5.5.1 Partions, Volumes, and File systems

extended partition

* Breaks the 4x1 rule * Not req. * Not bootable, OS cannot reside there (bootloader won't be able to boot the sys from there) * 1 extended partition per storage device - we can have up to 3 primary partitions and 1 extended - if we have 2 hard drives we can have 1 extended on each hard disk * Can't be directly formatted * Contains logical partitions (which reside within one extended partition) !! Can't create an extended par. on one that already has 4 partitions

6GB = 10 GB=

6 240 mb 10 240 mb

Directory (Also called a folder)

A container in a volume that holds files or other directories. In Windows, this is also known as a folder. - Nothing more than a container for organizing files in your storage space. After creating a directory, you can create or add files to go in that directory.

spanned volume

A type of disk volume that extends a simple volume across multiple disks, up to a maximum of 32.

Unreadable Status

Indicates a hardware failure, I/O errors, or other corruption. Can also be caused by a delay in reading the disk in Disk Management. Try rescanning the disk to see if the status changes. If it doesn't, troubleshoot the hardware or disk.

Online (Errors) Status

Indicates that I/O errors are detected on a dynamic disk. To correct the problem, try reactivating the disk.

application files

An "application file" is also the term used to describe a file that a program puts on a computer after it gets installed. They're more often called program files and might use the EXE file extension, but either way, they don't necessarily have anything to do with the APPLICATION file extension.

Unavailable Status

Indicates that errors occurred on physical or dynamic disks.

Healthy or Online status

Indicates the disk is turned on and can be accessed. The volume on the disk is valid and has no errors.

How can you reformat a drive from FAT to NTFS without losing the data?

Create a backup in advance. You can also use the Convert to NTFS feature in EaseUS Partition Master Free or CMD conversion command as shown on this page for help. No data loss will happen in using either method.

Virtual Memory

Space on a hard disk or other storage device that simulates random access memory.

swap file

The disk space that is set aside for virtual memory

How do you prepare a new hard drive so that you can store and save data?

We create partitions, then you create volumes, and last you format the disk space.

Shrink Partitions

You can shrink a partition in Disk Management using the Shrink Volume option in Computer Management. * Creates another partition * No extra HDDs needed *Ordinary files are relocated * New allocated space * Can destroy data

How is dynamic volumes better than basic volumes?

* Increase available storage within a volume - if you've got basic volumes in a system and you're running out of disk space, your only option is to install a new hard disk drive in the system. Create a partition on it, create a basic volume from that partition, and copy all of the data from the old basic volume to the new basic volume. This can be a painful process and takes a lot of time to complete. - with dynamic volumes, the process of adding space is easy. All you have to do is install the new hard disk in the system and convert it to a dynamic disk. Create a partition on that new dynamic disk and allocate the space in that partition to the existing volume. * Also allows you to create RAID arrays; basic disks don't. Dynamic disks are very powerful.

Basic Disks

* Use primary and extended partitions. - Each physical disk can have up to four primary partitions or three primary partitions and one extended partition. - Logical drives are defined within an extended partition. You can have up to 24 logical partitions on an extended partition. The extended partition can be divided into multiple logical drives. * Require a logical drive in an extended partition before you can format and store data. The logical drive is the storage unit, not the partition. * Are supported by all operating systems. * Support only volumes made up of contiguous disk space. * Store partition information in a portion of the master boot record (MBR) known as the partition table. - The partition table has room for up to four partition entries. - When you use an extended partition, one of the four entries points to an extended boot record (EBR). The EBR is located within the extended partition and contains information about the logical drives within the extended partition. - One of the key benefits of basic disks is that they can be accessed by any operating system. A basic disk can be accessed by DOS (disk operating system), Windows and Linux. - When creating volumes on a basic disk, a basic disk can only host basic volumes

Formatting is the process of preparing a partition to use a specific file system. Be aware of the following facts regarding formatting:

