How many copies of the FAT does each FAT32 volume maintain in its default configuration?

In the default configuration, each FAT32 volume maintains two copies of the File Allocation Table (FAT). This redundancy is crucial for ensuring data integrity and reliability. If one FAT copy becomes corrupted or unreadable, the system can still access the second copy to retrieve file allocation information. This feature enhances the resilience of the filesystem against data loss or corruption, making it a critical aspect of FAT32's design.

The fact that there are two copies means that data recovery processes can be simplified, as having an additional copy provides a safeguard against potential issues that might arise from file system errors. Other configurations or file systems might handle redundancy differently, but the dual FAT copies are a hallmark of FAT32's approach to data management and reliability.