Disk Partitioning and File Systems

Questions and Answers

What are the two types of partitions you can divide a MBR disk into?

Primary partition (correct)

Dynamic partition

Logical partition

Extended partition (correct)

What does it indicate if a primary partition is marked as active?

It is a bootable partition.

How many primary partitions can you have on a disk?

What partition allows you to add multiple logical drives?

Extended partition Signup and view all the answers

How many extended partitions are you allowed to have on a disk?

One Signup and view all the answers

What are two important limitations of the MBR partitioning scheme?

Maximum size of a single partition is 2TB and you are limited to 4 total partitions per disk. Signup and view all the answers

What partitioning scheme overcomes the limitations of the MBR disks?

Globally Unique Identifier (GUID) Partition Table (GPT) Signup and view all the answers

What are two key points to remember about GPT disks?

Windows systems support GPT disks as large as 256 TB and as many as 128 primary GPT partitions. Signup and view all the answers

What circumstance allows a Windows 7 system to boot to a GPT disk?

Only 64-bit versions can boot, and only if the computer is an Extensible Firmware Interface (EFI) based system. Signup and view all the answers

What does a GPT disk include for backwards compatibility?

Protective MBR table Signup and view all the answers

What is the function of a recovery partition?

It is used to restore the system to the exact state it was in when it was shipped from the OEM. Signup and view all the answers

Basic and dynamic disks can use MBR or GPT disks.

True Signup and view all the answers

If you convert the disk to dynamic, you will be able to use the system as a dual-boot system.

False Signup and view all the answers

What is a benefit of a dynamic disk?

You can create as many as 2000 volumes on a single disk. Signup and view all the answers

What type of disk allows you to create striped, mirrored, and spanned volumes?

Dynamic disk Signup and view all the answers

What is the RAID configuration that requires at least 2 disks and does not provide fault tolerance?

RAID-0 (striped) Signup and view all the answers

What is the RAID configuration that requires only 2 drives and provides fault tolerance?

RAID-1 (mirrored) Signup and view all the answers

What is the RAID configuration that requires at least 3 drives and provides fault tolerance?

RAID-5 Signup and view all the answers

What RAID configuration requires at least 4 drives and does not support dynamic disks?

RAID-10 Signup and view all the answers

What is the only RAID configuration you can use if you convert the disk to dynamic disks?

RAID-0 Signup and view all the answers

Windows 7 is the only OS that supports mirrored disks.

True Signup and view all the answers

This RAID configuration can only be used on servers.

True Signup and view all the answers

Dynamic disks do not support RAID-10.

True Signup and view all the answers

What RAID configuration is supported on all Windows systems with dynamic disks?

RAID-0 (striped) Signup and view all the answers

What RAID configuration requires each disk to be the same size and improves performance?

RAID-0 (striped) Signup and view all the answers

What RAID configuration is supported on Windows 7 but not XP or Vista?

RAID-1 Signup and view all the answers

What is a spanned volume?

It includes space on more than one physical disk but appears to the OS as one physical volume. Signup and view all the answers

Where are the system boot files located?

Typically c:\ Signup and view all the answers

What is the location for Windows based system files?

Typically c:\windows Signup and view all the answers

Spanned volumes can only be created on what type of disk?

Dynamic disk Signup and view all the answers

What is the purpose of a file system?

To organize files and folders so that the operating system can access the files. Signup and view all the answers

What process organizes the partition based on the file system?

Formatting Signup and view all the answers

What is a track in relation to disks?

It is a complete circle around the disk used to store data. Signup and view all the answers

What are sectors in a hard drive?

Separate areas logically divided on the hard drive that have multiple portions of a track. Signup and view all the answers

What are clusters?

Multiple sectors grouped together, also known as allocation units. Signup and view all the answers

How do file systems identify the location of files on a disk drive?

By the unique number assigned to each allocation unit or cluster. Signup and view all the answers

How many bits does each hexadecimal character represent?

4 Signup and view all the answers

What is fragmentation?

When the file system divides or fragments a file and stores these fragments in different locations on the hard drive. Signup and view all the answers

What are symptoms of fragmentation?

Disk thrashing, slow performance Signup and view all the answers

What will a full format do to the disk?

It will check all the sectors and mark faulty areas as bad. Signup and view all the answers

On a FAT16 file system, what was the maximum partition size you could create?

4GB Signup and view all the answers

On a FAT32 file system, what was the maximum partition size you could create?

32GB Signup and view all the answers

Name some advantages of the NTFS.

File and folder permissions, encryption, compression, larger volumes, efficiency, tolerance. Signup and view all the answers

What is the standard used to access files on optical discs?

Compact Disc file system (CDFS) Signup and view all the answers

Before data can be read or written to a volume or disk array, what must take place?

Must be formatted. Signup and view all the answers

If you have a drive with data on it, and you want to format it to a different file system, what should you do first?

Back it up, formatting wipes the drive. Signup and view all the answers

What should you do to wipe a drive clean?

Get a special program to wipe it clean. Signup and view all the answers

What type of format will prepare the drive and scan for bad sectors?

Full format Signup and view all the answers

What type of format does not scan a disk for bad sectors?

Quick format Signup and view all the answers

What type of format is quicker than a full format but not recommended for a regularly used system?

Quick format Signup and view all the answers

What command would you type at the command prompt to format the volume D with the NTFS file system?

format d: /fs:ntfs Signup and view all the answers

Mount points can be mounted only on empty NTFS folders.

True Signup and view all the answers

What are two problems with converting from a basic disk to a dynamic disk?

The system cannot be used as a dual-boot system and converting back to basic will lead to data loss. Signup and view all the answers

What command line tool is equivalent to the Disk Management GUI?

diskpart Signup and view all the answers

What shortcut key can you press during Windows 7 installation to access the command prompt?