* When you format a disk, you identify the file system type and identify the cluster size used to store data. * Reformatting removes the existing file system and replaces it with the new file system type. Reformatting a drive deletes all existing data. * If your system or disk supports multiple operating systems, be sure to select a file system supported by all operating systems you will use. * Microsoft does not recommend the use of NTFS on a volume that is smaller than approximately 400 MB (due to the amount of space overhead involved in NTFS). * When using NTFS on removable devices, you must use the Safely Remove Hardware feature before removing the flash device to prevent file corruption. * A Full format removes the files from the partition. The hard disk is also scanned for bad sectors. * A Quick format removes the reference (or index) to the files, but the files are still there. Because the reference to the files has been deleted, the files are inaccessible. The disk is not scanned for bad sectors.

Be aware of the following when managing partitions and volumes:

* You should use Disk Management or DiskPart to create, format, and manage partitions and volumes. - Access Disk Management on Windows systems through Computer Management. - Access DiskPart from the Command Prompt or Windows Terminal. * Basic and dynamic disks use the same hardware, but different partitioning methods. - You can convert a basic disk to a dynamic disk without losing data in existing partitions. - Existing basic volumes and logical drives in an extended partition are converted to dynamic volumes. - You must reboot the system to complete the conversion if the disk contains the boot or system volume, or if the volume includes the page file. * When converting from a dynamic disk to a basic disk, you must delete all existing volumes. * The active partition identifies the partition that contains the operating system (or the program that loads the operating system) used to start the computer. * The extended partition or a logical drive on the extended partition cannot be set to active. * You cannot install the operating system on a dynamic disk. You can, however, upgrade a basic disk containing the operating system to a dynamic disk after installation. * When you shrink a partition, unmovable files (the paging file or the shadow copy storage area) are not automatically relocated. - You cannot decrease the allocated space beyond the point where the unmovable files are located. ::: To shrink the partition further: - Check the Application log for Event 259. It identifies the unmovable file. - Move the paging file to another disk. - Delete the stored shadow copies. - Shrink the volume. - Move the paging file back to the disk. *You can shrink primary partitions and logical drives on raw partitions (those without a file system) or partitions using the NTFS file system. * To shrink a partition, you must be a member of Backup Operators or Administrators (or equivalent) to complete this process.

Reasons to partition a hard drive include:

- Assigning the boot system to a different partition than application and data files can help many computers run more smoothly and minimize damage in a system crash. - Storing the swap file on its own partition is sometimes necessary or useful. - Creating a separate partition for the operating system can help it run properly. Some operating systems can't run on a large partition. - Assigning log files to be stored on distinct partitions can help minimize the effects of a system crash caused by excessively large log files. - Assigning distinct operating systems to run on separate partitions allows a multiple boot system setup.

Disk Partitioning

-The first step when preparing disks • May already be partitioned • Existing partitions may not always be compatible with your new operating system -An MBR-style hard disk can have up to four partitions -GUID partition tables support up to 128 partitions • Requires UEFI BIOS or BIOS-compatibility mode • BIOS-compatibility mode disables UEFI SecureBoot • You'll probably have one partition -BE CAREFUL! • Serious potential for data loss • This is not an everyday occurrence

How would you convert a drive from NTFS to FAT32?

1. Through File Explorer 2. Right click the device 3. Click format then select FAT32 make sure quick format is selected

How do you convert a drive from FAT to NTFS without the data being lost?

1.Convert the D: drive to NTFS. 1. Right-click Start and select Windows Terminal (Admin). 2. At the PowerShell prompt, type convert d: /fs:ntfs and press Enter. 3. Type Data and press Enter to configure the current volume label. 4. From File Explorer, double-click Data (D:) and make sure that the files are still there.

How many partitions can a drive have?

