The following table shows how the cluster size increases as the partition size
increases.
Partition size
0 MB - 16 MB
16 MB - 128 MB
128 MB - 256 MB
256 MB - 512 MB
512 MB - 1 GB
1 GB - 2 GB
The following examples illustrate how partition size relates to data storage
efficiency:
v If you create a 2.14 GB partition (2047 binary MB), each disk cluster is 32
KB. (In binary notation, KB equals 1024 bytes.) A 1 KB file uses one cluster
(32 KB) of space.
v If the partition size is 1.00 GB (977 binary MB), the cluster size is 16 KB. A 1
KB file uses one cluster (16 KB) of space.
A normal mix of application and data files can include thousands of
different-sized files. If you replace your hard disk drive with a larger capacity
drive, typically, you will create a larger primary partition or logical drive on
the new device. When you copy files from a smaller partition to a larger
partition, the same files might take considerably more disk space. The increase
in disk space required for the same files is caused by the increase in cluster
size.
Preparing the primary drive for DOS or Windows 3.x
If you are installing the drive that will contain your operating-system (the
primary drive), insert your first operating-system diskette into the diskette
drive of your computer. (Insert the operating system installation CD if your
operating system is installed from a CD.) Restart your computer. Follow the
instructions on the screen to partition and format the drive.
After creating the primary partition, you can use the remaining disk space for
an extended partition. Follow the instructions on the screen to create one or
more logical drives within the extended partition.
Preparing a secondary drive for DOS or Windows 3.x
A secondary drive is any hard disk drive that does not contain the active
primary partition (the partition that contains your operating system). Typically
you allocate all of the disk space on a secondary drive to an extended partition
1-16
SCSI Hard Disk Drives for IBM PCs: User's Guide
Cluster size (FAT16)
4 KB
2 KB
4 KB
8 KB
16 KB
32 KB