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Quick format vs Full format

  • 23-02-2010 12:24am
    #1
    inFamouxee
    Closed Accounts Posts: 23 ✭


    Hey lads just wondering what's the difference between the two?


Comments

  • #2
    Glico Man
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 8,283 ✭✭✭Glico Man


    inFamouxee wrote: »
    Hey lads just wondering what's the difference between the two?

    All I know is that a full format deletes everything on your Hard drive. I've no idea what a quick format does


  • #3
    L31mr0d
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 8,067 ✭✭✭L31mr0d


    aaronh007 wrote: »
    All I know is that a full format deletes everything on your Hard drive. I've no idea what a quick format does

    No it doesn't.

    Always use the quick format.

    The only time you should use the long format is if your drive corrupted for whatever reason and you want to still use it. Doing the long format will check for bad sectors and remove them.

    Both of these do not remove the files off the drive though.

    Imagine a book, a quick format is where I open it and rip out the table of contents, all the pages are left in the book though. The long format is the same, only now I flick through the book, find any dog ears, and straighten them.

    To actually wipe the drive you'll need to use a program like DBAN.


  • #4
    Stuxnet
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 3,739 ✭✭✭Stuxnet


    30 seconds, and 2 hours is the difference


  • #5
    Zombrex
    Closed Accounts Posts: 25,848 ✭✭✭✭Zombrex


    Each hard disk contains a table at the start of the disk (doesn't have to be the start but for argument sake) that lists all the files on the hard disk and where on the hard disk to find them.

    A quick format delete the file and directory table, effectively making the operating system forget where all the old files are. When the operating system comes to look at the disk to see what files are on the disk it sees nothing, and will start writing over the data that was there with new files that go into the new descriptor.

    A full format does basically the same thing but will also scan the harddrive to make sure that the whole disk can be read and written to, that there are no errors and that the whole disk works, and try and fix any problems. A quick format doesn't do this, if the end of your disk is corrupt and messed up it won't find this.

    Neither process actually deletes the data on the harddisk, they simply tell the operating system that it is ok to start writing over the data.


  • #6
    eddhorse
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 5,785 ✭✭✭eddhorse


    L31mr0d wrote: »
    No it doesn't.

    Always use the quick format.

    The only time you should use the long format is if your drive corrupted for whatever reason and you want to still use it. Doing the long format will check for bad sectors and remove them.

    Both of these do not remove the files off the drive though.

    Imagine a book, a quick format is where I open it and rip out the table of contents, all the pages are left in the book though. The long format is the same, only now I flick through the book, find any dog ears, and straighten them.

    To actually wipe the drive you'll need to use a program like DBAN.



    Look at you with your analogy ! Good job


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