As few as one up to 4. - OS has to be on a primary partition (doesn't matter which) !! 4x1 rule

Basic Volumes

A basic volume is limited to only using partitions within the same single basic disk. In other words, a basic volume cannot span disks. You can't use space from a partition on one disk and space from a different partition on a different disk in a basic volume. e.x. For example, if we had two hard disk drives in our system and each hard disk drive had a partition on it. They are both basic disks. Then we can not create a basic volume that spans both of them; it just doesn't work. When we're dealing with a basic disk, we have to have a one-to-one relationship between partitions and volumes. If you have two partitions on a hard disk drive, then you can create two basic volumes.

File

A file is a one-dimensional stream of bits treated as a logical unit. * Files are the most basic component that a file system uses to organize raw bits of data on the storage device itself. * The file name is made up of the directory path plus the file name. * An extension can also be added to the filename to identify the file type and the program used to create, view, and modify the file.

Extended File Allocation Table(exFAT)

A file system designed to support large flash drives such as USB flash drives and SD cards.

File system

A file system organizes and stores data and information on a storage device. The file system and the operating system work together to ensure data availability, integrity, and accessibility. * A means for naming, organizing, and storing data on a storage device.

Match each file system component on the left with the correct description on the right. Partition Volume Directory File

A logical division of a storage device associated with a hard drive. Partition A single accessible storage area within a file system. Volume A container in a file system used to logically sort and organize data. Directory A one-dimensional stream of bits treated as a logical unit. File A directory (also called a folder) is a container in a volume that holds files or other directories. A directory is used to logically sort and organize data to keep related files grouped together. There are four main components to a file system: - Partition - a logical division of a storage device associated with a hard disk drive. - Volume - a single accessible storage area within a file system that can encompass a single partition or span across multiple partitions. - Directory - a container (also called a folder) in a volume that holds files or other directories. It is used to logically sort and organize data to keep related files grouped together. - File - a one-dimensional stream of bits treated as a logical unit. Files are the most basic component that a file system uses to organize raw bits of data on the storage device itself.

Partition

A logical division of a storage device. Before a drive can be partitioned, it must first be initialized. During this process, a partition style is selected, such as Master Boot Record (MBR) or GUID Partition Table (GPT). A single storage device can contain one or more partitions. A partition can be initially created without being formatted, but in most cases it is formatted to allow an operating system to be installed or to store data. When a partition is formatted, it is given a drive letter to help a user distinguish which partition is being used, such as C:\ or D:\. A partition cannot span to a separate physical storage device. - are identified by 16-bit entries that make up the partition table located in the master boot record (MBR) of the drive. - A hard disk can contain a single partition that encompasses the entire drive or multiple partitions that divide up the storage space on the hard disk drive. * The action

What is the difference between a partition and a volume?

A partition is a logical division of a disk (either physical or virtual). If a physical disk is the equivalent of a filing cabinet, think of a partition as a drawer in that file cabinet. A volume is a logical assembly of one or more partitions that is mounted by the operating system for use as a mass storage container.

Active partition

A primary partition that is marked for use by the system during startup. Windows operating systems can only be booted from an active partition. (10)

Bootloader

A program that identifies all of the places an operating system might reside (usually the hard disk, but possibly also an optical disc, USB drive, or network), loads the operating system into memory, and starts it up.

MBR (Master Boot Record)

A program that reads the partition table to find the primary partition used to boot the system.

Volume

A single accessible storage area within a file system. - A volume can encompass a single partition or span multiple partitions depending on how it is configured and the operating system you are using. - Volumes are identified by drive letters. * The result of the Partition "action"

partition table

A table that contains information about each partition on the drive. * For MBR drives, the partition table is contained in the Master Boot Record. * For GPT drives, the partition table is stored in the GPT header and a backup of the table is stored at the end of the drive.

logical drive partition (also called a logical drive)

An independent section of an extended partition used to separate and organize data. * Resides in extended partitions * Up to 24 logical partitions per hard disk * How you break the 4 partitions rule !still limited to 4 paritions if there before e.x. OS logical partition within C

New Technology File System (NTFS)

For Windows systems, you will typically choose NTFS over FAT for hard drives to take advantage of additional features not supported by FAT such as: * The ability to format larger partition sizes in Windows. * Smaller cluster sizes for more efficient storage with less wasted space. * File and folder permissions to control access to files. * Encryption to hide the contents of a file. * Compression to reduce the amount of space used by files. * Disk quotas to restrict the amount of disk space that files saved by a user can use. *Volume mount points that allow you to map disk space on another partition into an existing volume.

