the recently launched WD Pro series of products as part of an expanded software license agreement.

Building upon Western Digital’s use of Paragon’s NTFS and HFS+ UFSD drivers since 2009, the new agreement calls for Paragon’s exFAT technology to be embedded in a broad range of network attached storage (NAS) devices. In addition to supporting Western Digital’s new My Passport® Wireless Pro Wi-Fi® mobile storage product line, Paragon exFAT drivers will also be provided as a firmware update for the new My Cloud® Pro Series NAS, including the My Cloud® EX2 Ultra, My Cloud® EX2100, My Cloud® EX4100, My Cloud® DL2100 and My Cloud® DL4100 NAS devices.

Leveraging Paragon’s UFSD technology for the built-in SD card reader and USB 3.0 port, Western Digital customers can attach their NTFS, HFS+ and now exFAT for SDXC cards and other exFAT-formatted storage devices to WD’s Linux-based products and have rapid, transparent and full read/write access to these non-native file systems. The embedded Paragon drivers feature powerful utilities that maintain file system integrity and fully protect stored data, while delivering high performance for smooth playback and recording of Full HD Video content including 4K Video, with no limits on file or volume size. And by adding Paragon’s exFAT technology, WD products now support SDXC cards and provide maximum interoperability between Windows and Mac OS X operating systems.

“Paragon has already proven its value as a trusted software provider to our storage product lines and solutions, with powerful UFSD technology that enhances connectivity to create seamless cross-platform interoperability for our customers,” said Sven Rathjen, VP, marketing content solutions, WD. “We are pleased to extend and strengthen our partnership, and appreciate the top notch support we receive from their dedicated team.”

Western Digital’s new My Passport Wireless Pro Wi-Fi mobile storage device, offering up to 3TB of storage capacity, is built to accompany professional photographers and videographers in the field for easy and wireless offloading, editing and streaming of captured photos and HD videos. Also designed for creative professionals, and with up to 32TB of storage, the My Cloud Pro Series NAS solutions are optimized to import files from cameras, memory cards (with a USB adapter) and other USB storage with a simple one-touch backup button.

“Western Digital is a world-class company with world-class products. We are thrilled and honored to expand our partnership by supporting their exciting new mobile storage and NAS offerings,” said Tom Fedro, president, Paragon Software Group Corp. “Through the use of our UFSD products, Western Digital is not only delivering seamless connectivity, but also providing a greater customer experience.”

For more information on Paragon’s UFSD offerings, visit our website

Paragon ExtFS for Windows 4 has been released! Extended Ext4 Linux File System Support, Higher Transfer Rate

We have finally released Paragon ExtFS for Windows 4 – an updated version of the utility software designed to grant full read and write access to Linux file systems under Windows. Paragon ExtFS for Windows simplifies data sharing, providing users with the ability to transfer files between otherwise incompatible systems at a higher data transfer rate than native file-system performance.

New features:

New! Supports nearly all of the latest Linux format Ext4: 64bit, dir_index, extent, extra_isize, ext_attr, flex_bg, has_journal etc. (Linux bigalloc, journal_dev, meta_bg features are not currently supported.)
New! The driver now works much faster, even when the Linux volume is short on free space. The product is able to transfer a larger amount of smaller files at twice the speed, with an increased rate of random read/write operations.
New! Unlimited trial version. Following the initial 10-day trial, the data transfer rate decreases to 5Mb/s, but the product otherwise remains fully functional.
New! For Windows users with less-frequent needs, the data transfer speed can be reset for up to 25 days free of charge by sharing with friends on Facebook via the in-app link.

The new version of Paragon ExtFs for Windows comes with extended support for Ext4 file formats, enabling the highest transfer speeds. The new ExtFS for Windows 4 mounts Linux volumes, including those over 2TB in size, up to two times faster than the previous version. Best of all, for owners of Paragon ExtFS for Windows Professional 3, the upgrade is free.

- The new ExtFS for Windows mounts Linux volumes much faster, including large volumes over 2TB;
- Ability to mount any number of Ext 2/3/4 partitions at once;
- - With ExtFS for Windows, the Linux logical volume manager retains all functionality, performing open, close, read, and write operations in the usual way!

Learn more about Paragon ExtFS for Windows 4

ReFS Support added to Paragon Universal File System Drivers

Resilient File System (ReFS) was first introduced by Microsoft Corporation in the release of Microsoft Server 2012. Since then support of this file system has been integrated into Microsoft server and desktop operating systems like Windows 8/8.1, Windows 10, Server 2016 (Technical Preview).

ReFS was designed with one key goal in mind – file system integrity and the ability to verify and auto-correct data without need to run a separate file system checking utility.

To provide better NTFS file system compatibility for existing applications, Microsoft is using the same API for implementing file system semantics: “This code implements the file system interface (read, write, open, close, change notification, etc.), maintains in-memory file and volume state, enforces security, and maintains memory caching and synchronization for file data. This reuse ensures a high degree of compatibility with the features of NTFS that we’re carrying forward”.

