Concept
Computer file
Related concepts (33)
Mount (computing)
Mounting is a process by which a computer's operating system makes and directories on a storage device (such as hard drive, CD-ROM, or network share) available for users to access via the computer's . In general, the process of mounting comprises the operating system acquiring access to the storage medium; recognizing, reading, and processing file system structure and metadata on it before registering them to the (VFS) component.
Hidden file and hidden directory
In computing, a hidden folder (sometimes hidden directory) or hidden file is a folder or which utilities do not display by default when showing a directory listing. They are commonly used for storing user preferences or preserving the state of a utility and are frequently created implicitly by using various utilities. They are not a security mechanism because access is not restricted – usually the intent is simply to not "clutter" the display of the contents of a directory listing with files the user did not directly create.
File system fragmentation
In computing, file system fragmentation, sometimes called file system aging, is the tendency of a to lay out the contents of non-continuously to allow in-place modification of their contents. It is a special case of data fragmentation. File system fragmentation negatively impacts seek time in spinning storage media, which is known to hinder throughput. Fragmentation can be remedied by re-organizing files and free space back into contiguous areas, a process called defragmentation.