It is always recommended to go for a clean installation of Microsoft Windows XP than over-installing it. During clean installation you are prompted to select between Quick Format and normal format.
- Format the partition by using the NTFS file system (Quick)
- Format the partition by using the FAT file system (Quick)
- Format the partition by using the NTFS file system
- Format the partition by using the FAT file system
What is the difference? Should i be using Quick format as i don’t want to waste much time installing?
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Normal format deletes all the data/files on the specified drive and scans for bad sectors that’s why takes lot of time to format. On the other hard, Quick format simply deletes the files and does not scan for bad sectors.
When should i use Normal format?
When you are formatting the drive for the first time, it is recommended to go for a normal format to detect the bad sectors to prevent the data from getting corrupted.
When to use quick format?
Use Quick Format if your hard disk has been previously formatted and you quite sure that its not damaged.
If you have formatted your drive using the Quick Format and you want to check for errors you can use the chkdsk /r command to check the bad sectors after installation in XP.
Nice piece of info
nice info man…..
does it affect the life time of disk more in normal format ????
@ Asit, No, it shouldn’t. Formatting is just deleting all the files from the volume (doesn’t matter quick or normal format)