How to determine the size of a hard disk cluster. What is a file system and how to find out the type of file system on a disk. What cluster size to choose when formatting - I can’t decide

The main task of formatting a hard drive or flash drive is to choose the right cluster during this procedure. There are several options and in each case you need to know what size is right for you to store large or small files.

The formatting process itself begins with the fact that Windows OS offers the user a regular, standard dialog in which the cluster size must be selected.

Naturally, many uninitiated people do not know the nuances of this procedure and set the “Default” item, which in principle is the right step if you are not sure of the correctness of your choice.

But at the same time, there are other options, and there is not a single clue on how to do it right. Therefore, first you need to figure out what file systems Windows offers:

NTFS clusters ranging in size from 512 to 64 KB;
FAT is only one option - 64 KB;
FAT32 clusters from 1024 to 32 KB;
exFAT - the maximum range, supports options from 512 bytes to 32768 KB or 32 MB.

What size to choose?

If you are not sure about the correct choice of your option, then in this case you first need to decide what files you plan to store on your media. If these are videos, MP3 files, and the like, then in this case you need to choose the maximum cluster size. If these are small files, then feel free to choose the minimum size.

What affects the cluster size?

In fact, a cluster is the minimum amount that is allocated on the media for certain files. To make the selection principle more understandable, we need to understand what the size of the cluster itself affects.

For example, you have a small file that is only 1 byte in size and the disk cluster size is 4096 bytes. The saved file will take up 4096 bytes of free space on the media. If such a file is transferred to a medium with a cluster of 512 bytes, then, of course, it will take up much less space.

In other words, numerous small files will take up a minimum of space on media that have a cluster size of 512 bytes and vice versa. But at the same time, large clusters make input and output operations much faster, which as a result will affect the reading and writing of files.

A cluster size of 32 KB or more will be appropriate if large files are stored on your media. At the same time, for any flash drive, the optimal cluster size is only 4 KB or less.

Keep this in mind when formatting. But this rule only applies if you use a flash drive to transfer and store small files.

Finally, it is worth noting that if you are not sure of the correct choice, then you can always use the magic "Default" button. It is safe to say that this is the golden mean and you will no longer have to doubt.

Probably, you have seen such a picture more than once - you open the properties of some folder with files and see that the size of this folder and the size of the files stored in it occupying the disk are different. The difference is usually small, but still, how is this possible? "intrigues" Is it Windows, as, for example, in the case of hard links, issued by Explorer for real files with a very real size?

No, this time Windows does not hide anything, in fact it matches both the size of the folder with the files and the amount of space it occupies on the disk. It's all about the clusters, or rather their size.

You have to deal with clusters infrequently, when formatting a disk or partition, and even then few people pay attention to this moment, but sometimes it’s worth paying attention. But what is this very cluster? In simple terms, cluster is the smallest memory location on disk to which a file can be written. If we imagine a disk in the form of a notebook in a box, then the cluster will be a separate cell. However, one should not confuse clusters with sectors; one can speak of clusters when there are logical partitions on the disk with a file system that determines the size of the cluster.

And now about what this has to do with the space occupied by files on the disk.

The fact is that a priori a cluster cannot be half filled with data, it is either busy or free. Let's say the cluster size on your partition is 64 Kb. If you write to it a file of size 2 Kb, then on the disk it will take anyway 64 Kb. Take a look at the first screenshot.

Text file weighing 2.81 Kb occupies on disk 2 MB, and all because this is the size of the cluster. It is clear that it is irrational to use such a cluster size, since the free disk space in this case will quickly fill up, however, not everything is so simple.

Note: You can find out the total number of clusters on a disk with the command fsutil fsinfo ntfsinfo X:, where X- Volume letter. The data is output in hexadecimal number system.

The use of small clusters also has its disadvantages.

When formatting a USB drive or hard drive using the usual means of Windows OS, there is a field in the menu "Cluster size". Typically, the user skips this field, leaving it at its default value. Also, the reason for this may be that there is no hint on how to correctly set this parameter.

If you open the format window and select the NTFS file system, then options in the cluster size field become available in the range from 512 bytes to 64 KB.

Let's see how the parameter affects "Cluster size" to work flash drive. By definition, a cluster is the minimum amount of space allocated to store a file. To make the best choice for this option, there are several criteria to consider when formatting a device with the NTFS file system.

