Quick or Full NTFS Format?

[RobDMB]

When doing a fresh installation of windows xp should you do a quick or full format? Thanks, Rob

 

[Dahak]

I usually do quick my self, havent had any issuses. also cant wait to format a 200gb hdd on full

 

[ProviaFan]

I always do a quick format. Supposedly a full format checks the integrity of all sectors on the disk, so if you have an older drive that hasn't been formatted in a while, you might want to do a full format instead.

 

[DetroitSportsFan]

Originally posted by: Dahak
I usually do quick my self, havent had any issuses. also cant wait to format a 200gb hdd on full

I've never had any troubles either. Theoretically, a quick format only marks the files as "deleted" and the space empty. A full format is actually supposed to delete the files. However, as we both know, even after a full format, those files are easily retrievable. Since thats the case, why wait for the full format?

 

[cubby1223]

Originally posted by: RobDMB
When doing a fresh installation of windows xp should you do a quick or full format? Thanks, Rob

Depends - do you want to waste an hour of your life, or would you like that time back?

 

[Nothinman]

A full format is actually supposed to delete the files. However, as we both know, even after a full format, those files are easily retrievable. Since thats the case, why wait for the full format?

It's not a wipe, it's a badblock check.

Depends - do you want to waste an hour of your life, or would you like that time back?

And if the drive dies shortly after installation how many more hours will it waste? If you know the drive is fine there's no reason to wait, but if you're unsure or it's a brand new drive you should test it more thorougly. Actually I wouldn't even trust just 1 run of a full format, I always run new drives for 12-24hrs constantly after I buy them to see if they're going to fail.

 

[Kibbo86]

Originally posted by: Nothinman
Actually I wouldn't even trust just 1 run of a full format, I always run new drives for 12-24hrs constantly after I buy them to see if they're going to fail.

How often does that happen?

 

[Leros]

brand new (or new to you) - format
reformat - quick format

 

[Nothinman]

How often does that happen?

More often than you'd think. I've only had a few die at home, but at work I've seen dozens die after a month or so of regular use. Consumer level drives are made extremely cheaply, usually if they're going to die they'll die within the first month or so, so I try to stress them as much as possible in the first day to see if they'll break. Of course there are exceptions to any rule and you can never be 100% sure that a drive will keep running, but if you've run it through some burn-in tests you can be pretty confident that it'll be fine.

 

[ProviaFan]

Originally posted by: Nothinman
...but if you've run it through some burn-in tests you can be pretty confident that it'll be fine.

What kind of software do you prefer to use to perform these burn in tests?

 

[Nothinman]

What kind of software do you prefer to use to perform these burn in tests?

Usually I use some benchmark tool like bonnie++, dbench or iozone. Something that will run the disk constantly and that I can run over and over for 12-24hrs.

 

[nfswift]

Originally posted by: DetroitSportsFan
I've never had any troubles either. Theoretically, a quick format only marks the files as "deleted" and the space empty. A full format is actually supposed to delete the files. However, as we both know, even after a full format, those files are easily retrievable. Since thats the case, why wait for the full format?

Ok, not to thread jack the author or anything, but I had a big crash on my main drive (80gb) where it gives me an "Error Loading Operating System" line after it passes BIOS.
Are you saying the files actually STILL recoverable? AND even after formatting? I always thought that meant the drive was CLEAN.

It's not reading that hard drive if I flash it up using a live linux CD, and using the windows disk it can't repair it without formatting first (too many files, not an option).

My skills aren't great but I'm trying to manage this one myself. Could anyone point me in the right direction?

 

[ProviaFan]

Originally posted by: nfswift
Ok, not to thread jack the author or anything, but I had a big crash on my main drive (80gb) where it gives me an "Error Loading Operating System" line after it passes BIOS.
Are you saying the files actually STILL recoverable? AND even after formatting? I always thought that meant the drive was CLEAN.

It's not reading that hard drive if I flash it up using a live linux CD, and using the windows disk it can't repair it without formatting first (too many files, not an option).

My skills aren't great but I'm trying to manage this one myself. Could anyone point me in the right direction?

I'm not sure about recovery, but if you want to get rid of everything, then you need something like DBAN.

 

[nfswift]

Originally posted by: ProviaFan
I'm not sure about recovery, but if you want to get rid of everything, then you need something like DBAN.

Yea, don't need it clean, need all the stuff BACK, ugh. Why C: why...