jaclaz Posted September 16, 2007 Share Posted September 16, 2007 Just for the record, here is what Microsoft has to say over the issue:http://support.microsoft.com/kb/302686/en-usThe only difference between a quick and a full format is the scanning (and mapping) of bad sectors, on a perfectl yhealthy volume this won't make any difference in the recoverability of data after a format.This:files are removed from the volume that you are formattingshould be read as:files are removed from the "indexing system" or "list of file addresses" stored either in FATs (File Allocation Tables) or in NTFS MFT (Master File Table) of the volume that you are formattinghttp://www.pcguide.com/ref/hdd/file/fat_FATs.htmhttp://www.pcguide.com/ref/hdd/file/ntfs/archMFT-c.htmlIn other words, existing files are NEVER deleted by a format, whilst information on where the files are IS deleted.Data is generally better recovered if the files are contiguous, so running a Defrag program periodically does help to have better recovery resilts, should a disaster happen.Something everyone should read (Free E-book, also available for download):http://www.easeus.com/data-recovery-ebook/index.htmOn the other hand, if you are going to sell or give away your old hard disk, it is a good idea to WIPE it's contents.Generally writing 00's to the entire drive is more than enough.Don't be misled by all the fluff about the Guttman Theory:http://www.boot-land.net/forums/index.php?...c=2683&st=6jaclaz Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ripken204 Posted September 16, 2007 Share Posted September 16, 2007 [...]i need to tell at them now You mean you need to yell at them And as to the OP, i second R-Studio too.ya ya, it was 1:30 in the morning and the "t" and "y" are right next to eachother Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
colemancb Posted September 16, 2007 Author Share Posted September 16, 2007 I appreciate all of the advice. I went with DiskInternals' software and it worked fine. Win2K installation did finish, but I hadn't installed anything, because I knew as soon as I navigated to what I thought was my data drive to install drivers and such. But, yeah, it all seems good now...thanks for all the help! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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