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312-49 · Question #32

312-49 Question #32: Real Exam Question with Answer & Explanation

The correct answer is A: Cluster. A cluster (also called an allocation unit) is the smallest logical unit of disk space that an operating system can allocate to a file. Clusters are made up of one or more sectors (typically 512 bytes each). Disk platters are the physical spinning disks inside a hard drive, and sp

Submitted by kwame.gh· Apr 18, 2026Disk Forensics

Question

What is the smallest allocation unit of a hard disk?

Options

  • ACluster
  • BSpinning tracks
  • CDisk platters
  • DSlack space

Explanation

A cluster (also called an allocation unit) is the smallest logical unit of disk space that an operating system can allocate to a file. Clusters are made up of one or more sectors (typically 512 bytes each). Disk platters are the physical spinning disks inside a hard drive, and spinning tracks are the circular paths on platters — these are physical units, not allocation units. Slack space is the unused space within an allocated cluster when a file does not fill the entire cluster — it is forensically significant but is not an allocation unit itself.

Topics

#Hard Disk Allocation#Clusters#Filesystems#Storage Concepts

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