Chapter5: File System

Drive Letter Assignment in Windows 10

  • American Samoa: Windows 10 assigns drive letters during installation.

  • Partitions: Create multiple partitions to separate the OS from data.

  • System Reserved Partition: Located on Disk Zero; does not receive a drive letter.

Partitioning Sequence

  • Disk 0: First primary partition assigned C (where Windows 10 is installed).

  • CD ROM Drive: Assigned D during installation.

  • Disk 1: Next primary partition assigned E.

  • Disk 2: Primary partition assigned F.

Changing Drive Letters

  • Disk Management Console: View and change assigned drive letters.

  • CD ROM Drive Letter Issue: Typically, drives are assigned C and D; to change the CD ROM drive to R, assign before creating additional partitions.

CentOS 7 File System

  • No Drive Letters: Unlike Windows, CentOS uses a tree structure.

  • Partitions: Mounted anywhere in the file tree.

  • Viewing Partitions: Use the disks utility or the command df to check mounted partitions.

Disks Utility Features

  • Displays connected drives with:

    • Model and type

    • Size of the drive

    • Partition type, if applicable

    • Volume information (size, device name, partition type, contents).

Mounting Partitions in CentOS

  • Mounting Process: Create a directory for the mount point and use the command:

    • Command: mount partition_path directory_path

  • Visibility: Files in the mount point are hidden until unmounted.

File Systems in Windows 10

FAT and FAT32 File Systems

  • FAT: Simple file system for early PCs, supported by Windows and Linux.

  • FAT32: Introduced to support larger drives; theoretical limit of 2TB, but 32GB limit for primary partitions in Windows 10.

XFAT File System

  • Compatibility: Readable and writable on modern Apple, Linux, and Windows OS.

  • Formatting Process:

    1. Open Explorer, right-click drive.

    2. Select format, choose XFAT.

    3. Click start.

  • Limitations: Does not work on older Linux without drivers.

NTFS File System

  • Introduction: Used in Windows 10; supports large volumes up to 2TB.

  • MFT (Master File Table): Unlike FAT, uses a binary search for file access, storing file attributes efficiently.

  • NTFS Features:

    • Journalization: A Failsafe mechanism ensuring data integrity.

    • Compression: Reduces file size on disk.

    • Encryption & Security: Protects sensitive files and restricts access.

    • Auditing: Tracks access attempts to files.

    • Quotas: Limits user storage on the drive.

Compatibility Considerations

  • NTFS and CentOS: Choose XFAT if using USB drives for compatibility across Windows 10 and CentOS 7.