Chapter 15. Preparing Hard and Floppy Drives with Windows

In this chapter

• Creating a Boot Disk Suitable for Hard Disk Preparation

• Understanding File Systems and Partition Types

• Preparing a Hard Disk for Use with Windows 9x/Me

• Preparing a Hard Disk for Use with Windows NT/2000/XP

• Using Format with Floppy and Hard Disks

• Troubleshooting Drive Preparation Problems

In the previous chapter, you learned the hardware mechanics behind magnetic and optical storage. In this chapter, you'll learn how data is stored on a disk.

You don't need to do anything to a new floppy disk or Zip disk before you can use it: Just pop it in the drive and copy files to it. Unfortunately, you need to take a few more steps before you can use your new internal hard disk for more than just a paperweight.

Before you can prepare a hard disk for use by an operating system (we'll concentrate on various versions of Windows, because that's what the A+ Certification Exams are concerned with), it must be recognized by the operating system. An ATA/IDE or Serial ATA drive that is plugged into a host adapter on the motherboard must be detected and properly translated by the system BIOS. If you're using an ATA / IDE , Serial ATA , or SCSI hard disk that's plugged into a host adapter card, the BIOS chip on the card detects the drive.

The CD included with this book contains important Study Lab material for this chapter, as well as Chapters 2 “22 in this book. The Study Lab for each chapter contains terms to study, exercises, and practice tests ”all in printable PDF format (Adobe Acrobat Reader is included on the CD, too). These Study Lab materials will help you gear up for the A+ Exam. Also, the CD includes an industry-leading test engine from PrepLogic, which simulates the actual A+ test so that you can be sure that you're ready when test day arrives. Don't let the A+ test intimidate you. If you've read the chapters, worked through the Study Lab, and passed the practice tests from PrepLogic, you should be well prepared to ace the test!

Also, you'll notice that some words throughout each chapter are in bold format. These are study terms that are defined in the Study Lab. Be sure to consult the Study Lab when you are finished with this chapter to test what you've learned.

In either case, if the hard drive is not properly recognized by the BIOS, the operating system preparation programs either will not function or will prepare only a portion of the hard disk.