Product Overview
BIOS settings
Basic Input Output Subsystem.
Programmable chip that controls how information is
passed to various devices in the computer system. A
typical method to access the BIOS settings screen is
to press ESC, F1, F2, F8 or F10 during the boot
sequence.
boot priority
First device, or
any device that is higher in the order list having
preference over devices that are lower in the order.
BIOS settings allow you to run a boot sequence from
a floppy drive, a hard drive or a CD-ROM drive. You
may configure the order that your computer searches
these physical devices for the boot sequence. For
example, to boot from a CD-ROM drive instead of a
hard drive, place the CD-ROM drive ahead of the hard
drive in priority.
boot record
See MBR.
compressed cluster
Data that uses less disk
space. When you set a file or folder property to
compress data, the file or folder uses less disk
space. While the size of the file is smaller, it
must use a whole cluster in order to exist on the
hard drive. As a result, compressed clusters contain
"file slack space". This space may contain residual
confidential data from the file that previously
occupied this space. Active@ KillDisk can wipe out the
residual data without touching the existing data.
cluster
Logical group of disk sectors,
managed by the operating system, for storing files.
Each cluster is assigned a unique number when it is
used. The operating system keeps track of clusters
in the hard disk's root records or MFT records. (See
lost cluster).
exclusive access
Lock that is
applied to a partition for exclusive writing access,
for example while recovering deleted or damaged
files or folders. The recover operation must have
exclusive access to the target partition while
recovering files. If another application or the
operating system is using the target partition, you
must close all applications or system processes that
may be using the target partition before you may
lock it.
FAT File Allocation Table.
File
that contains the records of every other file and
directory in a FAT-formatted hard disk drive. The
operating system needs this information to access
the files. There are FAT32, FAT16 and FAT versions.
free cluster
Cluster that is not occupied
by a file. This space may contain residual
confidential data from the file that previously
occupied this space.
file slack space
Unused portion of a cluster. The smallest file (and
even an empty folder) takes up an entire cluster. A
10-byte file will take up 2,048 bytes if that is the
cluster size. This space may contain residual
confidential data from the file that previously
occupied this space.
deleted boot records
Damaged or erased MBR. In a damaged disk, if the
location of the boot records is known, the partition
table can be reconstructed.
hive
Highest
level of organization in the Windows registry. At
this level, system and local variables are stored.
ISO
Informal term for a disk image in the ISO
9660 file standard format. ISO 9660 file system is a
standard, published by the International
Organization for Standardization. It defines a file
system for CD-ROM or DVD-ROM media that allows you
to read the same CD or DVD whether you're on a PC,
Mac, or other major computer platform. Making a disk
image in the ISO 9660 file standard (an ISO image)
is a common way to electronically store and transfer
the contents of a hard drive. An ISO image often has
the filename extension .ISO (although not
necessarily), and is commonly referred to as an
"ISO".
lost cluster
Cluster with an
assigned number in the file allocation table, even
though it is not assigned to any file. You can free
up disk space by reassigning lost clusters. In DOS
and Windows, you can find lost clusters with the ScanDisk utility.
MBR Master Boot Record.
All disks start with a boot sector. When you start
the computer, the code in the MBR executes before
the operating system is started. The location of the
MBR is always track (cylinder) 0, side (head) 0, and
sector 1. The MBR contains a file system identifier.
MFT records Master File Table.
File that
contains the records of every other file and
directory in an NTFS-formatted hard disk drive. The
operating system needs this information to access
the files.
root records
See FAT.
SAM Security Account Manager.
Database stored as a
registry file in Windows. It stores users' passwords
in a hashed format. Since a hash function is
one-way, this provides some measure of security for
the storage of the passwords.
sector
Smallest unit that can be accessed on a disk.
Sectors are segments within each track.
track
Circle of data around a disk. Tracks form
concentric circles on a disk.
unallocated
space
Space on a hard disk where no partition
exists. A partition may have been deleted or damaged
or a partition may not have been created.
unused space in MFT records
The performance of the
computer system depends a lot on the performance of
the MFT. When you delete files, the MFT entry for
that file is not deleted, it is marked as deleted.
This is called unused space in the MFT. If unused
space is not removed from the MFT, the size of the
table could grow to a point where it becomes
fragmented, affecting the performance of the MFT and
possibly the performance of the computer. This space
may also contain residual confidential data (file
names, file attributes, resident file data) from the
files that previously occupied these spaces.
Windows system caching
Windows reserves a
specified amount of volatile memory for file system
operations. This is done in RAM because it is the
quickest way to do these repetitive tasks.
Windows system records
The Windows registry keeps
track of almost everything that happens in windows.
This enhances performance of the computer when doing
repetitive tasks. Over time, these records can take
up a lot of space.