How does Dynamic disk differ from basic disk?

Dynamic disks provide a lot of features that basics don't have. First, you can create a volume that spans multiple dynamic disks. Whenever you create a volume from either one or more dynamic disks, you've created a dynamic volume. Remember, if you create a volume on a basic disk, you've created a basic volume. If you create a volume on a dynamic disk, you've created a dynamic volume. e.x. Let's suppose we have two hard disk drives in the system. On hard disk A, we create two partitions. This is my first primary partition and this is my second primary partition. I convert this disk to be a dynamic disk. On hard disk B, I also created two primary partitions and I've converted this disk to be dynamic disk as well. I format this first partition within a file system and that is now my C:\ drive. This is where your operating system files will be installed. For the remaining partitions, including the second partition on the first disk as well as both partitions on the second disk, I can create a dynamic volume that consumes the space from all three of these partitions. To do this, a dynamic disk uses a hidden database. This hidden database tracks which partitions are assigned to which particular dynamic volume. That way we don't break our volume.

When configuring A hard drive, you must choose a file system for computer. The following table explains the characteristics of the file systems supported in Windows systems:

FAT 32 Partition size: 2 terabytes* Volume Size: 2 terabytes* File name length: Long File Names (255 characters, spaces) File size: 4 gigabytes Number of files allowed: 268,435,437 NTFS Partition size: 256 terabytes Volume Size: 256 terabytes File name length: Unicode (255 characters, anything but /) File size: 16 gigabytes Number of files allowed: 4,294,967,295 !!! Although a FAT32 partition can be up to 2 terabytes, the Windows Disk Management tool can create only a 32 GB FAT32 partition. To create larger FAT32 partitions, you must use the Command Prompt, PowerShell, or a third-party tool.

You have just purchased a new USB drive that you want to use to troubleshoot the computers in your company as well as other network devices, such as printers and projectors. You need to format this new drive with a file system that will be recognized and used on all devices. Which of the following file system types would meet MOST, if not all, of your needs when formatting your USB drive? NFS CDFS NTFS FAT32

FAT32 FAT32 is your best choice. Many of the older operating systems (and non-PC systems like printers, projectors, and TV sets) were initially installed or designed to use FAT32. Formatting your USB drive with any of the other file systems would make it incompatible with many of the devices you need to maintain.

log files

Files created in Windows to track the progress of certain processes.

Formatting

Formatting prepares the disk area with the rules and the specifications for how data is saved. The file system identifies how files are located on a drive. It identifies any additional features that are available for storing and managing your files.

GPT Partitions

GPT is the newest partitioning style; it is now the default option when initializing a disk. GPT is associated with Unified Extensible Firmware Interface (UEFI). The name GPT is based on the fact that every partition on the drive has a globally unique identifier (GUID). That means that each partition worldwide would have its own unique identifying number. A GPT partition: * Can be configured as a basic disk or a dynamic disk. * Supports up to 128 partitions depending on space allocated for the partition table. There is no need for extended and logical partitions. * Can support between 8 and 9.4 zettabytes depending on the sector size. * Stores multiple copies of the partition table across the disk. GPT partitions: - Are more robust than previous partition types. - Can recover if the data is corrupted. * Stores cyclic redundancy check (CRC) values to check that data is intact. - If the data is corrupt, GPT notices the problem and attempts to recover the damaged data from another location on the disk. - The master boot record (MBR) doesn't know if the data is corrupted. You would know there was a problem only when the boot process failed or the partitions vanished. * Includes a protective MBR. - The protective MBR sees the GPT drive as a single partition that extends across the entire drive. - If you try to manage a GPT disk with an old tool that can only read MBRs, it will see the GPT disk as a single partition that extends across the entire drive. - The protective MBR makes sure that the old tools don't mistake the GPT drive for a non-partitioned drive and overwrite all the data.

