Changing Cluster Sizes

Kahlos · Aug 22, 2006, 08:49 PM

Hey
I'm going mad over the fact of changing cluster sizes. So lets go from the beginning. I formatted my new computer which runs on a RAID 0 configeration with a 64K Stripe size. First thing i did was get windows installed and then partion magic 8. Then I created all my partions and set there cluster sizes to 64K and changed the windows partions cluster size to 64K it all worked fine. But thats not the problem.
Before i got it working like it is now i tried to install windows then PM 8 and then reformat the lot and set all cluster sizes at 64K and install windows. But after i had windows installed before i got into windows BSOD with "NON-PAGED-FAULT-IN-FILEAREA".

So i thought cause of the default cluster size being 4k windows got confused so i tried again but with the windows partion's cluster size at 4K and again i got the same error. So then i tried the order i said at the start and it worked fine

. Now this is where it started to get annoying though

So now i naturally thought when reformatting a friends computer that this would work no problem. So i did it and as soon as i installed something on the other partions BSOD with the same error

. I tried many different tatics to see if it would work with a different cluster size but nothing worked! So i ended up submitting and leaving it at default cluster sizes. His computer had a 80GB hardrive.

I also tried this on another friends computer again same thing happened.

So whats happening ?
The only thing i can guess is that it worked on my new computer was because of the RAID 0 configeration.
Can anyone give a reason for this ? And if anyone knows how to start afresh and install windows and everything with 64K cluster sizes can they tell me how they did it cause i need to work out why its not working on the other computers

.
Its driving me crazy i spent ages trying to work out why it wasn't working

these kinda things threw out

**temeteus82** · Aug 22, 2006, 10:08 PM

chkdsk all drives with /R option, if there is some damage ...
I can't realy think other reason for you to have problems like this...

BTW. why 64K cluster size?

Kahlos · Aug 22, 2006, 11:05 PM

Well it will read faster altogether if i have a larger cluster size and utilises the CPU less with a higher cluster size. So overall a speed boost. On my RAID 0 config it works nicely, 64Kb Clusters and 64K stripping size which means that a cluster will be a stripe on the hardrives so a nice bit of speed

. And plus its not as if i'm worried about losing much space with 2X250GB hardrives i think i have enough space to last me a long time yet.
Well i tried chkdisk before. I put the hardrive into another computer it acessess it fine and chkdisks it but with no fix

.

I guess i'm on my own for this one. Ah well i should be able to work out why its doing it but maybe someone knows

Dyre Straits · Aug 23, 2006, 01:40 AM

I came across this in my search:

http://whatis.techtarget.com/tip/1,2...801370,00.html

PangingJr · Aug 23, 2006, 03:00 AM

try to match the sizes of the RAID0 stripe size with the file system cluster size should not improve the RAID performance,
the raid controller is not an integral part of the NTFS file system, the driver and the file system are unaware of each other.

Kahlos · Aug 23, 2006, 12:56 PM

Well i knew it wouldn't improve the RAID performence but it does make read accesses faster. That link you showed me has been proved wrong by my RAID 0 config working fine on the 64K cluster size. But it still doesn't answer the problem with the single drives in my friends computers. Why won't they change cluster size easily ?
Also i've found no problem with any of the hardrive tools or anything on my RAID 0 with the 64K cluster size i think that the link is a bit out dated cause modern programs work fine. I've used windows defrag, perfectdisk defrag, compression all sorts of things like that and got no problems what so ever. I'm running on XP if you hadn't guessed. Anymore ideas ?

PangingJr · Aug 24, 2006, 10:44 AM

file system defrag support in XP has been changed from Windows 2000, one of results is the built-in disk defragmenter as well as some other disk defrag programs can now work on NTFS partitions with cluster sizes larger than 4KB.

about formatting with NTFS with cluster size of 64K on that system, i'm sorry i haven't a clue why you could not do that.

