Mike Meyers CompTIA

A+ Guide to

Managing and
Troubleshooting PCs
Third Edition

Implementing Hard Drives

Chapter 12

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A+ Guide to

Managing and
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Overview

Third Edition

In this chapter, you will learn how to

Explain the partitions available in Windows
Discuss hard drive formatting options
Partition and format hard drives
Maintain and troubleshoot hard drives

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A+ Guide to

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Third Edition

Hard Drive Partitions

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Partitioning

Third Edition

Process of electronically subdividing the

physical hard drives
Windows assigns them names such as C: or D:
A hard drive must have at least one partition
Partitioning enables organization of a drive that
suits your personal taste

One physical drive

One or more partitions

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Essentials

Third Edition

Two kinds of partitions:

Basic Disks
Older style
Readable by other utilities

Dynamic Disks
Proprietary Microsoft style

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Basic Disks

Third Edition

Master boot record (MBR)

Small amount of code that takes control of
boot process

Partition table
MBR looks in partition table for partition holding valid
operating system

MBR and partition table

stored in boot sector
Only one MBR per disk

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Basic Disks (continued)

Third Edition

Support up to four partitions

Can have four primary partitions or three primary
partitions and one extended partition

Primary partitioncan be bootable

Stores the OS
Uses a drive letter such as C:

Active partition
A partition must be made active to be bootable

Extended partitionsnon-bootable
Can hold multiple logical drives lettered D: to Z:
These logical drives can also be mounted as folders
with names
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Partitioning

Third Edition

Primary partitions:
Store bootable
operating system(s)
Disk can have up to
four primary
partitions
Active partition is one
currently booted to
Only one primary
partition can be
active at a time

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Extended partitions:
Extended partitions
are not bootable
Disk can have only
one extended
partition
They can be divided
into many logical
drives
Strength is number of
drive letters that can
be used, D: to Z:

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Dynamic Disks

Third Edition

Introduced with Windows 2000 (Server

and Workstation)
Not available in XP Home Edition, Vista Basic, or
Vista Home Premium

Partitions called volumes

No limitation on number of volumes

Added capabilities
Spanned volumes
RAID 0, 1, 5 on Windows Server products
RAID 0 on Windows desktop products
RAID covered in Chapter 11
Other volumes covered in more depth later in chapter
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Other Partitions

Third Edition

Hidden partition
Primary partition hidden from OS
Used to hide a backup copy of OS

Swap partition
Only on Linux and BSD systems
Entire partition that works like page file in Windows

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When to Partition

Third Edition

Older OSs required partitioning before

installation
Command-line program called FDISK

Windows 2000/XP and Vista/7 include

partition tool in install program

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Third Edition

When to Partition
(continued)

After installation
Windows uses GUI called Disk Management
Third-party tools available
GParted (Linux tool
that works on
Windows partitions)
Partition Magic

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Hard Drive Formatting

Third Edition

Formatting configures a partition to hold

files and folders suitable to the OS
Two major functions of formatting
Creates a file system
Creates a root directory

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File Systems

Third Edition

Windows supports three different file

systems
FAT (often called FAT16)

FAT32
NTFS

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File Allocation Table (FAT)

Third Edition

File allocation table (FAT) keeps track of the

sectors that store the various parts of a file
16-bit FAT (FAT16) uses 4 hexadecimal digits to
number the sectors
0000 thru FFFF

FAT is like a two-column spreadsheet

Column one numbers the sectors
Column two contains the status of the sector
Bad sectors = FFF7
Good sectors = 0000

Format creates the FAT and then writes to and

reads from each sector to see if it is good
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FAT Limitations

Third Edition

16 bits can address only 64 K (216) sectors

Sector sizes limited to 512 bytes

64 K 512 bytes = 32 MB max. size in
early drives
What to do to increase capacity?

Solution was clustering, enabling partition

sizes up to 2 GB

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Clustering

Third Edition

Clustering combines a set

of contiguous sectors and
treats them as a single unit
Called a cluster or file
allocation unit
Instead of numbering the sectors,
clusters were numbered
Allowed partition sizes up to 2 GB

Size of cluster increases

with the size of the
partition
See chart on p. 376

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How FAT Works

Third Edition

Windows looks for the first cluster marked

0000 (good and available)
If the file fits in that cluster, FFFF is put in
the status column

If the file is larger than the cluster,

Windows finds the next open cluster
That open clusters number is put in the first status field
to know where to link
Process continues until the file is fully stored
Last clusters status field is marked FFFF (end-of-file)

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Examples of FAT Storage

Third Edition

0000 = Good

FFF7 = Bad

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FFFF = End of File

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Fragmentation

Third Edition

Fragmentation occurs when files are spread

across clusters (not contiguous)
Individual files are broken into pieces that fit into a
sector or cluster
The pieces are stored on the hard drive but may not be
stored in contiguous clusters

Fragmentation slows down the system

during hard drive reads and writes
Programs such as Disk Defragmenter can be
used to defragment files, folders, or both

