Study Lab for Chapter 15

Use the "Key Terms and Definitions" section of the lab to review terms used in this chapter. Try the "Practice Test" to check your comprehension of the chapter. Tackle the "Lab Exercises" to apply your knowledge.

Key Terms and Definitions

access control

Windows NT/2000/XP method of using user and group lists to limit access to drives and folders.

active (partition)

A primary partition that has been set as bootable. Option must be set manually within Fdisk if a primary plus extended partition is configured on a hard disk.

allocation unit

A group of sectors (number varies with file system and drive size ) used by Windows to store files. If a file's data occupies only part of an allocation unit, the rest of the allocation unit is unavailable.

Antivirus Boot Sector

A BIOS option that enables disk partitioning and boot managers to work but blocks boot-sector viruses from working.

ATA/IDE (AT Attachment/Integrated Drive Electronics)

A popular drive interface that incorporates the controller inside the drive itself. It uses a 40-pin connector with a 40-wire or 80-wire cable with parallel signaling and supports two drives per channel.

boot disk

A disk that can be used to start the computer.

boot manager

A program that enables you to choose which operating system to use to start your computer. Works along with the support for multiple primary partitions.

cluster

An older term for allocation unit ; can be used interchangeably.

Disk Administrator

The Windows NT GUI-based program used to partition and format hard disk drives and provide other drive-management functions.

Disk Management

The Windows 2000/XP component of the GUI-based MMC; Disk Management is used for partitioning and formatting hard disk drives and provides other drive-management functions.

Diskprobe

A Windows NT 4.0 disk sector editor used to repair NTFS boot sectors and other types of disk problems. Supplied as part of the Windows NT 4.0 Resource Kit.

DOS partition

Term used in the Fdisk program for primary and extended partitions.

Dynamic Drive Overlay

A disk-based replacement for BIOS support for a large hard disk. Installed by Disk Manager and other Ontrack-created disk setup programs if the BIOS can't manage the full size of the hard disk.

emergency boot disk ( EBD )

Another name for the emergency startup disk (ESD) .

emergency startup disk ( ESD )

Disk created with Windows 9x or Me that can be used to start the computer or prepare a hard disk for use.

Encrypted File System ( EFS )

Built-in data encryption option added to NTFS by Windows 2000 and Windows XP.

enhanced BIOS ( eBIOS )

A method of translating drives to break the 8GB limit on disk size. Almost all BIOS chips since 1999 support LBA mode.

extended partition

A hard disk partition that cannot be used to start a computer. Only one extended partition can be created on a single hard disk, but an extended partition can hold multiple logical drives.

EZ-BIOS

A disk-based replacement for BIOS support for a large hard disk.

FAT16

A file system used by Windows. Supports up to 65,536 entries (2 ¹⁶ entries) with a maximum drive size of 2,048MB (2.1GB). Also called FAT .

FAT32

A file system used by Windows 95 OSR 2.x through Windows XP; also Windows NT 4.0 with Service Pack 4 and later. Supports up to 2TB drive sizes and uses disk space more efficiently than FAT16.

Fdisk/mbr

An undocumented Fdisk switch that re-creates the standard Windows 9x/Me master boot record. Can be used to recover from some types of boot sector viruses and damage. Should not be used on drives that use EZ-BIOS, Dynamic Drive Overlay, or similar methods to overcome BIOS drive-size limitations.

Fdisk

Disk-partitioning program built into Windows 9x/Me. A command-line program with text menus ; similar in appearance to the Fdisk programs supplied with MS-DOS.

file allocation table ( FAT )

The structures used by FAT-based file systems to track the locations of data. There are two synchronized FATs in FAT16 and FAT32.

Fixboot

A Windows 2000/XP program that can be run from the CD or the Recovery Console to re-create the boot sectors on a FAT-based drive. Run Fixmbr afterwards.

Fixmbr

A Windows 2000/XP program that can be run from the CD or the Recovery Console to re-create the standard master boot record.

Format

Command-line program used by Windows to create file systems on hard disks partitioned with Fdisk. Can also be used with Windows NT/2000/XP; all versions can also format floppy disks.

High Performance File System ( HPFS )

A file system supported by the OS/2 operating system and optionally supported by Windows NT 4.0. HPFS is not supported by Windows 2000 or Windows XP, so HPFS drives should be converted to NTFS before a Windows NT 4.0 system is upgraded to 2000 or XP.

high-level format

Creates or re-creates a file system on a hard, floppy, or removable-media disk. Erases existing file allocation tables (if any) and checks media for errors. Select the Quick Format option in the Windows Explorer Format dialog box to perform a high-level format on a floppy disk.

large disk support

The Fdisk term for the FAT32 file system in Windows 95 OSR 2.x, Windows 98, and Windows Me.

