CREATE AN ADDITIONAL SHARE NAME FOR A FOLDER

File System Allows you choose from the FAT (for FAT16), FAT32, or NTFS file sys-

tems (see Chapter 2 for more information on file systems).

Allocation Unit Size Allows you change the default cluster size for any of the file

systems. Microsoft recommends leaving this value at its default setting.

Perform A Quick Format Specifies that you want to format the drive without hav-

ing Windows perform an exhaustive scan of the drive to check for bad sectors.

Select this option only if you have previously performed a full format and are cer-

tain that the disk is not damaged.

Enable File And Folder Compression Specifies that all files placed on the disk will

be compressed by default. Compression is always available on an NTFS volume,

and you can enable or disable it at any time through the properties of the files and

folders on the volume. File And Folder Compression is available only when you

format a volume with NTFS. Read Lesson 2, “Managing Compression,” for more

information.

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You can format a partition by using the Disk Management tool.

Drive Letters

When you create a basic or dynamic volume, you assign it a drive letter, such as C or

D. The drive letter is used to access the volume through Windows Explorer and other

applications. Floppy drives, CD-ROM and DVD drives, removable drives, and tape

devices are also assigned drive letters.

To change the currently assigned drive letter for a volume, right-click the volume in

Disk Management, select Change Drive Letter And Paths from the Action menu, and

then click Change. Note that you can change a volume only to a drive letter that is not

already being used.

Note Windows XP Professional does not allow you to modify the drive letter for the system

and boot partitions.

Volume Mount Points

Windows XP also allows you to mount a volume by using a path instead of assigning

a drive letter. For example, you could create a folder named C:\Files. You could then

assign the C:\Files path to a new volume labeled Files. When you open the C:\Files

folder within Windows Explorer, you would actually see the information that is stored

on the Files volume. This type of volume is referred to as a mounted volume, and the

folder that the mounted volume is attached to is referred to as a volume mount point.

You can create multiple volume mount points for a single volume. You can dismount

and move a mounted volume to another volume mount point if necessary.

Mounted volumes provide a method of extending the perceived available space on an

existing volume without extending the volume’s actual size. Technically, a mounted

volume is a separate volume, but in the user’s eyes it appears to be an extension of an

existing volume. Therefore, you can use mounted volumes to increase the amount of

disk space that is available on a basic volume to include disk space on another hard

disk (remember that you cannot actually extend a basic volume to include space on

another disk). Also, mounted volumes provide a method for managing multiple vol-

umes of information from the same drive letter.

Volume mount points are supported on NTFS volumes only. The volume that is being

mounted can be formatted with any supported file system.

To add a mounted volume to an existing volume, follow these steps: