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CompTIA A+ Certification All-in-One Exam Guide

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Figure 9-19 End of file reached

After saving all of the clusters, Windows locates the file’s folder (yes,

folders also are stored on blocks, but they get a different set of blocks,

somewhere else on the disk) and records the filename, size, date/time, and

starting cluster, like this:

mom.txt

13234 05-19-19 2:04p 03213ABB

If a program requests that file, the process is reversed. Windows locates

the folder containing the file to determine the starting cluster and then pulls a

piece of the file from each cluster until it sees the end-of-file cluster.

Windows then hands the reassembled file to the requesting application.

Clearly, without the FAT, Windows cannot locate files. FAT32

automatically makes two copies of the FAT. One FAT backs up the other to

provide special utilities a way to recover a FAT that gets corrupted—a

painfully common occurrence.

Cluster Sizes in FAT32

Cluster sizes scale according to the file system. FAT32 offers 4-KB cluster

sizes up to a partition size of 2 GB, which matches the size of a 4-KB block.

Larger partitions require clusters with more blocks, thus reducing somewhat

the efficiency of that drive. Table 9-2 shows the scaling effect in FAT32.

Table 9-2 FAT32 Cluster Sizes

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