Module 13

An IT best-practice operations standard for backups that includes keeping three copies of data (original and two backups) on two media, with one copy kept off site.

A group of hard drives that work together to provide a single storage volume.

A Windows command to view and change the attributes of a file, for example, to remove the hidden and system attributes assigned to a file so that you can view and delete the file.

The Windows utility used to create and update scheduled backups of user data and the system image.

An IT job role that is responsible for implementing backup routines.

The term Windows uses to describe a hard drive when it is a stand-alone drive in the system. Compare with dynamic disk.

The Windows command to change the current default directory.

On a magnetic hard drive, one or more sectors that constitute the smallest unit of space on the drive for storing data (also referred to as a file allocation unit). Files are written to a drive as groups of whole clusters.

The Windows command to copy a single file, a group of files, or a folder and its contents.

A drive maintenance procedure that rearranges fragments or parts of files on a magnetic hard drive so each file is stored on the drive in contiguous clusters.

A Windows utility that defragments a magnetic hard drive and trims an SSD to improve performance. Also called Defragment and Optimize Drives utility.

The Windows command to delete a file or group of files. Also called the erase command.

A backup routine that backs up files that have changed or have been created since the last full backup.

The Windows command to list files and directories.

A Windows utility to delete temporary files and free up space on a drive.

The Windows utility (diskmgmt. msc) used to install and manage drives.

A way to partition one or more hard drives so that they can work together to increase space for data storage or to provide fault tolerance or improved performance. Also see RAID. Compare with basic disk.

A volume type used with dynamic disks; allows you to create a single volume that uses space on multiple hard drives.

A table on a hard drive or other storage device used by the FAT file system to track the clusters used to contain a file.

On a magnetic hard drive, one or more sectors that constitute the smallest unit of space on the drive for storing data (also referred to as a file allocation unit). Files are written to a drive as groups of whole clusters.

The Windows 10/11 applet used to determine how files and folders are displayed in File Explorer.

A Windows 10/11 utility that can schedule and maintain backups of data. It can also create a system image.

The Windows command to prepare a hard drive volume, logical drive, or USB flash drive for use (e.g., format d:). This process erases all data on the device.

A backup routine that backs up all files designated for backup. Compare to differential backup and incremental backup.

A plan for rotating backup media. For example, a son backup media is rotated daily, a father backup media is rotated weekly, and a grandfather backup media is rotated monthly.

and is implemented using BIOS/UEFI on the motherboard or a RAID controller card. Compare with software RAID.

whether that backup is itself an incremental or a full backup.

which helps to make searches go faster.

performance improvement, or both.

with the goal of improving performance for tasks such as large file transfers.

usually made before installation of new hardware or applications; created by the System Protection utility.

an app to view and change many Windows settings.

Using space from two or more physical disks to increase the disk space available for a single volume. Performance improves because data is written evenly across all disks. Windows calls RAID 0 a striped volume. Also called striping or striped volume.

A power-saving state for a computer when it is not in use. Also called standby mode or suspend mode. Also see S3 state.

When recovering a file, folder, or volume from backups, the reconstructed backup that is created from the latest full backup and any incremental or differential backups that contain data more current than the full backup.

The backup of the entire Windows volume; it can also include backups of other volumes. The system image works only on the computer that created it, and it is created using Windows File History or the Windows Backup and Restore utility.

A utility that automatically backs up system files and stores them in restore points on the hard drive at regular intervals and just before you install software or hardware.

A Windows utility used to restore the system to a restore point.

To erase entire blocks of unused data on an SSD so that write operations do not have to manage the data.

A Windows power setting that controls the power state of USB ports when they are not in use; disabling this setting can sometimes solve problems with unreliable USB ports.

An * or ? character used in a command line that represents a character or group of characters in a file name or extension.

A Windows command that displays the About Windows box containing information about the Windows edition, latest update installed, and registered owner of the computer.

A Windows command more powerful than the copy command that is used to copy files and folders.