Unfortunately even with the upper-layer engine nearly identical to what’s found in NTFS, up until now, only Microsoft platforms provided access to ReFS volumes; as a result, a Windows PC or a virtual machine running a supported Windows operating system would still be required to open files on Refs volumes from other platforms such as Linux, Mac, etc.

Paragon Software’s development team has been working on integrating ReFS file system support into our UFSD (Universal File System Driver) technology since 2012. We are happy to announce the present result of this work and release a Paragon UFSD driver that supports working with Refs volumes in read-only mode (full solution with both read and write support is under active development).

Introduction to the Paragon ReFS Universal File System Driver

1. Create a ReFS volume on Windows Server 2012 platform:

2. Mount a ReFS volume on Linux:

3. Copy data from ReFS on Linux:

As you can see, with the help of the Paragon ReFS driver anyone can make a copy of their data from the ReFS volume on a Linux platform, without need for a Windows PC.

ReFS Compatibility within the Microsoft Ecosystem

With the release of Microsoft Server 2016 Technical Preview versions, Microsoft has shown that it continues to develop the ReFS file system. The newest ReFS version implemented into the Server 2016 Technical Preview 5 revision is not currently compatible with the previous Microsoft platforms, like Windows Server 2012 R2.

Attaching a ReFS volume from Windows Server 2012 to Windows Server 2016 (Technical Preview 5) – the ReFS volume is recognized:

ReFS is now ready for your Read-Only workloads. If you want to to take advantage of this new technology, please contact Paragon’s sales team at sales@paragon-software.com.

5 reasons to use Paragon USB plugin to increase Android’s performance

#1 – Extra storage space instead of buying a new smartphone

The more storage space a mobile device has, the more expensive it costs. With Paragon’s USB plugin, you won’t need to spend more on storage space. Instead, just use an inexpensive portable storage device connected to your Android device using the USB OTG cable — the same way you already do it with your desktop computer or laptop. There’s no longer a need to replace your Android device when all you need is more storage space.

There are two simple ways to get extra storage space using Paragon Software:

SD card: Add an extra 32-128 GB for less than $25
USB Mass Storage Device: Use it for backup or to save multimedia no matter where you are

#2 – Connect with everything

Your boss or client uses an iPhone, but it’s too hard to transfer a presentation from your Android device. Paragon’s USB plugin supports multiple partitioning schemes and file systems, including NTFS, HFS+, and FAT32.

#3 – To be online or not to be? It’s no longer a question

You do not need to stay online all the time to work with data. Cloud storage is not yet the best way to share or work with multimedia and other common data. Even if you were in Antarctica, you can make data transfers between any device without mobile internet or Wi-Fi by using any SD card or USB Mass Storage Device you prefer.

#4 – Save & Share 4K videos and other high-resolution media

2016 will see an explosion of 4K and 8K video content, creating new storage demands for the video creation industry and tech-savvy consumers. Filming in 4K takes up about seven times more data than 1080p, so what’s the best solution for storing all of this data? You can simply use portable storage devices as a data bank, connected to your Android device using a USB OTG cable and Paragon’s USB plugin.

#5 – NTFS Support on Android without Root

Android does not yet natively support NTFS read/write capabilities (read more above). Most SD cards/pen drives arrive formatted as FAT32. Average users who prefer not to root their Android smartphones can now add NTFS support to Android from the Total Commander app and USB plugin developed by Paragon. Enjoy non-root communications!

Download and install Total Commander for Android, install Paragon USB plugin, connect NTFS, FAT32 or HFS+ formatted disks or other storage devices via USB OTG and enjoy instant, high-speed access.

Paragon Camptune X can now add up 2 GBs to your BootCamp partition

The updated version comes with a redesigned user interface, and allows owners of the free edition to also work with Boot Camp.

New and improved features:

2GB can now be reallocated between OS X and Windows absolutely free, particularly convenient for urgent, last-minute changes to available disk space.

The new interface design is more intuitive and user-friendly.

Ivan Sidorin, product manager: “We have improved the overall impression of working with the Camptune X application, which has been redesigned to be more convenient from the user’s perspective. We pay close attention to how the user interacts with the software. The new version also improves overall reliability. Finally, we’ve made it more convenient for users of the free edition — for example, if you’re running out of disk space on the Windows partition and urgently need to preserve system updates or other files under 2GB in size. With Paragon Camptune X 10.10, you can now do it in just one click without having to purchase the full version.”

The apps supports OS X 10.6 Snow Leopard to OS X 10.11 El Capitan.

Download yourself and try now!

UFSD SDK makes it easier for system management, security software vendors and motherboard manufacturers to expand capabilities in UEFI environments

The new SDK expands the possibilities for system management and security software vendors working in UEFI environments. The technology allows system vendors and motherboard manufacturers to make their UEFI systems more competitive and user-friendly.