Logical Block Address ( LBA )

A method of translating disk structures used to break the 528MB (504MiB) limit on disk size. Almost all BIOS chips since 1994 support LBA mode.

logical DOS drive

Term use in Fdisk program for logical drives inside an extended partition.

low-level format

Rewrites sector markings across the entire disk surface. Use the /u option with the command-line Format program or deselect the Quick Format option in the Windows Explorer Format dialog box to perform a low-level and high-level format on a floppy disk.

Makeboot

The Windows 2000 program for making boot disks; can be run from Windows 9x/Me.

Makebt32

The Windows 2000 program for making boot disks; can be run from Windows NT or Windows 2000.

master boot record

Located in the first sector of a floppy or hard disk, this tells the BIOS whether the disk is bootable and where to find the operating system on a bootable disk. A disk with a damaged master boot record can't be used to start the computer.

Microsoft Management Console ( MMC )

The computer management program used by Windows 2000 and XP. Contains Disk Management.

Norton Utilities

Symantec disk and system utilities for Windows; contains Disk Editor and many other useful tools.

NTFS (New Technology File System)

File system used by Windows NT, Windows 2000, and Windows XP. Supports compression, more efficient use of disk space, and a different type of internal structure than FAT-based file systems. NTFS 5 adds support for encryption and requires Windows 2000, Windows XP, or Windows NT 4.0 with Service Pack 4 or later.

primary partition

A hard disk partition type that can be used to start a computer. Up to four primary partitions can be created on a single hard disk.

SCSI (Small Computer System Interface)

A versatile but complex interface for drives and other types of I/O devices. It uses parallel signaling and daisy-chaining to support up to 7 or 15 devices per channel.

Serial ATA

A high-speed serial-signaling version of ATA.

unformat

Reversing the erasure of the file allocation tables performed by a high-level format to enable "lost" data to be retrieved again. Can be performed by Norton Utilities and some other utility programs.

Windows Explorer

Major file-management interface in most versions of Windows. My Computer performs equivalent functions.

Winnt.exe

A setup program for Windows NT that can be used to make boot disks.

Winnt32.exe

A Windows 9x-compatible setup program for Windows NT that can be used to make boot disks.

Write Protect Boot Sector

A BIOS option that can prevent partitioning programs such as Fdisk and boot managers from working properly. Can be bypassed by some third-party disk setup programs.

Practice Test

1:	You need to partition a hard disk for a Windows 98 system, but the only working startup (boot) disk you have is for Windows Me. Which of the following is the best solution? (Choose one) Install Windows 98 from the CD and create a Windows 98 startup disk. Install Windows Me on the hard disk and replace it with Windows 98. Upgrade to Windows XP. Use the Windows Me startup disk.
2:	You are trying to install Windows 2000 from CD-ROM on a new computer, but the system won't boot from the CD-ROM. Which of the following procedures should be tried first? (Choose one) Upgrade system BIOS. Change boot order. Create boot disks with Makeboot. Replace CD-ROM drive.
3:	You are installing Windows XP as a dual-boot configuration with Windows 98. During the process, you will create a 10GB logical drive to be used for data by both installations. Which file system should be used for the logical data drive? (Choose one) FAT16 NTFS FAT32 EFS
4:	Your client wants you to install a system with a version of Windows that supports built-in compression and encryption. The client does not want to use Windows 2000 because of a lack of drivers for hardware. Which of the following Windows versions should be used? (Choose one) Windows Me Windows NT 4.0 Windows 98SE Windows XP
5:	You are installing a hard disk on a Windows Me system that already has two hard disks with drive letters C and D. The optical drive is F and the Zip drive is G. The client wants the new drive to contain two logical drives. Which of the following installation processes will have the least impact on existing drives? (Choose one) Install hard disk as extended partition. Move optical drive to H and install hard disk as primary partition plus extended partition with one logical drive. Move Zip drive to H and install hard disk as extended partition with two logical drives. Move Zip drive to H and optical drive to Z and install hard disk as extended partition with two logical drives.
6:	Which of the following correctly matches the operating system with its built-in disk-partitioning program? (Choose all that apply) Windows Me Disk Administrator Windows XP Disk Management Windows 98 Fdisk Windows 2000 Disk Administrator
7:	You are about to create an emergency startup disk with Windows 98 using drive A:, and the only floppy disk available has already been used. Which of the following options will help ensure the creation of a reliable startup disk? (Choose one) Format A: Format A:/s Format A:/u Format A:/v
8:	Which of the following most accurately describes an extended partition on a hard disk? (Choose all that apply) The extended partition is any partition after the primary partition on a hard disk. The extended partition must contain two or more logical drives. The extended partition is another name for a logical drive. The extended partition is not bootable.
9:	You install an already-prepared 3.2GB ATA/IDE hard disk in a Windows 98 system to recover data from it. Windows 98 is unable to read the contents of the drive. However, when you install the same drive in a system running Windows XP, the drive's contents can be read. The drive's Properties sheet indicates it was prepared as a FAT (FAT16) drive. Why couldn't Windows 98 read the drive's contents? (Choose one) Windows 98 lacks device drivers built into Windows XP for handling the hard disk. Windows XP supports FAT16 partitions up to 4GB, whereas Windows 98 supports FAT16 partitions up to 2GB. Windows 98 supports FAT16 partitions only up to 528MB unless an LBA driver is used. Windows 98 can't read drives prepared by other versions of Windows.
10:	You have installed a 40GB hard disk on a system but the partitioning program reports only about 8GB. Which of the following changes would enable the system to access the entire drive capacity? (Choose all that apply) Enable LBA mode in the system BIOS. Upgrade the system BIOS. Enable enhanced BIOS (Enhanced Int13h support) in the system BIOS. Install ATA/IDE host adapter with onboard BIOS.

