312-49 · Question #296
312-49 Question #296: Real Exam Question with Answer & Explanation
The correct answer is A: Clusters. In Microsoft file systems (FAT16, FAT32, NTFS, exFAT), storage is organized in a two-level hierarchy at the logical layer. A sector is the smallest physical unit of disk storage, typically 512 bytes or 4,096 bytes (Advanced Format). The file system groups a fixed number of contig
Question
In Microsoft file structures, sectors are grouped together to form:
Options
- AClusters
- BDrives
- CBitstreams
- DPartitions
Explanation
In Microsoft file systems (FAT16, FAT32, NTFS, exFAT), storage is organized in a two-level hierarchy at the logical layer. A sector is the smallest physical unit of disk storage, typically 512 bytes or 4,096 bytes (Advanced Format). The file system groups a fixed number of contiguous sectors together into a cluster (also called an allocation unit), which becomes the smallest unit the file system uses when allocating space to files. Cluster sizes are configurable (e.g., 4KB, 8KB, 64KB) and directly affect storage efficiency — larger clusters reduce overhead but increase slack space waste for small files. Drives and partitions are larger organizational constructs that contain the file system, not groupings of sectors at this level. Bitstream is a term used in forensic imaging, not file system structure.
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