Introduced by Intel in 2005 as a replacement for the aging MBR (Master Boot Record) and PC BIOS (Basic Input/Output System) interfaces, UEFI now comes standard on new computers, where it is positioned between the operating system and firmware stacks. Despite advantages over traditional BIOS and MBR, UEFI is technically limited by its support for FAT32 (File Allocation Table), an outdated file system, which restricts file sizes to less than four gigabytes. In an effort to address this problem, motherboard manufacturers have started to implement read-only NTFS support into their UEFI firmware — but this only solves half of the problem.

With the release of UFSD SDK for UEFI, Paragon Software now delivers a complete read/write solution. Based upon the company’s industry-proven, cross-platform Universal File System Driver library used around the world in billions of devices such as smartphones, tablets, routers, networked storage, and cameras, the new SDK opens transparent, full read/write support for Windows-native NTFS, Linux-native ExtFS, and other file systems in the UEFI pre-boot environment.

Key Features

Full access to NTFS, ExtFS, ExFAT, HFS+, ReFS in the UEFI pre-boot environment

Example Scenarios

Use NTFS- or ExtFS-formatted thumb drives to install operating systems
Check the integrity of core OS files in the pre-boot environment and restore modified files
Scan for and remove malware (including “rootkits”) before they gain control over the running OS
Deploy system updates in the pre-boot environment without interfering OS applications
Restore NTFS or ExtFS volumes from backup images

How it Works

Watch the video demonstration

Availability:

The UFSD SDK is available for licensing

Faster, More Efficient Backup with Paragon Snapshot for Mac OS X

On OS X, traditional backup archives are created at the file level by Apple’s built-in Time Machine and other third-party software that work in a similar fashion. Paragon Snapshot for Mac OS X is the only technology that allows users to create block-level archives of OS X volumes. Recovery from images made with Paragon Snapshot for Mac OS X are up to four times faster than restoring from existing Time Machine backups. Compared to file-level backups, the software also provides a higher compression rate for archived files. Among other advantages, Paragon Snapshot for Mac works 100 percent online while OS X is running, requiring no system restart or reboot. With this Snapshot technology in place, incremental backups will be smaller, because the block-level imaging stores only the blocks that have changed.

Once integrated, Paragon Snapshot will prove invaluable for Mac owners, providing them with an option to elevate and accelerate backup routines. When disaster strikes, Paragon Snapshot for Mac enables hassle-free recovery from snapshot-based backup archives, which is significantly more efficient than recovering from file-level backups. Based upon the company’s industry-proven, cross-platform Universal File System Driver, Paragon Snapshot for Mac OS X supports all popular file systems not natively supported by Mac (e.g., Windows NTFS or Linux ExtFS), thus assuring the safest data imaging and integrity.

Availability
Paragon Software provides flexible licensing packages for independent software developers as well as large disaster recovery solution vendors.

Paragon Software secures two new major OEM partners for its Universal File System Driver technology

Global Agreements with Kingston Digital Inc. and ZTE Corporation Boost Paragon Software’s OEM Presence in Worldwide Mobile Device Market and Underscore Its Strength and Innovation in Embedded System Driver Technology

Paragon’s Universal File System Driver (UFSD) solutions have been licensed by leading technology manufacturers Kingston Digital Inc. and ZTE Corporation to fuel mobile product initiatives, allowing them to deliver upon the promise of high performance and interoperability for their customers.

As mobile device usage continues its explosive growth, with a recent study revealing that greater than 50 percent of online time is now spent on mobile platforms, interest in Paragon’s UFSD driver technology is on the rise in the OEM market, according to Tom Fedro, President of Paragon Software Group Corporation.

“Paragon’s Universal File System Drivers, including our exFAT and NTFS for Android offerings, play an important role in supporting our tier one OEMs’ efforts in the mobility market by ensuring high performance and complete interoperability with storage media of all kinds,” said Fedro. “We are very excited to have Kingston Digital and ZTE join our long list of OEM clients leveraging Paragon technology to deliver a powerful, uncompromising user experience.”

Full NTFS access for OS X Yosemite Developer Preview users with Paragon NTFS for Mac® OS X Yosemite Preview

Download now: free-of-charge, and no registration is necessary! Using NTFS partitions of any kind with the new OS X has never been easier.

Paragon Software releases the first NTFS driver to support Apple’s OS X Yosemite Developers Preview. Paragon NTFS for Mac® OS X Yosemite Preview is a free 60-day trial of NTFS for Mac® OS X Version 12 that will be launched this fall with the release of the new OS X.

Paragon NTFS for Mac® OS X Yosemite Preview is the first driver solution for fast access to NTFS partitions from the new Mac OS X 10.10 Yosemite Developer Preview. The program guarantees advanced support of NTFS file systems and provides fast and transparent read/write access to any NTFS partition under OS X 10.10 Developer Preview.

The commercial release of Paragon NTFS for Mac® OS X Version 12 is scheduled for the fall 2014. Users of NTFS for Mac OS X 11 will get a free upgrade to Paragon NTFS for Mac OS X 12 at that time.

Download now free-of-charge – no registration necessary!