Operating Systems I
Managing Your Disks
MCT260-Operating Systems I
Primary Learning Objective
Execute Routine Disk Management
Techniques
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Specific Learning Objectives
• Identify and define the terms associated with
disk management
• Identify and rename a disk
• Determine the size and free space available on
a disk.
• Format a disk using the GUI and FORMAT
command
• Copy a floppy disk using the GUI and
DISKCOPY command
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Specific Learning Objectives
• Describe disk maintenance processes such as
Defrag, Scandisk, Disk Cleanup, and
Scheduling Utilities
• Describe the backup process on an individual
computer
• Use the VOL, Label, XCOPY, and DIR
commands for disk management
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Floppy Disk Storage
A floppy disk is a round piece of flexible
mylar plastic covered with a thin layer of
magnetic oxide.
The platters, the actual disks inside the hard
drive that store the magnetized data, have
traditionally been made of a light aluminum
alloy and coated with a magnetizable ferrite
compound
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Floppy Disk Storage
3.5” Floppy disk
Write-protect
window
High-density
indicator hole
Drive hub
Spring-loaded
access cover
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Before the data is
stored, particles are
randomly scattered
The readwrite head
Magnetizing
the particles
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Formatting creates a series of
concentric tracks
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The tracks on a
disk are divided
into wedge-shaped
sectors.
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One sector on a track
holds 512 bytes of data.
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Clusters
• One or more sectors used by an operating
system as the minimum storage space for a
file or a part of a file when it allocates
storage space on a drive to a file.
• Also call an allocation unit.
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Drive Properties
• How do you access a drive’s properties?
• The properties dialog box has several functions
besides giving us the name, size, and amount of
free space. Some include:
– Access disk maintenance tools
– Provide hardware information and
troubleshooting
– Enable sharing and security
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Disk Information in CLI
• VOL – Displays the disk volume label and
serial number, if they exist.
• Label – Creates, changes, or deletes the
volume label of a disk.
• DIR – Displays the number of files and
directories in the current directory and the
amount of free space on the drive.
• CHKDSK - Checks a disk and displays a
status report.
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Format a Disk
• Before use a disk must be formatted so data can
be saved on it.
• Formatting options include:
– Quick (Erases all information from the disk, but
doesn't scan the disk for damaged areas. Only works on
disks that have previously been formatted.)
– Enable Compression (only on NTFS drives)
– Create an MS-DOS startup disk
• In CLI, use FORMAT (/s makes a bootable disk
and /Q is for a quick format)
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Copy a Floppy Disk
• Used to make an exact copy of the source
floppy disk
• The disks must be the same type and density
• All information on the destination floppy will
be deleted.
• Open MY Computer or Windows Explorer
and right-click on the floppy drive and selct
Copy Disk
• In CLI, use the DISKCOPY command
DISKCOPY A: A:
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Disk Maintenance
• Computers require routing maintenance to
keep them running at peak performance and
to correct/prevent problems.
• Some of these tasks include defragmenting,
fixing errors on your hard disk, and freeing up
space on your hard disk and backing up and
restoring information on the hard disk.
• You must be logged on as the computer’s
administrator to complete these tasks.
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Disk Defragmenter
• Fragmentation occurs when the files on a disk are
divided into pieces scattered around the disk. It
occurs naturally when you modifying files
frequently.
• Where do you find the defrag tool?
• Open My Computer/Explorer, right-click on a
drive, select Properties, click the Tools tab, and
click Defragment Now button. System Tools
• In CLI, type DEFRAG
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Defragmentation
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Defragmentation
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Defragmentation
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Disk Defragmenter Do’s and
Don’t’s
• The process can take up to several hours
• Touching Windows will cause Disk
Defragmenter to start over.
• Run Error-checking first since you can’t
defrag a disk containing errors
• In XP, it optimizes your disk by placing the
programs you use most often a the beginning
of the hard drive.
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Repairing Disk Errors
• Normal wear and tear causes errors to appear on
your hard drive which affects performance
• Error-checking, a hard drive repair program, can
diagnose and easily fix most of the damage
• To use: Tools tab of Properties or System Tools
• There are two types of tests:
– “Automatically fix errors”
– “Scan for and attempt recovery of bad sectors”
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Error-Checking
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Freeing Up Space
• Over time Windows creates unnecessary files
that take up space. See Table 5-1 on page 147
• Open My Computer/Explorer, right-click on a
drive, select Properties, click the General tab,
and click Disk Cleanup button. System Tools
• Other options to free up space:
– Remove unnecessary programs
– Remove unnecessary Windows components
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Disk Cleanup Utility
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Backup
• Common causes for loss of data include user
errors, hardware/software failure, and damage by
viruses
• A backup is a copy of data or key OS files
• At the user level you can backup or restore using
the built-in backup utility
• Click the Start button and select All Programs >
Accessories > System Tools > Backup
• It uses a wizard to help you select files for backup
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Backup
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Backup
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Backup
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Scheduling Tasks
• Windows can automatically perform
maintenance programs such as Error-checking
or Disk Cleanup on a regular basis for you
• Click the Start button and select All Programs >
Accessories > System Tools > Scheduled Tasks
• Select the program to be schedule, how often to
run it, and then specify when it is to run
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Task Scheduler
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Task Scheduler
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Task Scheduler
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Summary
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Disk Nomenclature
Drive Properties
Formatting
Diskcopy
Defrag
Scandisk
Disk Cleanup
Backup
Scheduling Tasks
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Homework Assignment
• Reading
– Windows XP Textbook – pp 137-149
– CLI Textbook - pp. 34-39, pp114-116
• Lab Exercise 9: Perform Routine Disk
Management
• Due Date: A Week from Next Tuesday
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