Improving Disk Access times with DiskPart
Wnile reviewing for the next exchange certification exam, i came across something that I did not know– improving disk access via DiskPart
Disk performance may be slower than expected when you use multiple disks in Microsoft Windows Server 2003, in Microsoft Windows XP, and in Microsoft Windows 2000. For example, performance may slow when you use a hardware-based redundant array of independent disks (RAID) or a software-based RAID.
With a physical disk that maintains 64 sectors per track, Windows always creates the partition starting at the sixty-forth sector, therefore misaligning it with the underlying physical disk. To be certain of disk alignment, use Diskpart.exe, a disk partition tool. Diskpart.exe is a utility provided by Microsoft in the Windows Server 2003 Service Pack 1 Support Tools that can explicitly set the starting offset in the master boot record (MBR). By setting the starting offset, you can track alignment and improve disk performance
Checkout http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/aa995867(EXCHG.65).aspx
To calculate the settings check out http://support.microsoft.com/kb/929491
As an update, this is no longer an issue with Windows 2008. You can use the graphical user interface to format the new disks.
Filed under: Computing
