How can you use fsutil to manage file systems?

1 Basic syntax and options

The basic syntax of fsutil is: fsutil [subcommand] [options] You can use the fsutil /? command to see the list of subcommands and their descriptions. Some of the common subcommands are:

- fsutil behavior : This subcommand lets you change or query the behavior of the file system, such as the allocation unit size, the NTFS short name creation, the disk write caching, and more.

- fsutil dirty : This subcommand lets you set or query the dirty bit on a volume, which indicates that the volume needs to be checked for errors.

- fsutil file : This subcommand lets you perform various operations on files, such as creating, deleting, extending, setting attributes, and more.

- fsutil fsinfo : This subcommand lets you display information about the file system, such as the volume label, the serial number, the sector size, the free space, and more.

- fsutil hardlink : This subcommand lets you create or list hard links, which are references to the same file on the same volume.

- fsutil quota : This subcommand lets you manage disk quotas, which are limits on the amount of disk space that users or groups can use on a volume.

- fsutil reparsepoint : This subcommand lets you create or delete reparse points, which are special types of files that redirect access to another file or folder.

- fsutil sparse : This subcommand lets you manage sparse files, which are files that have empty or zero-filled sections that are not allocated on disk.

- fsutil usn : This subcommand lets you manage update sequence numbers (USNs), which are identifiers that track changes to files on a volume.

- fsutil volume : This subcommand lets you perform various operations on volumes, such as dismounting, formatting, labeling, and more.

2 Examples of using fsutil

Using fsutil to manage file systems requires running the command prompt as an administrator. For example, to create a new partition of 10 GB on disk 0 and format it as NTFS with the label "Data", you can use the fsutil volume diskfree 0 command to identify the offset value, followed by fsutil partition create disk=0 offset=xxxxxxxxxx size=10737418240 to create the new partition, and finally fsutil volume format \?\Volume{xxxxxxxx-xxxx-xxxx-xxxx-xxxxxxxxxxxx} /fs:ntfs /v:Data /q to format it. To check and repair errors on the C: drive, use fsutil repair start C: , and to enable disk quotas on the D: drive and set the limit to 1 GB and the warning level to 900 MB for all users, use fsutil quota enforce D: followed by fsutil quota modify D: 1073741824 966367641 -1 . Additionally, you can create a hard link named "link.txt" to the file "original.txt" in the same folder with fsutil hardlink create link.txt original.txt .

3 Tips for using fsutil

When using fsutil to manage file systems, it is important to be careful and cautious. You should always backup your data before using fsutil as some commands may cause data loss or corruption and always run fsutil as an administrator as some commands require elevated privileges. Furthermore, you should use the full path and syntax of the commands, as well as check the help and documentation of the commands to ensure that you are using them correctly. Additionally, it is important to test the commands on a non-critical or virtual system before applying them to a production system, as some commands may have unexpected or irreversible effects. Fsutil is a powerful and versatile tool that can help you perform various tasks, such as creating and formatting partitions, resizing and deleting volumes, checking and repairing errors, setting attributes and quotas, and more. However, it is crucial to use it correctly in order to avoid any potential issues.

4 Here’s what else to consider

This is a space to share examples, stories, or insights that don’t fit into any of the previous sections. What else would you like to add?