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Physical file storage

Before a computer can store a file on a disk, CD, or DVD, the storage medium must be formatted. The formatting process creates the equivalent of electronic storage bins by dividing a disk into tracks and then further dividing each track into sectors. Tracks and sectors are numbered to provide addresses for each data storage bin. The numbering scheme depends on the storage device and the operating system. On floppy, Zip, and hard disks, tracks are arranged as concentric circles; on CDs and DVDs, one or more tracks spiral out from the center of the disk.

To speed up the process of storing and retrieving data, a disk drive usually works with a group of sectors called a cluster or a “block”. The number of sectors that form a cluster varies, depending on the capacity of the disk and the way the operating system works with files. A file system's primary task is to maintain a list of clusters and keep track of which are empty and which hold data. This information is stored in a special index file. If your computer uses the FAT32 file system, for example, this index file is called the File Allocation Table (FAT). If your computer uses NTFS, it is called the Master File Table (MFT).

When you save a file, your PC’s operating system looks at the index file to see which clusters are empty. It selects one of these empty clusters, records the file data there, and then revises the index file to include the new file name and its location.

Comprehension check. Indicate the paragraph where the following ideas are found in the text.

1. It is preferable to maintain file extensions and not to store files in the root directory.

2. There is a slight difference between the Save option and the Save As option.

3. A special index file is required to keep track of a file’s location.

4. This program is related to the Windows operating system and exemplifies a file management utility.

5. The way to open and save a file on a specified storage medium depends on software applications.

6. Apart from locating files, it enables users to rename, copy, move and delete them.