Yes, a n00bie question...

~~BMG_Cya=-~~ · Mar 29, 2003, 10:07 PM

How do you low-level reformat a hard-drive?

I'm going to settle on some good drivers for my vid-card, and then do a clean-install of Win XP sometime soon, so.....

Thanks..

Mar 29, 2003, 10:16 PM

ok, number one its just a low level format, not reformat. It can be reformat but hey... anyway go into DOS and then type format C:

~~BMG_Cya=-~~ · Mar 29, 2003, 10:27 PM

Will this low-level format be as good of a clean start as a reformat?
Or is there such a thing as "reformat"? (Told you I was n00b.)

Whatever the case, I want the cleanest, freshest, thing you can get.

(Why did mental images of my slutty ex-girlfriends just spring to mind? I'm not only a n00b, I'm a mentally tortured n00b.)

tigerarmyAFI · Mar 29, 2003, 10:35 PM

a low-level format will completely erase the drive (it actually technically doesn't, it just makes the whole drive available for writing data to, and deletes all visible links to files, but thats something much more complex altogether...) and you will be able to do a clean install of windows on there no problems.

Just make sure you format your drive from a DOS BOOT DISK using the command: format x: (where x is the letter of the drive you want formatted)

~~Asuka~~ · Mar 30, 2003, 12:40 AM

The common format (whe you normally format a hard drive by right-clicking on it and selecting Format, or from DOS) is also known as "High-level format".
Low-level format is something completely different - it is used by the manufacturer to create the clusters on the HD so it can be used in a computer. Long time ago, when HD quality was still a great deal worse, serious HD errors were not that seldom and the only way was sometimes to low-level format then and create new clusters, omitting the defect ones. Old Bioses had a special Low-level format option for this purpose. However, you should NEVER use this on modern HDs, because those low-level format programs were intended for really old HDs (back then when HDs only had a few MEGAbyte storage), and if you used them on moder HDs, you would definitely trash your HD, practically turning it into scrap metal, because the process is irreversible. So, if something says "low-level format", you should avoid it like the plague!

~~Crash Override~~ · Mar 30, 2003, 02:08 AM

*sighs* everyone in here has been wrong so far in some way or another

Here is the real deal on what a low level format is and what it can do for you

a low level format is a process in which the manufacturer or end user writes zeros to every sector of a drive, in essence making it a factory fresh drive.

how this is done is by using utilitied provided by the manufacturer as each brand does this in a slightly different way.

Western Digital for instance uses Data Lifeguard. One of the tools included is a low level format utility.

Anytime that I am getting rid of all my OS's and wanting to start fresh I always use a low level format. I have done it on 20,40, and 80GB HD's all without any ill effects.

So basically go to the site of your HD's manufacturer and look up in their support options for tools for your HD.

BTW a low level format can take a short time or a long time depending upon the size of the drive.....short =30min long=5 hours

Mar 30, 2003, 03:52 AM

isn't that an unconditional format?

~~Crash Override~~ · Mar 30, 2003, 08:11 AM

nope

unconditions is a form of regular old dos format using i believe its the /u switch under 9x and older systems

if i remember correctly that is....but i do know the one i described is a low level format

cheffy · Mar 30, 2003, 03:26 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by Crash Override
*sighs* everyone in here has been wrong so far in some way or another

Here is the real deal on what a low level format is and what it can do for you

a low level format is a process in which the manufacturer or end user writes zeros to every sector of a drive, in essence making it a factory fresh drive.

how this is done is by using utilitied provided by the manufacturer as each brand does this in a slightly different way.

Western Digital for instance uses Data Lifeguard. One of the tools included is a low level format utility.

Anytime that I am getting rid of all my OS's and wanting to start fresh I always use a low level format. I have done it on 20,40, and 80GB HD's all without any ill effects.

So basically go to the site of your HD's manufacturer and look up in their support options for tools for your HD.

BTW a low level format can take a short time or a long time depending upon the size of the drive.....short =30min long=5 hours

yep that's what i know as a low-level format, that's also the format i use when i sent my hardrive back to dell O:-), btw is a low level format reversable with any high quality recovery programs? just wondering how efective it really is versuses a basic format(high-level)

Mar 30, 2003, 03:42 PM

no, it completely overwrites everything... so it is unrecoverable. Especially if you overwrite on it like 5 times

cheffy · Mar 30, 2003, 03:48 PM

Then why do people always say "it would be easier to hit your hardrive with a hammer then to erase the data on it truly" especially techy people if its so easy

Tempmeyes · Mar 30, 2003, 07:28 PM

Because even with multiple formats of just zero's stuff can still be pulled off. Though it would be very expensive it is still possible to recover some data. Multiple re-rights with random 1's and 0's is better but the good ol' sledge to the drive is of course the best solution.

