Frequently Asked Questions - HP ProBook 4330s Installation Manual

Frequently asked questions

I am not sure I have an Advanced Format drive. What should I do?
Even if you are not sure you have an Advanced Format drive, you can still follow the procedures
described in this white paper. Changing your installation methods to accommodate 4-KB sector
alignment does not negatively impact a drive with 512-byte sectors.
My operating system is Advanced Format-aware; however, I do not have an Advanced Format drive.
Do I need to do anything?
No changes are required to support 4-KB sector alignment in drives with 512-byte sectors.
What happens if I do not align my partitions?
Your Advanced Format drive will work; however, applications may fail because of the unexpected
slow-down.
What impact does the Advanced Format drive have on Linux users?
Use Linux kernel 2.6.33 and above; do not create MS-DOS-compatible partitions.
The RedFlag Linux (kernel version 2.6.31 and above) shipped by HP is Advanced Format-aware.
For information on partition alignment for SUSE Linux, refer to
http://www.novell.com/support/viewContent.do?externalId=7007193&sliceId=1.
What happens if I am running an older operating system with conventional drives or a mixture of
conventional and Advanced Format drives?
You can safely set up 4-KB sector alignment in a mixed environment or even if you only have drives
with 512-byte sectors.
It is immaterial whether you are running – or plan to run – Windows XP or Windows 2000 or a
newer operating system. However, you must use Windows 7 or Windows Vista SP1 or later to
partition the hard drive.
Are there any differences between Advanced Format drive models?
Some drive models have noticeably superior performance, though slightly higher potential for data
loss.
Many vendors are switching to the Advanced Format drives without making any other changes. Some
vendors have made the transition more transparent to users and have optimized the performance of
their software by delaying disk writes. While these sequential writes can improve performance, they
keep data in the cache longer; thus, if you fail to align one of these write-optimized drives, there is a
greater risk of data loss.
Why did HP choose to support emulation rather than drives with 4-KB native sector format?
While this was considered, the existing system infrastructure has been designed around a logical
512-byte sector – notably the hard disk boot device. The resources needed to update the environment
would have been vast; for example, a BIOS update would be required for every system. Moreover,
some operating systems do not support booting to 4-KB native drives. Older applications and games
would not be able to run, while there would be no performance advantage for a customer. Thus, HP
elected to not pursue this approach at this time.
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