4k aligned solid State drive

What is 4K alignment? Have you ever heard of it before?

When it comes to 4K alignment, I probably looked at the explanation of the friend, and the quarrel in the forum, or not perfect, then I simply say how hard the 4K alignment is what!

Let me first say what is a cluster!

The beginning from WIN98 to win XP, are mechanical hard drive of the world, capacity is limited. And the vast majority of mechanical hard disk default sector is 512K size. When partitioning, there is something called a physical storage unit, commonly known as a cluster. This size can be specified when partitioning. This cluster is not the physical structure of the hard disk, but rather the method used.

This cluster is very interesting, a cluster can only hold one file, but a cluster may contain multiple sectors, then the popular small cluster, because the small cluster does not "waste" disk.

For example, my cluster is 10K, the file is 25K, I need to save this file needs to occupy 3 clusters; If the cluster is 5K, then I want to save the data, I need to use 5 disk sector units. Appears to have a higher disk utilization.

So it seems, is not the smaller the better? Because a cluster is the smallest managed storage unit of a disk, if a file reads 4 units and 400 units, which one do you think is faster?

And the current large-capacity hard drive has not cared about those k, cluster this thing is not necessary too small.

Voice-over 1: The smaller the file, the more waste of storage space AH? So it is.

VoiceOver 2: Big also not suitable, small also not suitable, I do not understand. With Microsoft default, do not understand the default, yes!

VoiceOver 3: I understand, large files with large clusters, small file zoning with small clusters

VoiceOver 4: Upstairs, I know this! I have stored the love of an island country action film, single file is very large, suitable for large cluster partition. Efficient and fast!

Here's the thing, what's 4K?

I have a bad fix: The vast majority of mechanical hard drives default to 512-byte sectors, using DRAM as a storage medium;

And the mechanical hard disk, whether the SLC particles or MLC particles, belong to NAND flash memory storage unit.

This kind of hard disk sector is 4K, this is the origin of 4K!

Because most of Win98 and Win XP are in fat format.

This format is compatible with 32-bit, 16-bit disk formats and is adopted by most friends as a system disk.

However, in the Vista era, no 16-bit DOS is required, so all of them are in plain 32-bit NTFS format, and the NTFS format is upgraded to the fifth generation.

In fact, the XP era has NTFS, although this format performance is higher and more secure, but poor compatibility, so has been not as a system partition, generally as a storage partition.

The NTFS format has an attribute, which is the location of the starting cluster!

The starting position of the NTFS partition is not starting at 0, but starting with the LBA63, where the 63rd sector begins to store.

and Nfts defaults to a 512-byte size, rather than an intelligent adjustment to sector 63rd.

So the problem is, 63 sectors x512 byte =31.5k, that is, the first 31.5K of the disk cannot be used.

Using a mechanical hard drive, using a solid-state drive, storing the first word, also takes up the disk sector between 31.5k-35.5k.

The most extreme is that this sort of arrangement, exactly every 4K position in a sector, will result in a data storage 2 sectors.

And this arrangement, as long as the 4 K divisible by the position of 100% occupy 2 sectors, even if only one word.

Solid-State drives, whether MLC or SLC, have write-read times that greatly damage performance and longevity.

Also, the number of reads is increased.

This time no matter how big the cluster, will cause the performance and the space waste.

So this question is called 4k!.

VoiceOver 1: Oh I understand, that is to say that when we eat together, if a spoon and bowl as large, the first bowl of the delicious eaten by who bite, after each spoon in this bowl to scoop up, must be in the second bowl scoop. No matter who wants to scoop up a spoonful, they have to scoop 2 times! It's too much trouble!

VoiceOver 2: I also understand that the volume of a car is 2.5 times times the size of a person, five people can not sit down on this truth!

Voice-over 3: Yes ah, the car can be arbitrarily changed, people can not be arbitrarily demolished. As long as it's divisible by 4 K, it's not wasted.

VoiceOver 4: Who says 5 people can't sit down? Let's eat a little, you two go to another car, my daughter-in-law has counted two people, just good!

About 4K need to align, does my hard drive need?

The 4K aligned disk must be formatted, and this format is called Advanced format. All solid-state drives, and mechanical hard drives labeled advanced format, need to be aligned. Because they're all 4K sectors.

Download software: As SSD benchmark can query for alignment.

What does the font in the upper-left corner mean?

The first line of product model, the second line is correct to open AHCI, the third line is the starting position, is whether the alignment!

Do you see that? 31k-bad, which is the result of the LBA63 partition led to the solid state drive is not aligned, the test is always divided into 725.

And if the starting position is 1024K, then 4K is aligned, all OK, test score is 934.