You have four volumes on a basic hard disk. You convert the disk to dynamic. After the conversion, which of the following are you MOST likely to see as the status of the fourth volume if it is valid and has no errors? Healthy (Basic) Healthy (Primary Partition) Healthy Healthy (Dynamic) Healthy (Logical Drive)

Healthy If a basic disk is converted to dynamic, the status of all partitions on that disk would be changed to show a status of Healthy. There are no primary or logical partitions on a dynamic disk. A basic hard disk can have only have four primary partitions. To get around this limitation on basic disks, the fourth partition is automatically configured as an extended partition that can hold logical drives, so the fourth partition would show a status of Healthy (Logical Drive).

You have four volumes on a basic hard disk. Which of the following are you MOST likely to see as the status of the fourth volume if it is valid and has no errors? Healthy (Primary Partition) Healthy Healthy (Basic) Healthy (Dynamic) Healthy (Logical Drive)

Healthy (Logical Drive) A basic hard disk can have only have four primary partitions. To get around this limitation on basic disks, the fourth partition is automatically configured as an extended partition that can hold logical drives, so the fourth partition would show a status of Healthy (Logical Drive). The first three partitions would show a status of Healthy (Primary Partition). If the disk had been a dynamic disk, the status would just be Healthy. If the disk is converted from basic to dynamic, the status would be changed to show just Healthy.

Dynamic Disk

If you need to create a volume in a Windows system that spans multiple partitions on multiple hard disk drives, you can convert your basic disks into dynamic disks. - done using one of two different utilities within Windows: Disk Management, Disk part command line utility - converts basic volumes into dynamic volumes (cannot be accessed by older versions of windows) - Volumes on dynamic disks are like partitions and logical drives on basic disks. - Dynamic disks support up to 128 volumes. - Dynamic disks support volumes that use noncontiguous disk space. - Simple volumes contain disk space from a single hard disk (either contiguous or noncontiguous space). Spanned volumes contain disk space from multiple hard disks grouped as a single logical volume. - Dynamic disks store partitioning information in a hidden database on all dynamic disks in the system.

Not Initialized Unknown Status

Indicates a disk without a valid master boot record or a missing or corrupt partition table. To correct the problem, initialize the disk. If the partition table is invalid, use third party tools to try to recover the partition table.

Foreign Status

Is shown for a foreign disk. A foreign disk is a dynamic disk that was created in one system and moved to another system. When you first add the disk to a different system, the partition information for the disk must be updated to reflect all dynamic disks in the current system. Import the disk to make it available in the new system.

Failed Status

Is shown for a volume that cannot be started, such as when the disk is damaged or the file system is corrupt. Make sure the disk is on and try reactivating the volume. If that doesn't work, then you likely have data loss.

No Media status

Is shown for an optical or removable media drive that does not contain a valid disc. This disk status applies only to CD-ROM, DVD-ROM, or removable disks.

Formatting status

Is shown for volumes during the formatting process. After formatting is complete, the status for the volume changes to Healthy.

Missing or Offline Status

Is shown when a dynamic disk has failed, been removed, or turned off. If the disk is turned off, turn it on, and reactivate the disk. If the disk no longer exists, delete the disk from Disk Management.

Unallocated Status

Is shown when portions of a disk have not been assigned to a partition or a volume.

Initializing Status

Is shown while a disk is being converted from a basic disk to a dynamic disk. After the conversion, the status for the volume changes to Healthy.

Unallocated space

Is space on a partition that has not been assigned to a volume. You cannot store or read data in unallocated space.

What advantages does NTFS provide over FAT32?