You will need these instructions when formatting a removable drive to NTFS.

Criterion 1: File sizes

Decide on the size of the files you are going to store on the flash drive.

For example, the cluster size on a flash drive is 4096 bytes. If you copy a file of 1 byte, it will still take 4096 bytes on the flash drive. Therefore, for small files, it is better to use smaller cluster sizes. If the flash drive is intended for storing and viewing video and audio files, then it is better to choose a larger cluster size, somewhere around 32 or 64 kb. When the flash drive is intended for various purposes, you can leave the default value.

Remember that an incorrectly selected cluster size leads to wasted space on the flash drive. The system sets the standard cluster size to 4 KB. And if there are 10 thousand documents of 100 bytes each on the disk, then the loss will be 46 MB. If you formatted the flash drive with the 32 kb cluster option, and the text document will be only 4 kb. Then it will still take 32 kb. This leads to irrational use of the flash drive and the loss of some space on it.

Microsoft uses the following formula to calculate wasted space:

(cluster size)/2*(number of files)

Criterion 2: Desired rate of communication

Consider the fact that the data exchange rate on your drive depends on the size of the cluster. The larger the cluster size, the fewer operations are performed when accessing the drive, and the faster the speed of the flash drive. A movie recorded on a flash drive with a cluster size of 4 kb will play slower than on a drive with a cluster size of 64 kb.

Criterion 3: Reliability

Please note that a flash drive formatted with large clusters is more reliable in operation. The number of calls to the carrier is reduced. After all, it is more reliable to send a portion of information in one large piece than several times in small portions.

Keep in mind that with non-standard cluster sizes, there may be problems with software that works with disks. Basically, these are utilities that use defragmentation, and it only runs on standard clusters. When creating bootable flash drives, the cluster size should also be left as standard. By the way, our instructions will help you complete this task.

Some users on the forums advise that if a flash drive is larger than 16 GB, divide it into 2 volumes and format them differently. Format a smaller volume with a cluster parameter of 4 KB, and the other for large files under 16-32 KB. Thus, both space optimization and the desired performance will be achieved when viewing and recording large files.

So, the correct selection of the cluster size:

• allows you to efficiently place data on a flash drive;
• accelerates the exchange of data on the storage medium when reading and writing;
• improves the reliability of the carrier.

And if you find it difficult to choose a cluster when formatting, then it's better to leave it as standard. You can also write about it in the comments. We will try to help you with the choice.

When formatting a disk or flash drive, you probably noticed that the system prompts you to select the size of the so-called "cluster". Its size varies depending on the type of disk file system. For example, for NTFS, the minimum cluster size is 512 bytes, and the maximum is 64 KB. For FAT32 - from 4 to 64 KB. Often, there are many options available to choose from that can put an unprepared user in front of a logical question: what cluster size to choose when formatting a flash drive, disk, or any other drive?

What is cluster size

cluster, eng.) is a block in which the system will write information on your drive. The entire disk (flash drive) consists of a large array of these blocks, each of which contains a certain amount of data. The size of the cluster does not affect the size of the disk, but it can affect how the system works with the files on your media and how efficiently it uses the space available to it.

What cluster size to choose

You will hardly notice the difference with the naked eye when using different cluster sizes, but this setting still affects the performance of the file system. When choosing a cluster size, it all depends on what you will be using the media for. If you will save a lot of small files, then it is better to reduce the cluster size so that the system does not waste space. If the contents of the disk consist mainly of huge files, then you can increase the cluster size, which will increase performance, since Windows will make fewer cell accesses.

A simple example will help you understand this better:

If you have a 3Kb file and the cluster size is 4Kb, then the file will take the whole cluster or cell. This means that 1 KB free space will be lost. No other files can be written to the wasted space, so the space is actually wasted. On 10 such files, the loss will be 10 Kb, on 100 - 100 Kb, on 1000 - 1000 Kb, and so on. In this case, it is better to use a cluster size of 512 bytes or 1 KB, since the file will take six or three clusters without fragmentation and will not waste disk cells. This increases the efficiency of storing information, but at the same time reduces performance, since the system has to perform more block accesses.

