Formatting Formatting is
another necessary step to hard drive preparation. 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. You must format your drive after
partitioning (fdisk) You must format every primary and
logical partition on the drive. When preparing
a new drive, you can use the FORMAT
C: /S
command. This (high-level) formats the volume C: and copies hidden operating
system files to the volume, and prompts you for a label. It marks bad sectors
as unreadable, writes the boot sector, creates the FAT, writes the root
directory, and copies system files. 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 drive would this need
done. Other situations exist in which 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. Low-level formats will also remove corrupted operating systems or
viruses. They will also remap the drive so as to reallocate all bad sectors to
other sectors. This 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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