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5

Once again, here I am trying to wrap my head around some HDD and filesystem concepts.

When Windows displays a drive as having "unallocated space" and prompts for the drive to be initialised, what exactly does this mean - that the drive has no filesystem on it, or just that the filesystem isn't recognised by Windows?

Is the concept of unallocated space a Windows one, or a hard drive one - in other words, is it possible for other operating systems to write to unallocated space?

If so, does this mean that outside of Windows, a filesystem isn't necessary to write to a hard drive?

windows hard-drive filesystems data-recovery

share|improve this question

edited 7 hours ago

Hashim

asked 8 hours ago

HashimHashim

3,7811010 gold badges3939 silver badges7979 bronze badges

• 
  
  
  

  
  

  
  
  
  
  
  

  
  
  I don't know Windows well enough to answer this, still I have one observation: on certain level Windows likes (or used to like? – I'm not up to date with Windows) to treat partitions and filesystems almost as if they were one thing. In effect some Windows users tend to equate the two concepts. Technically these are different things. You can have partitions without filesystems; a filesystem without any partition; a filesystem smaller than its partition; a filesystem not corresponding with the partition type. This comment is to avoid confusion in case the simplified view meets the strict one.
  
  – Kamil Maciorowski
  7 hours ago
  

  
  
  
  

add a comment
 | 

5

Once again, here I am trying to wrap my head around some HDD and filesystem concepts.

When Windows displays a drive as having "unallocated space" and prompts for the drive to be initialised, what exactly does this mean - that the drive has no filesystem on it, or just that the filesystem isn't recognised by Windows?

Is the concept of unallocated space a Windows one, or a hard drive one - in other words, is it possible for other operating systems to write to unallocated space?

If so, does this mean that outside of Windows, a filesystem isn't necessary to write to a hard drive?

windows hard-drive filesystems data-recovery

share|improve this question

edited 7 hours ago

Hashim

asked 8 hours ago

HashimHashim

3,7811010 gold badges3939 silver badges7979 bronze badges

• 
  
  
  

  
  

  
  
  
  
  
  

  
  
  I don't know Windows well enough to answer this, still I have one observation: on certain level Windows likes (or used to like? – I'm not up to date with Windows) to treat partitions and filesystems almost as if they were one thing. In effect some Windows users tend to equate the two concepts. Technically these are different things. You can have partitions without filesystems; a filesystem without any partition; a filesystem smaller than its partition; a filesystem not corresponding with the partition type. This comment is to avoid confusion in case the simplified view meets the strict one.
  
  – Kamil Maciorowski
  7 hours ago
  

  
  
  
  

add a comment
 | 

Once again, here I am trying to wrap my head around some HDD and filesystem concepts.

When Windows displays a drive as having "unallocated space" and prompts for the drive to be initialised, what exactly does this mean - that the drive has no filesystem on it, or just that the filesystem isn't recognised by Windows?

Is the concept of unallocated space a Windows one, or a hard drive one - in other words, is it possible for other operating systems to write to unallocated space?

If so, does this mean that outside of Windows, a filesystem isn't necessary to write to a hard drive?

windows hard-drive filesystems data-recovery

share|improve this question

edited 7 hours ago

Hashim

asked 8 hours ago

HashimHashim

3,7811010 gold badges3939 silver badges7979 bronze badges

share|improve this question

edited 7 hours ago

Hashim

asked 8 hours ago

HashimHashim

3,7811010 gold badges3939 silver badges7979 bronze badges

share|improve this question

edited 7 hours ago

Hashim

asked 8 hours ago

HashimHashim

3,7811010 gold badges3939 silver badges7979 bronze badges

asked 8 hours ago

HashimHashim

3,7811010 gold badges3939 silver badges7979 bronze badges

asked 8 hours ago

HashimHashim

3,7811010 gold badges3939 silver badges7979 bronze badges

1 Answer
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5

Lets first explain how a harddrive works.

A harddrive has space, obviously. You create a partition scheme across the entire drive, and you fill that with partitions. A partition is a reservation in the partition space with a fixed size. (this is a very basic explanation. If I add RAID to the mix, I fear the answer gets unnecessary complex)

If your harddrive has just one partition, and its size is smaller than the size of the harddisk, there is space left for another partition. This bit is called unallocated space.

Now, does this mean you can always create a partition there? No. It is possible that another OS created a partition in that space that is completely unfamiliar by your OS.

If this is the case, your OS will either see this as an unknown partition, or in the worst case as unallocated space. If you create a partition in unallocated space that is actually allocated by another OS, you will destroy the previous partition in most cases.

There is another possibility, the drive has a partition scheme that is not familiar by your OS. If this is the case, the OS will think the drive is not initialized, and will ask you to initialize it. In Windows, it will either be GPT or MBR, but there are known cases where the drive (or SD Card etc) is formatted for a special device and its unique format is a form of security.

share|improve this answer

edited 8 hours ago

answered 8 hours ago

LPChipLPChip

39.3k55 gold badges5757 silver badges9393 bronze badges

• 
  
  
  

  
  

  
  
  
  
  
  

  
  
  Don't you mean GPT or MBR?
  
  – Hashim
  8 hours ago
  

  
  
  
  


• 
  
  
  

  
  

  
  
  
  
  
  

  
  
  Also, I'm not opposed to a more complex question, I'm trying to learn as much as possible about the subject.
  
  – Hashim
  8 hours ago
  

  
  
  
  


• 
  
  
  

  
  

  
  
  
  
  
  

  
  
  Ah yeah, I mean MBR. Edited. :) I understand you want to learn, but RAID configurations will make this a really long answer without adding something new. In fact it may confuse you more than not.
  