Lab Exercises

Required equipment : working system, bootable Windows 9x/Me floppy disk with Fdisk and Format or working Windows NT 4.0/2000/XP system, ATA/IDE hard disk that has been used but contains no important files of a size supported by your operating system (recommend 30GB or less), empty floppy disks, ESD protection, and tools to open case

Partition Detective

1. Install the hard disk and start the computer.

2. Run Fdisk, Disk Administrator or Disk Management to determine the following about the newly installed drive:

   1. Its partition type (primary, primary/extended, extended, non-DOS).

   2. The size of each partition and any logical drives inside the extended partition. Be sure to use option #5 in Fdisk and switch to the newly installed drive (disk 2).

3. Remove existing partitions (if any) from the new drive. Fdisk requires they be removed in this order: logical drive(s) first and extended partition second.

4. Create new partitions.

Format Detective

1. Use various Format options (Windows Explorer, command-line) to format the newly created drive letters. To determine which drives have been partitioned with Fdisk but not formatted yet, use Dir x : (replace x : with the drive letter). Drives that report invalid media type are not formatted.

2. Use various Format options (Windows Explorer, command-line) to format floppy disks. Which format option is quicker?

Answers to Practice Test

A1:	Answer D (use the Windows Me startup disk) is the easy solution that works. Use its Fdisk and Format options to prepare the hard disk (don't use the /s option when formatting the C: drive) and the Windows 98 setup program will supply the boot files during installation.
A2:	Try answer B (change the boot order) first, and chances are you don't need to try anything else. Many systems have the CD-ROM listed after the hard disk, and in those cases, the CD-ROM will never be used for booting. Move it before the hard disk, and you can boot from your Windows 2000 CD.
A3:	Answer C (FAT32) is the winning choice. FAT16 and FAT32 are the only file systems supported by both Windows 9x/Me and Windows XP. However, a 10GB partition would need to be subdivided into five 2GB drive letters for use with FAT16. FAT32 supports the full size as a single drive letter.
A4:	Answer D (Windows XP) is the only operating system listed that supports both built-in compression and encryption. Built-in compression has been around since Windows NT 4.0, but Windows 2000 introduced built-in encryption. Windows XP, because it's part of the same family of Windows versions, supports both features.
A5:	This is a tough one, but answer D (move Zip drive to H and optical drive to Z and install hard disk as extended partition with two logical drives) is the best choice. You need to install the new hard disk with an extended partition so its drive letters follow C and D. However, if you don't also move the optical and Zip drives to specified drive letters, they'll be bumped to the next available drive letters. You're better off making the choices yourself.
A6:	Answers B (Windows XP Disk Management) and C (Windows 98 Fdisk) are right. Disk Administrator is used by Windows NT 4.0, and Windows Me uses Fdisk.
A7:	Your best bet here is C ( Format A:/u ). The unconditional format option rewrites the sector map on the floppy disk instead of simply clearing the existing data. New sectors have stronger, fresher magnetic signals for better data reliability.
A8:	There's only one right answer here, and that's D (the extended partition is not bootable). Note that some drives have more than one primary partition and an extended partition can contain one or more logical drives.
A9:	Answer B (Windows XP supports FAT16 partitions up to 4GB, whereas Windows 98 supports FAT16 partitions up to 2GB) shows the way. You've got to wonder why Microsoft thought it would make sense to create a "super- sized " FAT16 partition that ordinary versions of Windows couldn't read.
A10:	Two choices work (drum roll) and those are answers B (upgrade system BIOS) and D (install ATA/IDE host adapter with onboard BIOS). If LBA mode weren't enabled, Fdisk would see only 528 million bytes or 504MB of the disk's contents. Enhanced BIOS support is automatically enabled along with LBA mode on systems that support Int13h extensions. There's no separate BIOS option to enable it.