In today's world, drive sizes are getting bigger and bigger, and at the same time, cluster size is playing a smaller and smaller role. Based on this, the general solution would be to use the default cluster size settings and not change them. Of course, if you are a meticulous user who wants to do everything right and according to the manual, then proceed from the fact that for large files we use a large cluster size, and for small files we use a small one. But then again, you won't notice much of a difference, unless you store tens and hundreds of thousands of 2-3 KB files on your flash drives or hard drives.

How to find out the cluster size of a disk or flash drive

A simple command run on the command line will let you know what cluster size is used on the drive connected to the computer. Note: You need an account with Administrator rights to run this command. If your profile does not have these rights, the system will ask you to enter the Administrator password.

Now you know what the cluster size is for and what principle to proceed from when formatting a disk or flash drive.

When you format a hard drive or flash drive, you are preparing it for storage by the operating system. During formatting, all information is deleted and a clean file system is installed.

You may have heard of the FAT or NTFS file system, but do you know which one is used on your system? This article talks about how a file system works and what are the differences between different file systems. I will also show you how to find out what file systems are used on your drives.

What is a file system?

Disk space is divided into sectors, each of which is approximately 512 bytes in size. Sectors are grouped into clusters. Clusters, also called allocation blocks, range in size from 512 bytes to 64 kilobytes because they usually consist of several sectors. Clusters are contiguous blocks of disk space.

Operating systems rely on the file system to organize a clustered storage of information. The file system is a database that contains information about the state of each cluster. In fact, the file system, as it were, tells the operating system which cluster (or clusters) the file is stored in, and where new data can be written.

What file systems should you be aware of?

Basically, Windows OS uses the FAT (File Allocation Table), FAT32 and NTFS (New Technology File System) file system.

In short, NTFS can store files larger than 4 GB, and partitions can be larger than 32 GB. NTFS manages free space better than FAT or FAT32, and therefore fragments the disk less. NTFS also supports some security features, including on-the-fly file encryption.

Compared to NTFS, the FAT and FAT32 file systems are smaller in size, less hard disk intensive, and therefore faster on smaller flash drives. In addition, FAT and FAT32 are cross-platform file systems. The biggest disadvantage of FAT and FAT32 is the 32 GB partition size limit, and the 2 GB and 4 GB file size limits, respectively.

To store information on flash drives, the new exFAT (Extended File Allocation Table) file system, also known as FAT64, is mainly used. Like NTFS, it supports files larger than 4 GB and partitions larger than 32 GB, and its file management system avoids disk fragmentation. At the same time, it is fast, optimized for mobile media and media processing.

What operating systems work with these file systems?

FAT and FAT32 are read/write on almost all operating systems. Previously, formatting a drive to NTFS was the surest way to make it inoperable outside of Windows. However, NTFS read/write support is now built into many Linux distributions. There is also a hack that allows this file system to work in Mac OS X version 10.6, although it seems to be unstable, so MacFuse is recommended. On the other hand, exFAT requires drivers to be installed on both Windows XP and Linux, and is supported by the latest versions of Windows (Vista SP1, Windows 7, 8) and Mac OS X.

Why is cluster size important?

If you have already formatted the drive, you should be aware that you can choose the cluster size (or allocation block size).

Depending on the size of the cluster (from 512 bytes to 64 kilobytes), a file can be stored in one or hundreds or thousands of clusters. When the file size is smaller than the cluster size, the remaining space is wasted. This phenomenon is called "lost space". Therefore, storing many small files on a disk with a large cluster size will result in large amounts of wasted space. On the other hand, if we choose a small cluster size, large files will be split into many small pieces, which can slow down disk operations, since it will take more time to read the corresponding file. In other words, be smart about cluster size.

How to find out the type of file system on a disk?

The file system is specified in the disk properties. Go to My Computer (Computer), right-click on the desired drive and then select Properties from the context menu. In the General tab, in the File system line, you will see the file system type.

To find out the cluster size of a disk with the NTFS file system, use the key combination + [R], the Run window will open. Make sure you are logged in as a user with administrative rights. In the Run Program window, type cmd in the text field and click OK. Next, type the command > fsutil fsinfo ntfsinfo and press Enter.

On Windows XP and Windows 7, you can also view and change the cluster size using third party applications such as .

What file system do you prefer to use on disks and why? Have you encountered problems using the NTFS file system, and how did you solve these problems?