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Fragmented File

Third Edition

Takes longer for system to piece

together and can impact performance

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Disk Defragmenter

Third Edition

Can defragment disk

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FAT32

Third Edition

FAT32 was introduced with Windows 95

OSR2 (OEM Service Release 2)
Supports partitions up to 2 terabytes

Uses 32 bits to describe each cluster

Allows the use of small clusters
See chart on p. 380

Can still become fragmented

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A+ Guide to

Managing and
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Third Edition

CompTIA A+
Practical Application

NTFS

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A+ Guide to

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NTFS

Third Edition

File system of choice today

Six major improvements

and refinements

Redundancy
Security
Compression
Encryption
Disk quotas
Cluster sizing

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NTFS Improvements

Third Edition

NTFS structure provides redundancy

Uses an enhanced file allocation table called the
Master File Table (MFT)
NTFS keeps a backup copy in the middle of the disk

Security
Provides file and folder access control
Uses access control list (ACL) to restrict or grant
access

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Third Edition

NTFS Improvements
(continued)

Compression
Enables files and folders to be compressed to
save space

Encrypting file system (EFS)

Enables files and folders to be encrypted and
unreadable to anyone without the key
Essentially has integrated
security

Files and folders can be

encrypted or compressed
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A+ Guide to

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Third Edition

NTFS Improvements
(continued)

Disk quotas
Can control how users
can use space
Set on a per-drive basis

Cluster sizes
Can adjust cluster sizes

Rare to do so
NTFS supports 16-TB
minus 64 KB partitions
MBR limited to 2 TB so
have to go to dynamic disk
for full capacity
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A+ Guide to

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Third Edition

Partitioning and Formatting

Process

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Bootable Disks

Third Edition

Any removable media that has a

bootable OS installed
Floppy, CD-ROM, USB thumb drive

All Windows and Linux installation CDs are bootable

Common to create bootable media with tools added

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Partitioning and Formatting

Third Edition

With Windows XP installation CD

During text portion of install
Can create one or more partitions

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A+ Guide to

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Third Edition

Partitioning and Formatting

(continued)

With Windows XP installation CD

Enables you to set the size of the drive
Minimum of 8 MB up to size of drive

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A+ Guide to

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Third Edition

Partitioning and Formatting

(continued)

With Windows XP installation CD

Can format the drive with a file system
NTFS Quicknot as thorough
NTFS Regularchecks the drive

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A+ Guide to

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Third Edition

Partitioning and Formatting

(continued)

With Windows XP installation CD

Can create multiple partitions

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A+ Guide to

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Third Edition

Partitioning and Formatting

(continued)

With the Windows Vista DVD

Follow the screens
No need to put in product key when prompted
initially
Every version of Vista
is on the installation
disc
The product key
determines installation
version

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A+ Guide to

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Third Edition

Partitioning and Formatting

(continued)

With the Windows Vista DVD

Full drive selected by default
Click the Drive options (advanced) button to get
options for creating
smaller partitions
You can resize

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A+ Guide to

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Digression 101: Install the OS

Third Edition

Can't play with partitioning without

loading Windows
So, time to load Windows

ATAPI optical drive installed on SATA controller

Bootable Windows CD-ROM
Adjust boot order in CMOS to make optical drive first
Boot to the CD
Toast any existing partition(s) on the hard drive
Make a new partition of a modest size, such as
20 GB
Follow the prompts and accept default settings to
install Windows
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A+ Guide to

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Disk Management

Third Edition

GUI tool in Windows

Used to manage partitions
In Computer Management in Administrative Tools
Can be launched directly with diskmgmt.msc

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A+ Guide to

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Disk Initialization

Third Edition

All drives must be initialized before use

Right-click disk in Disk Management and

select Initialize
Status Indicator

Unallocated = unpartitioned space

Healthy = just what it sounds like
Active = potentially bootable partition
Foreign = newly connected dynamic disk
Formatting = just what it sounds like
Failed = big trouble

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Creating a New Partition

Third Edition

Right-click in unallocated space and choose

New Partition

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New Partition Wizard

Third Edition

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A+ Guide to

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Disk Management

Third Edition

Creating a partition in Windows

Pick partition type, size, and assign drive letter

< 4 GB can choose FAT, FAT32, or NTFS
4 GB to 32 GB can choose FAT32 or NTFS
> 32 GB can choose only NTFS

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Creating a Logical Drive

Third Edition

Once an extended partition is created, you may

create logical drives in it

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Dynamic Disks

Third Edition

Dynamic disks are a type of storage

Not available in all versions of Windows
Can convert basic to dynamic
Converting dynamic to basic
causes all data to be lost
Regular drives are known
as basic disks
Dynamic disks are divided into
volumes instead of partitions

Home versions of Windows XP and Vista

do not support dynamic disks
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Dynamic Disks (continued)

Third Edition

Simple volumes (single hard drive)

C:\ Volume 10 GB

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D:\ Volume 10 GB

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Dynamic Disks (continued)

