The document defines various terms related to data recovery including: - FAT (File Allocation Table) which is a data table that allows an operating system to find which sectors are allocated to each file. - File Allocation Table 32 (FAT32) which is an updated version of FAT that can support much larger hard drives than FAT16. - Formatting which prepares a hard drive to store data by arranging sector locations and removing existing data.

1. F ‐ Data Recovery Glossary
FAT (File Allocation Table) – It is a data table saved at the start of each partition on
the disk being used by the operating system to find out which sectors are allocated
to each file and what is the order of it.
FAT32 – See File Allocation Table.
Fdisk – It is software service that is used to create partition on a hard drive. This
service or utility is integrated in DOS and Windows 95 operating systems.
Fetch – It is the process of repossessing the data.
Fibre Channel (FC) – Integrated set of standards being developed by an ANSI‐
approved X3 group have been given a general name and that is fibre channel. It
defines new set of rules for easy transmission of information.
Fibre Channel Arbitrated Loop (FC‐AL) – It is known as a subset of fibre channel
network systems interconnection. It is designed to fulfill the requirements of high‐
end applications and it is a serial storage interface.
File – A file is a compilation of data assembled into a single unit on a disk.
File Allocation Table – (FAT or FAT32) DOS put the FAT into use to control the disk
data area. The FAT directs DOS about the portions of the disk that belong to each
file. The FAT not only link all of the clusters belonging to each file together, it does so
without worrying about their position on disk. The FAT is a very significant file: there
is a serious need to back it up on a regular basis.
FAT32 on the other hand, is the latest type of FAT, which was formulated to deal
with the large sized hard disks. The older versions of FAT (FAT16) cannot support
partitions that are more than two gigabytes in size. FAT32 can easily deal with
partitions, which are thousands of gigabytes in size.
File System – It is a system for categorizing directories and files, notably in the
manner of how it is put into practice in the disk operating system.
Firmware‐ It is a computer program, which is already embedded in a hardware
device. Micro‐controller is an example of it. It can also be presented on flash ROMs
or as a binary image file that can later be uploaded by a user onto existing hardware.
FIT (Functional Integrity Testing) – A set of tests present on hard drive product s to
guarantee compatibility with various hosts, operating systems, adapters, application

2. programs, and peripherals. However, this testing need to be executed before the
product can be made public to manufacturing.
Flying Height – It is the distance between the read/write head and the disk surface.
It is actually made up of a cushion of air allowing the head to keep some distance
from the media.
Flow Control – The capability of en EIDE drive to monitor and manage the velocity of
the transmission of data either to or from the drive in PIO transfers using the IORDY
signal. By dissenting the IORDY signal, it temporarily forces the host to halt the
transfer of data. And only when it reasserts the IORDY signal, only then the hosts
carry on with the transfer of data.
Folder – It is mostly a term used in Windows 95/98/NT term, and is same as term
directory that was used in Windows 3.x.
Format – A procedure that readies a hard drive to store data. The locations of
sectors is arranged by the low‐level formatting just for the sake of saving user data in
them. Usually most hard drives are already low‐level formatted at the factory and
need to formation from the user. And there is a need to do a high‐level format using
either EZ‐Drive command or the Format command on the new hard drive in order to
put it in use. The process of formatting removes all the data on a hard drive and it
sets up the file system required for storing and retrieving files.
Formatted Capacity – The original capacity on hand to store data in a mass storage
device. The formatted capacity can be defined as the gross capacity minus the
capacity in use by the overhead data needed for formatting the media.
Form Factor – It is the industry standard and it classifies the physical and external
dimensions of a specific device.
Fragmentation – The situation of having a file spread around a disk in pieces rather
than accessible in one adjacent area of the disk. Fragmented files are a lot slower to
access than un‐fragmented files.
Full‐Duplex – A communication protocol, which allows synchronized communication
in both ways.
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