Shift-F10 Signup and view all the answers

What command tool is used to identify and resolve problems with disks?

chkdsk Signup and view all the answers

What chkdsk switch is used to fix errors on the disk?

chkdsk /f Signup and view all the answers

What chkdsk switch locates and recovers readable information while fixing errors?

chkdsk /r Signup and view all the answers

What will Windows often do if it detects a problem with a volume?

Schedule chkdsk to run the next time the system reboots. Signup and view all the answers

What tools verify the integrity of the physical disk and file system?

Check Disk GUI and chkdsk command tool Signup and view all the answers

If you wanted to convert a file system from FAT32 to NTFS, which command tool would you use?

convert Signup and view all the answers

Converting a volume does not reformat it, so it doesn't result in the loss of data.

True Signup and view all the answers

If you wanted to convert the E: drive from FAT32 to NTFS, what would the command look like?

convert e: /fs:ntfs Signup and view all the answers

What must you do to revert from NTFS to FAT?

Reformat it, so you will lose data. Signup and view all the answers

What tool helps determine if a disk is fragmented?

Disk Defragmenter and defrag Signup and view all the answers

What would be the command to defrag the E: drive?

defrag e: Signup and view all the answers

What switch would you use with the defrag command to do an analysis of the E: drive?

defrag e: /a Signup and view all the answers

What switch would you use to defrag all the drives on the system?

defrag /c Signup and view all the answers

What tool would you use to remove temporary cached files from the internet and recycle bin?

Disk Cleanup, cleanmgr Signup and view all the answers

What command was used to partition a disk prior to installing an OS?

fdisk Signup and view all the answers

What is simply a folder that has been shared and is available to other users on a network?

Share Signup and view all the answers

Are UNC's case sensitive?

False Signup and view all the answers

How would you view a listing of all the shares available on a system?

Use the command 'net share' at the command prompt. Signup and view all the answers

What types of shares are created automatically and are available to admins but not to other users?

Administrative shares, example c$, d$, e$ Signup and view all the answers

If you wanted to hide a share, how would you do it?

Use $. Example: \danscomputer\resources$ Signup and view all the answers

What tool could users use to access a shared file if they are not connected to the network?

Offline files Signup and view all the answers

What provides access to folders over a network?

Shares Signup and view all the answers

What are copies of shared files on the local system for offline access?

Offline files Signup and view all the answers

What are some symptoms of a fragmented hard drive?

Drive is slower, LEDs show constant activity. Signup and view all the answers

What RAID configuration requires at least 2 disks, does not provide fault tolerance, and is supported by dynamic disks?

RAID-0 (striped) Signup and view all the answers

Study Notes

Disk Partitioning

MBR (Master Boot Record) allows two partition types: primary and extended.
An active primary partition indicates it is bootable.
Maximum of 4 primary partitions on a disk; you can have 3 primary and 1 extended.
Extended partitions enable creation of multiple logical drives; only one extended partition permitted on a disk.

MBR Limitations

Maximum single partition size is limited to 2TB.
Total partition limit is four (4 primary or 3 primary + 1 extended).

GPT (Globally Unique Identifier Partition Table)

Recommended for disks larger than 2TB, addressing MBR limitations.
Windows supports GPT disks up to 256TB with up to 128 primary partitions.
Extended partitions are not utilized on GPT disks.
Windows 7 can only boot from GPT disks if it's a 64-bit EFI-based system.
GPT disks incorporate a protective MBR table for compatibility with MBR applications.

Recovery and Dynamic Disks

A recovery partition restores the system to its OEM state but is usually hidden.
Basic and dynamic disks can utilize both MBR and GPT partitioning schemes.
Converting to dynamic disks restricts dual-boot system capabilities.

Volume and RAID Configurations

Dynamic disks allow up to 2000 volumes and support various RAID configurations:
- RAID-0 (striped): Requires at least 2 disks; no fault tolerance.
- RAID-1 (mirrored): Requires 2 drives; provides fault tolerance (only supported by Windows 7, not XP or Vista).
- RAID-5: Needs at least 3 drives; provides fault tolerance (server support only).
- RAID-10: Requires a minimum of 4 drives; provides fault tolerance (not supported by dynamic disks).

File Systems and Formatting

File systems organize files for operating system access.
Formatting a partition can result in data loss; backup is recommended before changing file systems.
Full formats check for bad sectors; quick formats do not.

FAT and NTFS File Systems

FAT16 allows a maximum partition size of 4GB, with file size limited to 2GB.
FAT32 allows up to 32GB partition size with 4GB file size limits.
NTFS offers file permissions, encryption, compression, larger volumes, and improved efficiency.

Data Management Tools

Disk Management tools allow for visualization and management of drives.
chkdsk checks disks for errors; chkdsk /f repairs, chkdsk /r recovers readable information.
Disk Cleanup (cleanmgr) removes unnecessary files from the system.

Network Shares and Offline Files

Shares provide network access to folders; administrative shares are hidden from users.
Offline files are local copies of shared network files, allowing access without network connection.
UNC paths are not case-sensitive; “net share” command lists all available shares.

Fragmentation and Performance

Fragmentation occurs when files are stored in non-contiguous sectors, leading to slow performance.
Symptoms of fragmentation include disk thrashing and decreased drive speeds.
Defragmentation tools like Disk Defragmenter can help improve drive performance.

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Description

This quiz explores the fundamentals of disk partitioning, focusing on MBR and GPT partitioning systems. Learn about their limitations, advantages, and how they manage storage on larger disks. Test your knowledge about active partitions, extended partitions, and dynamic disks.