Mar 30, 2003, 07:33 PM

if any cops ever walked into my house thats what i'd do

Mar 30, 2003, 07:34 PM

and please... dont refer to us as "techy" rather, call us "technologically advanced souls of the computer world"

cheffy · Mar 30, 2003, 07:37 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by generalstupid
and please... dont refer to us as "techy" rather, call us "technologically advanced souls of the computer world"

lol ok, geek it is

(it's not an insult if you call yourself it aswell, once you build your own machine you enter the realm of geekhood, and im in the progress of building it now, some of the parts are arriving tomorrow)

~~Crash Override~~ · Mar 30, 2003, 08:37 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by Tempmeyes
Because even with multiple formats of just zero's stuff can still be pulled off. Though it would be very expensive it is still possible to recover some data. Multiple re-rights with random 1's and 0's is better but the good ol' sledge to the drive is of course the best solution.

umm not true either.......i dont know why you guys wish to put out information without verifying it

.

When you write the zero's in a low level format it writes zeros to everything........and I do mean everything. It is as if the drive was just released from the factory.......a complete blank slate......

for a large sized drive however it takes a while thats why no one ever has the time to wipe their drives before they get caught if they are doing something illegal.....in my case with the amount of storage space I have it would take app. 7+ hours. (2 80GB HD's)

Mar 30, 2003, 10:09 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by cheffy
lol ok, geek it is (it's not an insult if you call yourself it aswell, once you build your own machine you enter the realm of geekhood, and im in the progress of building it now, some of the parts are arriving tomorrow)

no not really, its when you can define a whole bunch of terms... build a bunch of rigs... network em... and you have people asking you to help them with their computers that you are truly a geek

Mar 30, 2003, 10:10 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by Crash Override
umm not true either.......i dont know why you guys wish to put out information without verifying it .

When you write the zero's in a low level format it writes zeros to everything........and I do mean everything. It is as if the drive was just released from the factory.......a complete blank slate......

for a large sized drive however it takes a while thats why no one ever has the time to wipe their drives before they get caught if they are doing something illegal.....in my case with the amount of storage space I have it would take app. 7+ hours. (2 80GB HD's)

thats what i thought... only i didnt care enough to argue

cheffy · Mar 30, 2003, 10:15 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by generalstupid
no not really, its when you can define a whole bunch of terms... build a bunch of rigs... network em... and you have people asking you to help them with their computers that you are truly a geek

lol fine

, then im half heh i constantly have people in my house bugging me about lthings with thier computer, and bunch of my online freinds about things with their computers that are wrong(and it pisses me off because they never decribe the errors correctly and wont let me use netmeeting to get onto their machine), i've networked my house both wired and wirelessly(802.11b), and i'm building my first computer.

~~Sourcer_2002~~ · Mar 31, 2003, 06:27 AM

well cheffy i welcome to the geekhood and i image generalstupid does to

Mar 29, 2003, 10:07 PM	#1
~~BMG_Cya=-~~ Banned Join Date: Mar 2003 Location: U.S.A. Posts: 718 Rep Power: 0	Yes, a n00bie question... How do you low-level reformat a hard-drive? I'm going to settle on some good drivers for my vid-card, and then do a clean-install of Win XP sometime soon, so..... Thanks..

Mar 29, 2003, 10:35 PM	#4
tigerarmyAFI DriverHeaven Lover Join Date: Oct 2002 Location: England Posts: 111 Rep Power: 0	a low-level format will completely erase the drive (it actually technically doesn't, it just makes the whole drive available for writing data to, and deletes all visible links to files, but thats something much more complex altogether...) and you will be able to do a clean install of windows on there no problems. Just make sure you format your drive from a DOS BOOT DISK using the command: format x: (where x is the letter of the drive you want formatted) __________________ AMD AthlonXP 1800+ ThoroughBred B JIUHB @ 2137MHz Geforce4 Ti 4200 128Mb @ 310/600 (ASUS V8420) ABIT KX-7 333 v1.1 512Mb Micron PC2700 DDR Creative Live! 5.1 Aircooled (45c Full load)