VoiceOver 1: I'm a solid-state drive, formatted with XP, definitely not aligned

VoiceOver 2: I am a mechanical hard drive that supports advanced formatting, not aligned

VoiceOver 3: I have 2 kinds of hard drives, and the upstairs 2-bit pair is very neat.

VoiceOver 4: Found that the SSD is 2.5 inches, the mechanical hard drive is 3.5 inches, it is impossible to align AH

How to 4K alignment?

In the Vista era, the NTFS specification has gone to the sixth generation, and the NTFS-formatted starting cluster's sector position is 2M, which is 2048K, which is no doubt wasteful because it can be divisible by 4 K.

In the era of Win7, the NTFS-formatted starting cluster's sector position is 1M, which is the position of 1024K, and is undoubtedly divisible by 4 K, and will not be wasted. This condition is called 4K alignment.

It's important to note that it's not that you're a WIN7 system that you don't waste.

Because your disk might be a format that was completed in the previous operation of the fifth generation of NTFS.

As long as the system used in the VISTA,WIN7 system with the format, it must not be wasted.

I can say that the majority of people's hard drive 4K is not aligned, because it is not done in the system, nor the original Win7 disc format and partition system disk.

Currently 4 K alignment is mainly used for solid-state drives, since most mechanical hard drives are 512-byte sectors. But the new mechanical hard drive is also 4 K sector, also need to align. Requires advanced formatting

VoiceOver 1: I understand, I will go back to my system redo, hard disk deleted, with the disc from the partition to do the system!

VoiceOver 2: Upstairs you know what a fart! The disc comes with the partition of only one system disk out on the line, the other partitions with the tool can be.

VoiceOver 3: I believe there is another way out of this! Two Earth hammers upstairs!

VoiceOver 4: I do not understand this, my dear I want to ...

I would like to 4K alignment, how to operate?

The first way, when installing the system, the alignment method with the

Use the Win7 disc to install, with the partition to do it! It only produces 100M of hidden partitions for the page startup file. It is also aligned to format the partition using the Win7 system's own formatting tool after entering the system.

The second way, with the installation of the CD-ROM command to fix!

Have the following several steps!!

1,win7 the installation interface comes in, fix the computer-use the tool fix-command prompt. This will come to a DOS interface.

2, enter DiskPart and return to come with partition tool

3, enter list disk to display the hard drive listing

4, select the disks you want to partition, and enter the select disk number, such as Selectdisk 0.

5, solid State hard drive does not recommend zoning, directly enter create partition primary. Is it a little long? Input CRE PAR pri

6, more advanced commands to a flexible friend of the gourd painting scoop, CRE PAR PRI align=1024 size=1000000 meaning is a 1024-byte start, 100000K byte of a partition. The SEL PAR number means that the partition is selected

7, enter active activation, then enter format FS Quick format

Please forgive me for not being able to press ENTER to continue the following operation, has been said in detail.

The third way: To use disk genius to align. After the test 3.7 version is effective!

1, directly choose to establish the partition

2, the system disk is sure to select the primary partition, type NTFS, be sure to select the number of sectors to align the tick.

3, the point is coming! Click on the detailed parameters, you can see the default starting cylinder, the head is 1, the sector is 1. The starting head is set to 32 and the starting sector is set to 33. This allows you to see the following fact that the sector area code has become 2048. 2048 obvious alignment, no waste. No matter how you set it, the starting sector area code 2048 is OK. Make sure you are aligned 4 K in the area where the vista,win7 can be divided.

The fourth way: if the partition has been divided, can be lossless alignment

Download Paragon Alignment Tool.

Software is nothing, waiting time and pressing next. If you want to align the current system disk, you need to select Reset and restart alignment.

What you have to say is! Personal advice ah, from the top down! Diskgenius version is wrong, operation is not good, incompatible is easy blue screen, the probability how much? I use this software about 100 times, blue screen about 5 times. If you think you're not the 5%, then you go!

This is even more dangerous if you use Paragon Alignment tool to get the right alignment. Lossless alignment, but is to retain the data, in case the blue screen, all the data destroyed!

It is suggested that if the SSD is not divided into the area, it can be formatted directly under the Win7, and the reload system will be restarted. If you are already full of data, but need to 4K alignment of the disk, lossless alignment Consider the consequences of the use! Although it is generally no problem.

Voice-over 1: I am the new hard drive, I will install the system with the disc partition bar

VoiceOver 2: I am a mechanical hard drive, need advanced format, I put the data are poured out of the system with the partition tool to handle

VoiceOver 3: I just said I'm a mix-and-match. Solid-State hard disk system with zoning, other mechanical hard disk on the Paragon Alignment tool to the lossless alignment.

VoiceOver 4: I would say alignment is very difficult, because these two hard drives are really not the same size ...

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