Changes

Jump to: navigation, search
no edit summary
* '''MBR''' - This is a reserved partition which appears in the first sector of the disk. It contains a 'dummy' Master Boot Record (MBR) containing a partition table indicating that the disk contains a single primary partition occupying the entire disk. This MBR is provided for the benefit of MBR disk utilities that would be unable to recognize a GPT based disk.
* '''ESP''' - The ESP is a FAT partition that is used to contain the files necessary to boot the operating system on Itanium based systems. When Windows Server 2008 is installed on an Itanium system the setup process creates this partition. The ESP is only required on disks from which the system is required to boot and is not usually present on disks intended solely for the storage of data. The ESP is visible when using tools such as '''diskpart''' but cannot be assigned a drive letter or mount point, nor can the contents of the partition be accessed or modified in any way other than through the system firmware.
* '''MSR''' - THE Microsoft Reserved (MSR) partition is required on all GPT disks on Itanium systems and is used to store metadata when a basic disk is converted to a dynamic disk. This partition is created automatically by Windows Server 2008, does not have a drive letter or mount point and is not visible from within Disk Management.
The ''Allocation unit size'' value specifies the file system cluster size. In general the default setting for this value is the preferable choice, although a smaller value may be useful in situations where the volume is intended to store large quantities of small files. If selected, the ''Quick Format'' option will cause the format to be performed without any error checking. The ''Enable file and folder compression'' option dictates whether the data stored in the volume is to be compressed to maximize use of space.
Click on the ''Next'' button to proceed to the summary screen. Assuming the settings are satisfactory, click on ''Finish'' to begin the formatting process. The wizard will close and the disk in the graphical display will show the new volume as a primary volume and show the progress of the formating formatting process.
Once the process is completed the disk will be ready for use. To create additional volumes, simply repeat the above steps until the required number of partitions have been created, the maximum allowed number of partitions is reached or all the disk space is allocated.
== Formatting a Volume from the Command Line ==
Windows Server 2008 provides the ability to format volumes from the command line using the '''diskpart'' tool. This can be invoked by entering ''diskpart'' either at the command prompt or in a Run dialog. Once started diskpart presents a ''DISKPART>'' prompt at which commands can be entered.
The first step is to identify the disks on the system. This information is obtained using the ''list disk'' command:

Navigation menu