With the leak of build Windows 8.1 9369, we have another look into the development of the platform as Microsoft marches towards what is expected to be a late summer release of the platform, and a preview release in late June. We have already seen a few enhancements such as the File manager and trackpad settings and it now looks like we will also see ReFS support for the client.
The image you see above is from the latest leaked build of 8.1 and it clearly shows that ReFS support is present in 9369. Now, Microsoft could pull the support for the file system before launch of the platform but as of now, it is looking like the updated file system will make its way to Windows 8.1.
What is ReFS? Well, it"s a file system that made its debut back in 2012 and builds upon NTFS. The platform brings enhanced support for large volumes and improved reliability for on-disk structures. In addition, the platform ties into existing APIs and "ReFS supports existing Windows and NTFS features such as BitLocker encryption, Access Control Lists, USN Journal, change notifications".
While this change will not bring many noticeable improvements to the end user, it"s an enhancement to the underlying technology that will deliver improved stability and performance which the end user can appreciate.
While we hope to see this file system make its way in to the release of Windows 8.1, anything can change before launch.
Source: Windows4Live | Wikipedia