NTFS, allows you to control the amount of disk usage on a per user basis. Also, the NTFS handles space management much more efficiently than FAT32. Also, Cluster size determines how much disk space is wasted storing files. Here, NTFS provides smaller cluster sizes and less disk space waste than FAT32

Which operating systems can use NTFS?

Natively, only Windows uses it.

Match each disk status on the left with the corresponding description on the right. Each status may be used once, more than once, or not at all. Formatting Healthy Unallocated Initializing Missing Unavailable

Shows while a disk is being converted from a basic disk to a dynamic disk. Initializing Indicates that the disk is turned on, can be accessed, and that the volume on the disk is valid and has no errors. Healthy Indicates that errors have occurred on physical or dynamic disks. Unavailable Shows when a dynamic disk has been removed or turned off. Missing The Healthy or Online status indicates that the disk is turned on, it can be accessed, and the volume on the disk is valid and has no errors. The Initializing process is displayed while a disk is being converted from a basic disk to a dynamic disk. After the conversion, the status for the volume changes to Healthy. The Unavailable status indicates that errors have occurred on physical or dynamic disks. The Missing status shows when a dynamic disk has been removed or turned off.

You want to set up a Windows system to also be able to boot to Linux. To be able to dual boot, the system needs a partition on which to install Linux. However, you don't have an extra hard disk that can be used for the Linux partition. The existing disk has no unpartitioned space available, but it has about 300 GB of free space. Which of the following disk management operations will BEST prepare your hard disk for dual boot in this scenario? Convert the disk from basic to dynamic. Convert the disk from physical to logical partitions. Shrink the primary partition. Reformat the disk with the partitions needed for a dual boot system.

Shrink the primary partition. You can decrease the space used by primary partitions and logical drives by shrinking them into adjacent, contiguous space on the same disk. For example, if you discover that you need an additional partition, but do not have additional disks, you can shrink the existing partition from the end of the volume to create new unallocated space that can then be used for a new partition. Reformatting the disk, converting it from basic to dynamic, or converting it from physical to logical partitions are not the best solutions for this scenario.

You are using an older utility to manage a GPT-partitioned drive on a Windows 10 system. You only see a single partition. However, you know you have multiple partitions across the hard drive. What is the MOST likely reason that you only see one partition? The utility can only manage MBR partitions and is displaying the drive's protected MBR. The utility is only designed to work with Windows 7 or 8. The utility is displaying the drive's unprotected MBR. The utility can only display dynamic partitions.

The utility can only manage MBR partitions and is displaying the drive's protected MBR. GPT includes a protective MBR, which sees the GPT drive as a single partition that extends across the entire drive. If you try to manage a GPT disk with an old tool that can only read MBRs, it will see the GPT disk as a single partition that extends across the entire drive. Even though a utility may only be designed to work with Windows 7 or 8, the utility should still be able to see GPT multiple partitions. Dynamic partitions let you extend partitions, but this would not be a likely reason for a utility being able to only see one partition. There is no unprotected MBR on a GPT-partitioned drive.

Match each disk type on the left with its corresponding description/features on the right. Each disk type may be used once, more than once, or not at all. Basic disks Dynamic disks Active disks

Support up to 128 volumes. Dynamic disks Use primary and extended partitions. Basic disks Are supported by all operating systems. Basic disks Support volumes that use discontiguous disk space. Dynamic disks Store partitioning information in a hidden database on all such disks in the system. Dynamic disks Only support volumes made up of contiguous disk space. Basic disks

What happens when we define a volume?

The operating system assigns a drive, or label, letter to the volume. For instance, the volume could be assigned to the C:\ drive or the D:\ label. This helps us keep track of different volumes assigned on the operating system.

File systems

The overall structure of an operating system, in which files are named, organized, and stored. FAT and NTFS are types of file systems. Other include: * Compact Disk File System (CDFS) - A virtual file system used with Linux. * Network File System (NFS) - A distributed file system that allows client computers to access files over a computer network. * Ext4 - The default Linux file system (and its predecessor ext3, which is still in use).