Third Edition

Spanned volume (multiple hard drives)

Simple volume spanned across multiple disks
D:\ Volume 10 GB

E:\ Volume 10 GB

New disk80 GB

Effect is more space on E: volume

D:\ Volume 10 GB

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E:\ Volume 90 GB

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Dynamic Disks (continued)

Third Edition

Extending a volume (one hard drive)

D:\ Volume 10 GB

E:\ Volume 10 GB

30 GB unallocated space

E: volume is extended to include unallocated space

D:\ Volume 10 GB

E:\ Volume 10 GB

30 GB unallocated space

Effect is more space on E: volume

D:\ Volume 10 GB

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E:\ Volume 40 GB

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Dynamic Disks (continued)

Third Edition

Simple volume like a primary partition

Striped volume (RAID-0)

Mirrored volume (RAID-1)
Striped with parity (RAID-5)
Desktop products (2000 Pro, XP Pro)
Support RAID 0

Server products (2000 & Server 2003)

Support RAID 0, RAID 1, RAID 5
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Mount Points

Third Edition

Your system partition drive (typically C:)

may be made dynamic
Cannot be extended or spanned

Can create a mount point on C: or other

partition
Drive that functions like a folder mounted into
another drive
Provides additional storage on a hard drive by
creating a folder that holds another entire partition
Partition or volume getting the mount point does
not have to be dynamic
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Creating Mount Points

Third Edition

Right-click an unallocated space on a dynamic

disk and select New Volume
The second screen in the wizard lets you create a
mount point instead of another drive letter
Works like folder
but appears as disk icon

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Formatting a Partition

Third Edition

Can format in Windows Explorer

Can format in Disk

Management

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A+ Guide to

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Third Edition

Maintaining and Troubleshooting

Hard Drives

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Error-checking

Third Edition

Error-checking scans for bad clusters on

hard drives
Often referred to by old name of ScanDisk or
Run command of CHKDSK
Also checks for invalid filenames and tries to fix
them
Looks for lost clusters or chains that do not have a
filename associated with them and deletes them
Checks the links between parent and child folders
Launched via error-checking tools from Windows
Explorer

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Error-checking (continued)

Third Edition

Can check the drive

Can be set to
fix errors
automatically
Can scan for and
recover bad
sectors

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Defragmentation

Third Edition

Disk Defragmenter
Consider using regularly (monthly or weekly)
Will slow down system while running
If not done, system will slow down due to
fragmentation
Can be scheduled
Called DEFRAG by
many techs and
by CompTIA

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Disk Cleanup

Third Edition

Allows you to purge system

of unneeded files
Files in the Recycle Bin
Temporary Internet files

Downloaded program files

Temporary files

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A+ Guide to

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Troubleshooting

Third Edition

Three broad categories

1. Installation errors
2. Data corruption

3. Dying hard drives

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A+ Guide to

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Troubleshooting Installation

Third Edition

Connectivity
Hard drive error
No fixed disks present

HDD controller failure

No boot device available

Drive not found

Solutions include
Checking the cables to make sure they connect properly

Reseating the hard drive controller (if an expansion

card)
Using autodetection in CMOS
Checking the jumper settings

Some PATA drives are incompatible on the same

controller
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Third Edition

Troubleshooting Installation
(continued)

CMOS
CMOS configuration mismatch
No boot device available
Drive not found
Missing OS
Solutions
Always run autodetect in CMOS
Always select LBA
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A+ Guide to

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Third Edition

Troubleshooting Installation
(continued)

Partitions
Failing to partition
Invalid drive specification error

Making the wrong size or type of partition

Format
Failing to format
Drive is not accessible
Invalid media type

Trying to recover lost allocation unit indicates

the drive is dying

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Troubleshooting Corruption

Third Edition

Data corruption
Caused by many things such as power surges,
accidental shutdowns, viruses, and more

Show up as

File is missing or corrupt

Download location information is damaged
Unable to load file
Cannot find command.com
Error loading operating system
Invalid boot.ini

Try running error-checking utility

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A+ Guide to

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Third Edition

Troubleshooting Corruption
(continued)

Extract/expand
Use to copy a
specific file from an
installation CD
Many files located
inside a CAB
(cabinet) file

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Third Edition

Troubleshooting Corruption
(continued)

Corrupted data on bad sectors

The built-in error correction code (ECC) checks
the drive for bad sectors
Disk checkers can be used to fix problems
pertaining to corrupted data

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Troubleshooting Dying HDD

Third Edition

Dying hard drive

The following sounds indicate a drive about
to die
Continuous high-pitched squeal
Series of clacks, a short pause, and then more clacks
Continuous grinding or rumbling

Boot drive issue would show up as no boot

device present
Second drives simply do not show up
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Beyond A+

Third Edition

Third-party partition tools enable you to

create, change, and delete partitions
without destroying the data
PartitionMagic
VCOMs Partition Commander
GParted
Free (open source) license
Linux only

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Third Edition

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