Aug 22, 2006, 08:49 PM	#1
Kahlos DriverHeaven Newbie Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: England, Cirencester Posts: 11 Rep Power: 0	Changing Cluster Sizes Hey I'm going mad over the fact of changing cluster sizes. So lets go from the beginning. I formatted my new computer which runs on a RAID 0 configeration with a 64K Stripe size. First thing i did was get windows installed and then partion magic 8. Then I created all my partions and set there cluster sizes to 64K and changed the windows partions cluster size to 64K it all worked fine. But thats not the problem. Before i got it working like it is now i tried to install windows then PM 8 and then reformat the lot and set all cluster sizes at 64K and install windows. But after i had windows installed before i got into windows BSOD with "NON-PAGED-FAULT-IN-FILEAREA". So i thought cause of the default cluster size being 4k windows got confused so i tried again but with the windows partion's cluster size at 4K and again i got the same error. So then i tried the order i said at the start and it worked fine . Now this is where it started to get annoying though So now i naturally thought when reformatting a friends computer that this would work no problem. So i did it and as soon as i installed something on the other partions BSOD with the same error . I tried many different tatics to see if it would work with a different cluster size but nothing worked! So i ended up submitting and leaving it at default cluster sizes. His computer had a 80GB hardrive. I also tried this on another friends computer again same thing happened. So whats happening ? The only thing i can guess is that it worked on my new computer was because of the RAID 0 configeration. Can anyone give a reason for this ? And if anyone knows how to start afresh and install windows and everything with 64K cluster sizes can they tell me how they did it cause i need to work out why its not working on the other computers . Its driving me crazy i spent ages trying to work out why it wasn't working these kinda things threw out

Aug 22, 2006, 11:05 PM	Thread Starter #3
Kahlos DriverHeaven Newbie Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: England, Cirencester Posts: 11 Rep Power: 0	Well it will read faster altogether if i have a larger cluster size and utilises the CPU less with a higher cluster size. So overall a speed boost. On my RAID 0 config it works nicely, 64Kb Clusters and 64K stripping size which means that a cluster will be a stripe on the hardrives so a nice bit of speed . And plus its not as if i'm worried about losing much space with 2X250GB hardrives i think i have enough space to last me a long time yet. Well i tried chkdisk before. I put the hardrive into another computer it acessess it fine and chkdisks it but with no fix . I guess i'm on my own for this one. Ah well i should be able to work out why its doing it but maybe someone knows

Aug 23, 2006, 03:00 AM	#5
PangingJr Member Join Date: Mar 2003 Posts: 5,989 Rep Power: 70	try to match the sizes of the RAID0 stripe size with the file system cluster size should not improve the RAID performance, the raid controller is not an integral part of the NTFS file system, the driver and the file system are unaware of each other.

Aug 23, 2006, 12:56 PM	Thread Starter #6
Kahlos DriverHeaven Newbie Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: England, Cirencester Posts: 11 Rep Power: 0	Well i knew it wouldn't improve the RAID performence but it does make read accesses faster. That link you showed me has been proved wrong by my RAID 0 config working fine on the 64K cluster size. But it still doesn't answer the problem with the single drives in my friends computers. Why won't they change cluster size easily ? Also i've found no problem with any of the hardrive tools or anything on my RAID 0 with the 64K cluster size i think that the link is a bit out dated cause modern programs work fine. I've used windows defrag, perfectdisk defrag, compression all sorts of things like that and got no problems what so ever. I'm running on XP if you hadn't guessed. Anymore ideas ?

Aug 24, 2006, 10:44 AM	#7
PangingJr Member Join Date: Mar 2003 Posts: 5,989 Rep Power: 70	file system defrag support in XP has been changed from Windows 2000, one of results is the built-in disk defragmenter as well as some other disk defrag programs can now work on NTFS partitions with cluster sizes larger than 4KB. about formatting with NTFS with cluster size of 64K on that system, i'm sorry i haven't a clue why you could not do that.