Hard drive format question: Quick vs Standard format

[murphy55d]

What;s the difference? I'm going to re-install WinXP, and I know it gives the option for quick NTFS format and normal NTFS format. What's the difference, and which one is recommended? Ive always used the standard one, any advantage to using quick, other than speed?

TIA.

 

[ojai00]

When you choose a regular format option, all the files and folders are removed from the volume during the format process and the volume is scanned for bad sectors. This scan for bad sectors is responsible for the majority of time that the format takes.

When you choose a Quick format option, all the files and folders are removed from the volume during the format process, but the volume is NOT scanned for bad sectors.

Unless you have recently scanned for bad sectors in your previous operating system, you should NOT choose the Quick format option.

from
http://www.jsiinc.com/SUBK/tip5200/rh5284.htm. There was an article in the MS Knowledge Base but it wasn't available. Hope this helps.

 

[murphy55d]

Great, that's what I wanted to know. 🙂

Thank you much!

 

[Jeff7]

Originally posted by: ojai00
When you choose a regular format option, all the files and folders are removed from the volume during the format process and the volume is scanned for bad sectors. This scan for bad sectors is responsible for the majority of time that the format takes.

When you choose a Quick format option, all the files and folders are removed from the volume during the format process, but the volume is NOT scanned for bad sectors.

Unless you have recently scanned for bad sectors in your previous operating system, you should NOT choose the Quick format option.

from
http://www.jsiinc.com/SUBK/tip5200/rh5284.htm. There was an article in the MS Knowledge Base but it wasn't available. Hope this helps.

Technically, I don't think it actually even removes files and folders. It just makes the drive LOOK empty - for practical purposes, it is empty. If the drive comes across any data in a space that it wants, it just overwrites it.
Translation: Full format really wipes out data. (Though a designated data-wiper utility REALLY wipes out data. Permanently.) Quick format just makes the drive look empty; if anyone wanted to get the data, it could be done with a data recover utility. I use quick format all the time. I don't really have anything here that the government would want anyway. Besides, they've got more important things, like designating stuff like National Salad Week.😉

 

[corkyg]

Jeff7 is correct. Quick Format actually only deletes the file allocation table and replaces it with a new, blank one. The old data is not wiped from the drive, but is no longer accessible by normal user means.
For your purposes Quick Format should work OK.

 

[ojai00]

Hey hey...I didn't write that! I just copied it from another site 😛 But what you guys said makes sense. I didn't even read what I copied and pasted. 😱

 

[thomsbrain]

Originally posted by: Jeff7

Originally posted by: ojai00
When you choose a regular format option, all the files and folders are removed from the volume during the format process and the volume is scanned for bad sectors. This scan for bad sectors is responsible for the majority of time that the format takes.

When you choose a Quick format option, all the files and folders are removed from the volume during the format process, but the volume is NOT scanned for bad sectors.

Unless you have recently scanned for bad sectors in your previous operating system, you should NOT choose the Quick format option.

from
http://www.jsiinc.com/SUBK/tip5200/rh5284.htm. There was an article in the MS Knowledge Base but it wasn't available. Hope this helps.

Technically, I don't think it actually even removes files and folders. It just makes the drive LOOK empty - for practical purposes, it is empty. If the drive comes across any data in a space that it wants, it just overwrites it.
Translation: Full format really wipes out data. (Though a designated data-wiper utility REALLY wipes out data. Permanently.) Quick format just makes the drive look empty; if anyone wanted to get the data, it could be done with a data recover utility. I use quick format all the time. I don't really have anything here that the government would want anyway. Besides, they've got more important things, like designating stuff like National Salad Week.😉

they've got their hands full looking for child porn on pee wee herman's computer.