Question: file system fragmentation occurs when

Answer:

File system fragmentation occurs when unused space or single files are not contiguous.

Option A. "Unused space or single file are not contiguous" accurately describes file system fragmentation. It refers to situations where free space or individual files are scattered in non-contiguous blocks on the storage media.

Fragmentation can occur in two forms:

1. External Fragmentation: This type of fragmentation happens when free space is broken up into small non-contiguous chunks, making it challenging to allocate contiguous blocks for new files.

2. Internal Fragmentation: Internal fragmentation occurs when the allocated blocks for a file are larger than the actual file size, resulting in wasted space within the allocated blocks.

Both forms of fragmentation can lead to decreased performance and inefficiencies in file storage and retrieval.

Therefore, the correct option is A. "Unused space or single file are not contiguous."