Hardware Reference
In-Depth Information
provides extended attributes and file system security features that do not exist in the
FAT file system.
Upuntiltherelease ofXP,FAT32wasbyfarthemostpopularfilesystem.Because NTFS
is native to Windows 2000 and later (and required for Vista or later boot volumes), NTFS
is by far the most common file system on nonremovable drives. Still, the FAT file system
is the standard for removable (that is, flash) drives and is accessible by nearly every OS,
which makes it the most compatible format for external drives in a mixed OS environ-
ment.
Partitioning normally is accomplished by running the disk partitioning program that
comeswithyourOS.Thenameandexactoperationofthediskpartitioningprogramvaries
withtheOS.Forexample,Windows2000andlateruseeithertheDiskManagementsnap-
in component of the Computer Management service or the
DISKPART
command, whereas
Windows 9x/Me and earlier use the FDISK program. The disk-partitioning tools enable
you to select the amount of space on the drive to use for a partition, from a single mega-
byte (or 1%) of the drive up to the entire capacity of the drive or as much as the particular
file system will allow. Normally for simplicity's sake, I recommend using as few parti-
tionsaspossibleperdrive.NotethattheDiskManagementsnap-inaswellasthe
DISKPART
command included with Windows Vista and later automatically create 4K sector (includ-
ing SSD) aligned partitions, so I recommend using those versions even if you are creating
partitions for use under XP and earlier OSs.
Caution
The disk-partitioning tools included in most OSs normally can't be used to change the size
of a partition; with a few exceptions, all they can do is remove or create partitions. Unfortu-
nately, the act of removing or creating a partition destroys and loses access to data that was
contained in the partition or that was on that part of the disk. To easily resize or otherwise
manipulate partitions without destroying data, I recommend free third-party utilities such as
Parted Magic (
www.partedmagic.com
)
. Parted Magic is also useful for creating 4K sector
aligned partitions as well as moving existing partitions into alignment.
After a drive is partitioned, each partition must then be high-level formatted by the OS
that will use it.
High-Level Formatting
During the high-level format, the OS writes the file system structures necessary for man-
aging files and data on the disk. These data structures enable the OS to manage the space
on the disk, keep track of files, and even manage defective areas so they do not cause
problems.
