Does the HDD deteriorate with every format?

[leepark]

Does the HDD deteriorate with every format? Can you do it as many times as you want and still retain its integrity and performance?

 

[globalcitizen]

I have never heard of this happening. All the HD failures are usually due to movable parts.

 

[DaveSimmons]

No, formatting causes no more wear than any other write operation, and hard drive platters can sustain an extremely large number of writes per byte (I don't recall the number offhand but it's much more than the 10,000 - 100,000 of flash memory).

 

[VirtualLarry]

How many time can you turn an "Etch-A-Sketch"(tm) upside-down and shake it? Chances are, HDs can withstand more write/erase cycles than one of those can. However, if improperly cooled, a HD can overheat and develop media errors during intensive operations, such as formatting or defragmenting. So keep those HDs properly cooled! Btw, defragmentation doesn't "wear out" a HD either.

 

[DaveSimmons]

^ good point on the heat issue -- video editing, defragging, formatting, copying very large sets of files all involve long continuous use of the hard drive and if the drives aren't cooled enough the heat build up can shorten a drive's life.