  – LPChip
  8 hours ago
  

  
  
  
  

add a comment
 | 

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5

Lets first explain how a harddrive works.

A harddrive has space, obviously. You create a partition scheme across the entire drive, and you fill that with partitions. A partition is a reservation in the partition space with a fixed size. (this is a very basic explanation. If I add RAID to the mix, I fear the answer gets unnecessary complex)

If your harddrive has just one partition, and its size is smaller than the size of the harddisk, there is space left for another partition. This bit is called unallocated space.

Now, does this mean you can always create a partition there? No. It is possible that another OS created a partition in that space that is completely unfamiliar by your OS.

If this is the case, your OS will either see this as an unknown partition, or in the worst case as unallocated space. If you create a partition in unallocated space that is actually allocated by another OS, you will destroy the previous partition in most cases.

There is another possibility, the drive has a partition scheme that is not familiar by your OS. If this is the case, the OS will think the drive is not initialized, and will ask you to initialize it. In Windows, it will either be GPT or MBR, but there are known cases where the drive (or SD Card etc) is formatted for a special device and its unique format is a form of security.

share|improve this answer

edited 8 hours ago

answered 8 hours ago

LPChipLPChip

39.3k55 gold badges5757 silver badges9393 bronze badges

• 
  
  
  

  
  

  
  
  
  
  
  

  
  
  Don't you mean GPT or MBR?
  
  – Hashim
  8 hours ago
  

  
  
  
  


• 
  
  
  

  
  

  
  
  
  
  
  

  
  
  Also, I'm not opposed to a more complex question, I'm trying to learn as much as possible about the subject.
  
  – Hashim
  8 hours ago
  

  
  
  
  


• 
  
  
  

  
  

  
  
  
  
  
  

  
  
  Ah yeah, I mean MBR. Edited. :) I understand you want to learn, but RAID configurations will make this a really long answer without adding something new. In fact it may confuse you more than not.
  
  – LPChip
  8 hours ago
  

  
  
  
  

add a comment
 | 

5

Lets first explain how a harddrive works.

A harddrive has space, obviously. You create a partition scheme across the entire drive, and you fill that with partitions. A partition is a reservation in the partition space with a fixed size. (this is a very basic explanation. If I add RAID to the mix, I fear the answer gets unnecessary complex)

If your harddrive has just one partition, and its size is smaller than the size of the harddisk, there is space left for another partition. This bit is called unallocated space.

Now, does this mean you can always create a partition there? No. It is possible that another OS created a partition in that space that is completely unfamiliar by your OS.

If this is the case, your OS will either see this as an unknown partition, or in the worst case as unallocated space. If you create a partition in unallocated space that is actually allocated by another OS, you will destroy the previous partition in most cases.

There is another possibility, the drive has a partition scheme that is not familiar by your OS. If this is the case, the OS will think the drive is not initialized, and will ask you to initialize it. In Windows, it will either be GPT or MBR, but there are known cases where the drive (or SD Card etc) is formatted for a special device and its unique format is a form of security.

share|improve this answer

edited 8 hours ago

answered 8 hours ago

LPChipLPChip

39.3k55 gold badges5757 silver badges9393 bronze badges

• 
  
  
  

  
  

  
  
  
  
  
  

  
  
  Don't you mean GPT or MBR?
  
  – Hashim
  8 hours ago
  

  
  
  
  


• 
  
  
  

  
  

  
  
  
  
  
  

  
  
  Also, I'm not opposed to a more complex question, I'm trying to learn as much as possible about the subject.
  
  – Hashim
  8 hours ago
  

  
  
  
  


• 
  
  
  

  
  

  
  
  
  
  
  

  
  
  Ah yeah, I mean MBR. Edited. :) I understand you want to learn, but RAID configurations will make this a really long answer without adding something new. In fact it may confuse you more than not.
  
  – LPChip
  8 hours ago
  

  
  
  
  

add a comment
 | 

Lets first explain how a harddrive works.

A harddrive has space, obviously. You create a partition scheme across the entire drive, and you fill that with partitions. A partition is a reservation in the partition space with a fixed size. (this is a very basic explanation. If I add RAID to the mix, I fear the answer gets unnecessary complex)

If your harddrive has just one partition, and its size is smaller than the size of the harddisk, there is space left for another partition. This bit is called unallocated space.

Now, does this mean you can always create a partition there? No. It is possible that another OS created a partition in that space that is completely unfamiliar by your OS.

If this is the case, your OS will either see this as an unknown partition, or in the worst case as unallocated space. If you create a partition in unallocated space that is actually allocated by another OS, you will destroy the previous partition in most cases.

There is another possibility, the drive has a partition scheme that is not familiar by your OS. If this is the case, the OS will think the drive is not initialized, and will ask you to initialize it. In Windows, it will either be GPT or MBR, but there are known cases where the drive (or SD Card etc) is formatted for a special device and its unique format is a form of security.

share|improve this answer

edited 8 hours ago

answered 8 hours ago

LPChipLPChip

39.3k55 gold badges5757 silver badges9393 bronze badges

share|improve this answer

edited 8 hours ago

answered 8 hours ago

LPChipLPChip

39.3k55 gold badges5757 silver badges9393 bronze badges

answered 8 hours ago

LPChipLPChip

39.3k55 gold badges5757 silver badges9393 bronze badges

answered 8 hours ago

LPChipLPChip

39.3k55 gold badges5757 silver badges9393 bronze badges