Formatting is another necessary step to hard drive preparation, and very simple. In most cases, when installing a new hard drive, all you need to do is a high-level format. It is usually the final step in preparation and must be done after partitioning.
When preparing a new drive, use the “FORMAT C: /S” command, entered at a command prompt. This high-level formats the volume C:. The “/s” command switch tells the FORMAT program to copy hidden operating system files to the volume. After confirming that you do indeed mean to format your drive (it will warn you about data loss), you will need to wait for several minutes while the drive is formatted. It will then prompt you for a label. You can type a label if you wish, or just hit ENTER to skip it.
Formatting marks bad sectors as unreadable, writes the boot sector, creates the FAT, writes the root directory, and copies system files.
If you do not want to copy system files to the partition you are formatting, just type “FORMAT X:” where X is the drive letter you wish to format. This is how you will go about formatting any other drive letters other than C. Also, you cannot format a drive while working on that drive. Meaning, you cannot be at the C prompt and try to format the C drive. You must switch to another drive which contains the FORMAT.COM file. FORMAT.COM is the file used to perform formatting. Usually, you will be formatting a drive based on a system disk which will contain FORMAT.COM. So, you can be at the A prompt and format the C drive, and all other drives for that matter.
The other type of formatting is the low-level format. In general, this procedure is already done on your drive when you buy it. Only on old drives would this need to be done. Other situations exist where you would want to low-level format your hard drive. If you need to erase all traces of data on the disk, a low format will do this. It will also remove corrupted operating systems or viruses. It will also re-map the drive so as to reallocate all bad sectors to other sectors. This basically replaces bad sectors with good ones. It will make your drive appear to be free of defects. This process is called defect mapping. That said, manufacturers recommend you never low-level format a hard drive.
A low-level format cannot be done with the FORMAT command. It is recommended you get a low-level format program from the manufacturer of your drive. These programs are tailored to work with specific drives and can sufficiently trace the defects and map them. Visit the web site of the manufacturer to find these programs. They are often available for download.
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