Chapter 3
Managing Disk and File Systems
File Storage Basics
Windows XP supports two types of storageBasic
Dynamic
Basic storage systemCenters on partitioning a physical hard drive
Partitioning is the process of dividing the hard drive logical divisions
Each division can contain a different file system
Each division is assigned a unique drive letter
File Storage Basics
Dynamic Storage is a method supported by Windows XP and newer Windows Operating systems
Dynamic storage is based on volumes
A volume functions no different then a partition
Dynamic storage allows for more flexibility in drive configurations
File Storage Basics
Dynamic Storage can create Expanded volumes
Fault-tolerant configurations
Fault-tolerant configurations allows the volume to be increased in size without the lost of data.
Basic Storage
The traditional system for dividing a hard drive is partitions.
Each partition can be formatted with a different file system
Partitions must be formatted before they can be used by the OS
Basic Storage
A primary partition is a division of a hard drive.An extended partition is division of a hard drive the can be further subdivided into logical drives.A hard drive can host
Up to four primary partitionsOr three primary partition and one extend partition
Basic Storage
Only primary partitions and logical drives can be formatted with a file system
A primary partition can be marked active, this informs the computers BIOS that this partition contains the starting information for the computer
Only one partition can be active at a time
Basic Storage
Typically a partition should be created to the maximum storage allowed by the file system chosen.
FAT 4 GB
FAT 32 32 GB
NTFS 4 TB
Basic Storage
Basic storage can support many types of disk configurations from
Single formatted partitions
Redundant Array of Independent Disks (RAID-3)
Basic Storage
Windows XP can only be installed into a basic storage partition.
There are two partition associated with Windows XP
System partition
Boot partition
Basic Storage
The system partition is where the boot files are storedThe boot partition
Is where the main Windows XP system files are locatedThe default location for the paging files
The boot partition can be the same partition as the system or it can be a separate partition.
Dynamic Storage
Is a standard that creates a single partition that encompasses the entire hard drive.
The hard drive that is initialized for dynamic storage is considered a dynamic disk.
Dynamic disks are divided into volumes
A volume can be a portion or portions of one or more physical disks.
Volume
A portion of one or more hard drives
Formatted with a single file system
Accessed through a single drive letter (mount point)
Simple Volumes
Contains space from a single dynamic disk
Is not fault tolerant
You can extend a simple volume to include unallocated space on a single disk
You can format it with NTFS, FAT 32 or FAT
Simple Volumes
Can be a designated drive letter
Can be left disconnected
Can be mounted as a folder on an existing NTFS volume as long as the mounted simple volume is formatted in NTFS
Can be disconnect from one volume and move to a different NTFS volume.
Spanned Volumes
Includes space on multiple disks (up to 32)
Windows will write data to spanned volume filling one disk then the next
Spanned volumes are not fault tolerant, if one drive fails all the data is lost in the spanned volume.
Striped Volumes
Combines free space from multiple hard drives into a single volume
This system maximized performance by adding data to all of the drives at the same time
Striped volumes in Windows XP are not fault tolerant.
If one drive fails all data is lost.
Changing Storage Type
You can upgrade from basic storage to dynamic storage at any time with no loss of data.
You can convert dynamic storage to basic but all data will be lost on the disk.
NTFS Compression
A system that allows files and folders to compresses to take up less space on a drive.
It is not use much on stand alone computers.
Encryption File Systems
Used to provide additions security for data stored on a disk.
Using Disk Maintenance Tools
There are three maintenance tools Disk DefragmenterCheck Disk Disk Cleanup
Disk Cleanup
Used to free up disk space by deleting temporary files and uninstalling programs
Will scan disk and produce list of files and programs that you could delete.
You make the final decision.
ChkDsk
attempts to repair file system errors, locate bad sectors recover readable information from those bad
sectors
Disk Defragmenter
Is used to unfragment disk drives. How fragmentation occurs To start disk defragmenter by going to Start |
All Programs | Accessories |System Tools | Disk Defragmenter.
The Disk Defragmenter window looks like this
The upper pane of the window lists the volumes that you can analyze
The middle pane provides a graphic representation of how fragmented the selected volume is.
The lower pane provides a dynamic representation of the volume that continuously updates during defragmentation.
Analyze Button
Analyzes the disk for fragmentation
After the analysis, the Analysis Display band provides a graphic representation of how fragmented the volume is.
Defragment Button
Defragments the disk.
provides a graphic representation of the defragmented volume
Using Defragmenter Effectively
Run Disk Defragmenter when the computer will receive the least usage.
Make sure that virus scan software is turned off before you start the process
Make sure that the disk has enough free space to do the defragement efficiently
If you do a lot of deleting and adding of data to the disk you should do defragmentation more frequently.