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Other Quick or Full format

Discussion in 'Hardware' started by SexyHyde, 11 Sep 2009.

  1. SexyHyde

    SexyHyde Minimodder

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    I've just got a new hard drive for my OS + Files, which is better for a brand new unused drive Quick or Full Format?
     
  2. kenco_uk

    kenco_uk I unsuccessfully then tried again

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    I've never had issue doing a quick format.
     
  3. DragunovHUN

    DragunovHUN Modder

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    Quick format just wipes your files. Full format scans for bad sectors. For a brand new drive i'd do a full, and then afterwards if you need to format it again just do a quick one.
     
  4. Gryphon

    Gryphon What's a Dremel?

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    I understood that Quick format wiped the headers, whereas full format actually erases the files from the disc as well.

    I've always used quick format. its a brand new disc so theres little chance of there being any bad sectors, and is is so much quicker :)
     
  5. kenco_uk

    kenco_uk I unsuccessfully then tried again

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    Aye, the last hdd I full formatted was 250GB and that took long enough! I wouldn't want to wait for a 1TB drive!
     
  6. SexyHyde

    SexyHyde Minimodder

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    thats exactly what i've got! and the same thing i was thinking, seems here is just like the internet some say full, some say quick.
     
  7. DragunovHUN

    DragunovHUN Modder

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    This is the internet.
     
    SexyHyde likes this.
  8. SexyHyde

    SexyHyde Minimodder

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    i meant the REST of the internet! and technically this is a forum that resides on the internet and not the internet itself ;)
     
  9. kenco_uk

    kenco_uk I unsuccessfully then tried again

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    No! Say it ain't true! La la la laah! Can't hear you!
     
  10. pimonserry

    pimonserry sounds like a party.

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    Just do quick.
    Full goes through the whole drive and wipes all the data proper. Apparently it takes several hours on a 1TB drive.

    If it's brand new then there's no data on it to wipe anyway, so just do a quick to set it up and lets end this argument >.>
     
  11. Diosjenin

    Diosjenin Thinker, Tweaker, Et Cetera

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    :hehe: That's one of the best exchanges I've read this week.


    Anyway, the difference is as Gryphon said - a quick format just wipes the headers, whereas a full format scans the entire disk and checks for bad sectors.

    If it were me, I would wait until I was about to go to bed, then let it do a full format overnight; it would be ready first thing in the morning and you wouldn't really be sitting there and waiting for it. But that's just me. Since it's a new drive, there probably isn't going to be any real problem with just giving it a quick format. If the drive is bad, you'll find out soon enough anyway.


    - Diosjenin -
     
  12. SexyHyde

    SexyHyde Minimodder

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    well i've just installed win7 and i didn't even see a full/quick format option just a 'format' option which took a few seconds to do. we'll see how it goes.
     
  13. quack

    quack Minimodder

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    Just to confirm the difference as some people above seem to be confused:

    A full format does NOT wipe the drive, it does a quick format (clears the FAT) then checks each sector to see if it's bad.

    In both full and quick formats, the data is left on the drive which makes it possible to recover it.
     
  14. SexyHyde

    SexyHyde Minimodder

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    i know which each does i just wondered if any one was particularly better for a blank drive. it seems everyone has their own opinion but no-one seems to know which one, if any, is better.
     
  15. Krikkit

    Krikkit All glory to the hypnotoad! Super Moderator

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    Quick is better if time is a factor. It's pretty unlikely a new drive will have bad sectors.

    Having said that, if you can be assed with a full that's the most thorough method.
     
  16. SexyHyde

    SexyHyde Minimodder

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    there doesn't seem to be an option when installing Windows 7 tho.
     
  17. Krikkit

    Krikkit All glory to the hypnotoad! Super Moderator

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    Then just do whatever it wants you to.

    If it forces you to do a full it shouldn't take that long, assuming you've partitioned it off into OS and data partitions it will probably let you leave the Data one alone for later.
     
  18. SexyHyde

    SexyHyde Minimodder

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    the 200gb OS and 700gb+ data partitions both took under 1 minute to format in Win7. i heard a 1tb drive full formats in around 4 hours.
     
  19. CrapBag

    CrapBag Multimodder

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    I had a problem where I bought a 750gb Samsung F1 and I could quick format it but windows wouldn't install, tried it a few times but no luck.

    When I tried to do a full format it wouldn't complete so by doing this I found it was faulty.

    It may take a while to do a full format but at least you know there and then if the drive is okay, I spent about 6 hours p!ssing about trying to get windows to load on a duff brand new drive.
     
  20. dushuai

    dushuai What's a Dremel?

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    For a new drive , I obviously suggest you guy full format every partition,cause full format can check the drive error .
     

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