The more you format the more it degrades your drive?

[entropy01]

In any way at all does reformatting your hard drive many times and reinstalling operating systems degrade the quality of your drive at all? Just wondering.
Thanks

 

[lowtech1]

format clean out your drive, therefor a clean install is not fragmented.

 

[entropy01]

Maybe the way I phrased it it was confusing.

I meant that if you clean-out-full-format your drive many times does this have any wear and tear on HD platters or anything like that?

 

[Mark0999]

I am not totally sure on this answer, but it stands to reason that excessive formatting will degrade and shorten the drive's life.

 

[Shockwave]

I wouldnt think so! If so, just accessing the drive would cause degradation...Think about it, The read write heads spin over the drive, the data is either bein read or changed...In a format, simply changed. So, doesnt it stand to reason that if formatting (changing data) caused degradation, then wouldnt changing data (moving, deleting, defraggin) do the same? But it doesnt, so I would say formatting doesnt pose any threats to a drive any more then simply using the drive.

 

[Leokor]

<< I wouldnt think so! If so, just accessing the drive would cause degradation...Think about it, The read write heads spin over the drive, the data is either bein read or changed...In a format, simply changed. So, doesnt it stand to reason that if formatting (changing data) caused degradation, then wouldnt changing data (moving, deleting, defraggin) do the same? But it doesnt, so I would say formatting doesnt pose any threats to a drive any more then simply using the drive. >>


And right you are.

There is no inherent difference whether you're writing to the drive while formatting or while doing something else. In fact, sometimes idling can be an enemy. Here's a handy example. Ever heard a 15,000 rpm drive in idle mode? Even when the system is doing absolutely nothing, the drive will perform a seek several times a minute (someone called them &quot;Martians&quot; living inside the computer, because of the sound they make). Why? The reason is really very simple. The drive's head is floating on a cushion of heated air above the platter. If it stays in the same place for too long, the area on the platter directly beneath the head can get damaged by excessive heat. Therefore, the drive performs a random seek on a timer. Note though that this issue is more pronounced with higher rpm drives.

Leo

 

[entropy01]

Hmm...EXCELLENT information Leo

 

[EdipisReks]

however, like any mechanical device, the more a HD is used, the more it wears. however, you would probably be dead long before you wore out a HD in this way, so i wouldn't worry about it.
[edit: wow, i used a lot of commas in that first sentence.]

--jacob

 

[plex0r]

i had a 200mhz Sony Vaio computer some years ago when i started to get into computers and i used the recovery cd about 2 times a week for a year or so. Anyway the point is under my sony 3 year warrenty i ended up getting 3 new hard drives. My guess is the drives couldn't take all the reformatting because all of them fried.

 

[MCS]

Leokor - I thought the heads had a parking position? Or is that just when the drive is powered off?

 

[Davegod75]

formatting is just normal wear and tear. the platters have to spin during formatting so it's just like normal use

 

[Entropy007]

I thought I was bad by formatting about every 2 months


<< i used the recovery cd about 2 times a week for a year or so >>


And it appears that Entropy is increasing around here

 

[Mark0999]

Well!! I am glad I was wrong for once! )

Thanks for all the info too.

 

[Shmorq]

<< I thought the heads had a parking position? Or is that just when the drive is powered off? >>

Yeap... it's only when the drive is shutdown.