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What is the difference between quick format and regular?

C

Cooljt1

Golden Member
When I choose to format a drive there is the option to do a ntfs quick format or just ntfs format. what is the difference. I just got this drive today and would like to save some time by using quick but if the regular one is better i will just that. Any difference?
 
i'm not sure what the real difference is, but i always use the quick format and haven't had any probs.
maybe someone else can explain the diff..??
 
Full format does the whole drive, quick just wipes the FAT (or NTFS in your case). If the drive is 100% unformatted, then I don't think the Quick format will work, you will need the full.

Is that right?
 
AFAIK Full format goes and make sure it can write to every sector, quick just makes a fat and calls it good
 
According to Pat and Leo on the screen savers, a quick format just rewrites the fat/mft, where as a 'full format' does a check/scan disk.
 
With Quick format option, format removes files from the partition, but does not scan the disk for bad sectors. Full format scans and checks for erors. If it's a new drive or if your having problems with it you should do a full format, if your just reinstalling do a quicky.
 
Originally posted by: freedomsbeat212
I THINK Pat is the skinny guy with a lot of facial hair and Leo is the tubby one that wears loud shirts.. I'm not positive though...
Click to expand...

What a great contribution to this thread. Stop wasting our time n00bie.
 
Originally posted by: DaZ
Originally posted by: freedomsbeat212 I THINK Pat is the skinny guy with a lot of facial hair and Leo is the tubby one that wears loud shirts.. I'm not positive though...
Click to expand...
What a great contribution to this thread. Stop wasting our time n00bie.
Click to expand...

hey, give him a break, it was almost funny.
 
ok, well i did a regualr ntfs format on my partition that windows xp will boot off and for the other 3 partitions which add to 168 gigs i just quick formatted them all. i hope this doesnt cause me any problems cause i have never done quick formatting before.
 
As has been said, quick format will just write to the MFT, saying that the drive is empty, but won't actually touch any of the data there, and won't check for bad sectors etc. This means that if the drive is damaged (bad sectors) then you may have problems later, and if you are selling the drive, then all the new owner needs to do is get a utility to replace the MFT and they have all your data.

A full format will wipe the MFT, and will write a 0 to every bit on the drive, and will also check for bad sectors. Even if you're selling this drive, then the new owner could still get back the data, as the bits will have some kind of "memory" as such.

The only sure fire way to remove all the data, is to fill it with 0's, then 1's, about 8 times, then destroy it. That's what the military/government do anyway! 😉


If you suspect the drive is a little dodgy, then do a full format, but if you know it's OK, then do a quick 🙂

Confused
 
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