You have just finished installing Windows on a system that contains four physical hard disks. The installation process has created a system volume and a C: volume on the first disk (Disk 0). The installation process also initialized the second disk (Disk 1) and the third disk (Disk 2), but did not create any volumes on these disks. Which of the following would you expect to see as the status of Disk 1 and Disk 2? Initializing Formatting Unreadable Unavailable Healthy Unallocated

Unallocated A disk that has been initialized will show as Unallocated if no volumes have been created. The Healthy or Online status indicates that the disk is turned on and can be accessed. In other words, the volume on the disk is valid and has no errors. The Formatting status is shown for volumes during the formatting process. After formatting, the status for the volume changes to Healthy. The Initializing process shows while a disk is being converted from a basic disk to a dynamic disk. After the conversion, the status for the volume changes to Healthy. The Unavailable status indicates that errors have occurred on physical or dynamic disks. The Unreadable status indicates a hardware failure, I/O error, or other corruption. This status might also indicate a reading delay from the Disk Management utility.

You have an extra disk on your system that has three primary partitions and an extended partition with two logical drives. You want to convert the partitions to simple volumes, preferably without losing any data. Which of the following is the BEST step to perform to accomplish this? Upgrade the disk to a dynamic disk. Run the convert command. Delete the partitions and re-create them as simple volumes. Run the fixboot command to convert the partition type to GPT.

Upgrade the disk to a dynamic disk. When you upgrade a basic disk to a dynamic disk, existing partitions are converted to simple volumes. You can convert the disk without deleting partitions or losing any data. Use the convert command to change the file system from FAT32 to NTFS. The partition table type (either MBR or GPT) does not affect the partition or volume type.

Accessing Diskpart

We first use diskpart to create and format an MBR disk. Then we end by using diskpart to create and format a GPT disk. (in this lesson - how to do this - ) 1. CMD :: Type :: 2. diskpart 3. list disk 4. select the disk you want to parition 5. select disk 1 (if you want to partition that) 6. convert mbr (if you want mbr over GPT) 7. create partition primary (creates a primary using the entire disk cuz didnt specify size) 8. to see the partitions and type (list partition) 9. format FS=NTFS label=Data quick (The FS option lets us specify the type of file system to use, which is NTFS in this case. The label option lets us name the new volume DATA. And the quick option specifies that we want to use a quick format. Now, when I press Enter, the partition is formatted.) 10. assign letter E (assigns a disk drive letter - list volume on cmd shows all volumes too) 11.select disk 2 12. convert gpt 13. create partition primary size=63000 14. list partition (will now show 2 paritions) 15. select partition 2 (to tell the sys which to use) 16. format FS=NTFS label=Finance quick 17. assign letter F (assigned the letter F to finance disk) 18.list volume (shows the new volumes that have been made) !! Mainly used with Windows Servers

GPT Implementation Concerns

When implementing GPT partitioning, be aware of the following: * You should use the GPT partition style whenever possible. However, if you need compatibility with old systems, like the ability to boot Windows off a drive on a computer with a traditional BIOS, you'll need to use MBR. * Windows can boot from GPT only on UEFI-based computers running 64-bit versions of Windows 7 or newer, and the corresponding server versions. - All versions of Windows 7 and newer can read GPT drives and use them for data, but they cannot boot from them without UEFI. - Because Windows 7 does not support UEFI on 32-bit platforms, you cannot boot from a GPT partition on Windows 7. * Linux has built-in support for GPT. * Apple's Intel Macs no longer use the Apple Partition Table (APT) scheme but use GPT instead.

exFAT

exFAT (sometimes called FAT64) file system is a special file system that is designed to support large flash drives. Using NTFS on flash drives is usually not a good idea due to its high overhead and risk of corruption if the device is not stopped properly prior to removal. However, many flash drives exceed the 32 GB limit discussed above. Microsoft introduced native exFAT support in Windows 7 to allow large removable flash storage devices to continue to use a FAT-type file system.