Final answer:
Formatting is the process of preparing a disk for reading and writing by defining how files will be organized on the disk. It involves creating a file system and marking the disk as ready for use.
Step-by-step explanation:
The correct answer is b) Formatting.
Formatting is the process of preparing a disk for reading and writing by defining how files will be organized on the disk. It involves creating a file system, such as FAT32 or NTFS, which determines how data is stored and accessed. It also marks the disk as being ready for use.
For example, when you buy a new USB flash drive, it usually comes unformatted, so you need to format it before you can store files on it or use it as a backup device.