Cluster (Disk)

What Does Cluster (Disk) Mean?

A cluster, in the context of a hard disk, is a group of sectors within a disk and is the grouping by which disk files are organized. A cluster is larger than a sector, and most files fill many clusters of disk space. The hard drive is able to find all the clusters on a disk because each cluster possesses its own ID.

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Techopedia Explains Cluster (Disk)

By using the disk utility program on a Mac or the ScanDisk program on Windows, users can free up disk space. This is known as defragmentation, and it boosts computer performance. Even if a user deletes several small files and adds a newer, larger file, that file may actually be contained in several small files within the hard drive. When the computer starts making unusual sounds, this may be a clue that clusters of small files need to be defragmented.

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Margaret Rouse

Margaret Rouse is an award-winning technical writer and teacher known for her ability to explain complex technical subjects to a non-technical, business audience. Over the past twenty years her explanations have appeared on TechTarget websites and she's been cited as an authority in articles by the New York Times, Time Magazine, USA Today, ZDNet, PC Magazine and Discovery Magazine.Margaret's idea of a fun day is helping IT and business professionals learn to speak each other’s highly specialized languages. If you have a suggestion for a new definition or how to improve a technical explanation, please email Margaret or contact her…