Mar 29, 2003, 10:16 PM	#2
generalstupid Guest Posts: n/a	ok, number one its just a low level format, not reformat. It can be reformat but hey... anyway go into DOS and then type format C:

Mar 29, 2003, 10:27 PM	Thread Starter #3
~~BMG_Cya=-~~ Banned Join Date: Mar 2003 Location: U.S.A. Posts: 718 Rep Power: 0	Will this low-level format be as good of a clean start as a reformat? Or is there such a thing as "reformat"? (Told you I was n00b.) Whatever the case, I want the cleanest, freshest, thing you can get. (Why did mental images of my slutty ex-girlfriends just spring to mind? I'm not only a n00b, I'm a mentally tortured n00b.)

Mar 30, 2003, 12:40 AM	#5
~~Asuka~~ BANNED Join Date: Sep 2002 Location: Germany Posts: 579 Rep Power: 0	The common format (whe you normally format a hard drive by right-clicking on it and selecting Format, or from DOS) is also known as "High-level format". Low-level format is something completely different - it is used by the manufacturer to create the clusters on the HD so it can be used in a computer. Long time ago, when HD quality was still a great deal worse, serious HD errors were not that seldom and the only way was sometimes to low-level format then and create new clusters, omitting the defect ones. Old Bioses had a special Low-level format option for this purpose. However, you should NEVER use this on modern HDs, because those low-level format programs were intended for really old HDs (back then when HDs only had a few MEGAbyte storage), and if you used them on moder HDs, you would definitely trash your HD, practically turning it into scrap metal, because the process is irreversible. So, if something says "low-level format", you should avoid it like the plague!

Mar 30, 2003, 02:08 AM	#6
~~Crash Override~~ Banned Join Date: May 2002 Location: Olympia, WA Posts: 2,448 Rep Power: 0	sighs everyone in here has been wrong so far in some way or another Here is the real deal on what a low level format is and what it can do for you a low level format is a process in which the manufacturer or end user writes zeros to every sector of a drive, in essence making it a factory fresh drive. how this is done is by using utilitied provided by the manufacturer as each brand does this in a slightly different way. Western Digital for instance uses Data Lifeguard. One of the tools included is a low level format utility. Anytime that I am getting rid of all my OS's and wanting to start fresh I always use a low level format. I have done it on 20,40, and 80GB HD's all without any ill effects. So basically go to the site of your HD's manufacturer and look up in their support options for tools for your HD. BTW a low level format can take a short time or a long time depending upon the size of the drive.....short =30min long=5 hours

Mar 30, 2003, 03:52 AM	#7
generalstupid Guest Posts: n/a	isn't that an unconditional format?

Mar 30, 2003, 08:11 AM	#8
~~Crash Override~~ Banned Join Date: May 2002 Location: Olympia, WA Posts: 2,448 Rep Power: 0	nope unconditions is a form of regular old dos format using i believe its the /u switch under 9x and older systems if i remember correctly that is....but i do know the one i described is a low level format

Mar 30, 2003, 03:42 PM	#10
generalstupid Guest Posts: n/a	no, it completely overwrites everything... so it is unrecoverable. Especially if you overwrite on it like 5 times

Mar 30, 2003, 03:48 PM	#11
cheffy DriverHeaven Lover Join Date: Jul 2002 Posts: 127 Rep Power: 0	Then why do people always say "it would be easier to hit your hardrive with a hammer then to erase the data on it truly" especially techy people if its so easy

Mar 30, 2003, 07:28 PM	#12
Tempmeyes DriverHeaven Junior Member Join Date: Oct 2002 Location: Oregon, USA Posts: 32 Rep Power: 0	Because even with multiple formats of just zero's stuff can still be pulled off. Though it would be very expensive it is still possible to recover some data. Multiple re-rights with random 1's and 0's is better but the good ol' sledge to the drive is of course the best solution.

Mar 30, 2003, 07:33 PM	#13
generalstupid Guest Posts: n/a	if any cops ever walked into my house thats what i'd do

Mar 30, 2003, 07:34 PM	#14
generalstupid Guest Posts: n/a	and please... dont refer to us as "techy" rather, call us "technologically advanced souls of the computer world"

Mar 31, 2003, 06:27 AM	#20
~~Sourcer_2002~~ BANNED Join Date: Jul 2002 Location: Indiana , USA Posts: 2,677 Rep Power: 0	well cheffy i welcome to the geekhood and i image generalstupid does to