reformatting portable hdd

• unclebutcher

  2 Nov 07, 12:09

  i need to reformat my portable hdd, what aret he free software that can help me do it? windows formatter is ultra slow...
• AndrewPKYap

  2 Nov 07, 12:10

  Originally posted by unclebutcher:

  i need to reformat my portable hdd, what aret he free software that can help me do it? windows formatter is ultra slow...

  
• ndmmxiaomayi

  2 Nov 07, 12:27

  Originally posted by unclebutcher:

  i need to reformat my portable hdd, what aret he free software that can help me do it? windows formatter is ultra slow...

  Formatting is slow... how fast you want it to go?
• unclebutcher

  2 Nov 07, 12:31

  Originally posted by ndmmxiaomayi:

  Formatting is slow... how fast you want it to go?

  its been stuck at around 5% for 1 hr
• AndrewPKYap

  2 Nov 07, 12:33

  Originally posted by unclebutcher:

  its been stuck at around 5% for 1 hr

  the problem is with the HDD then, not the formatting program....
• AndrewPKYap

  2 Nov 07, 12:33

  Originally posted by unclebutcher:

  its been stuck at around 5% for 1 hr

  the problem is with the HDD then, not the formatting program....
• AndrewPKYap

  2 Nov 07, 12:34

  cool, submit once and get two posts...
• ndmmxiaomayi

  2 Nov 07, 12:35

  Originally posted by unclebutcher:

  its been stuck at around 5% for 1 hr

  2 questions for you.
  
  1. Total amount of space of the HDD
  
  2. What format options you use (Quick or Full).
• unclebutcher

  2 Nov 07, 12:39

  Originally posted by ndmmxiaomayi:

  2 questions for you.
  
  1. Total amount of space of the HDD
  
  2. What format options you use (Quick or Full).

  69.5GB
  
  Full
  
  Now it says windows cannot complete the format, and cannot detect the hdd. How?????
• unclebutcher

  2 Nov 07, 12:41

  now the HDD cannot be detected by system. it says one USB device has malfunctioned. What can i do?
• ndmmxiaomayi

  2 Nov 07, 12:41

  Originally posted by unclebutcher:

  69.5GB
  
  Full
  
  Now it says windows cannot complete the format, and cannot detect the hdd. How?????

  Unplug the HDD, restart the computer, plug it in again.
  
  See if it works.
  
  And try not to run any programs while formatting.
• unclebutcher

  2 Nov 07, 12:51

  Originally posted by ndmmxiaomayi:

  Unplug the HDD, restart the computer, plug it in again.
  
  See if it works.
  
  And try not to run any programs while formatting.

  k thanks. quick format took like 20 secs.
  
  whats the diff bwt quick and full format?
• kenn3th

  2 Nov 07, 13:19

  
  A quick format deletes entries from the file allocation table and leaves the actual files intact. Because the file addresses are no longer indexed in the file allocation table they get overwritten in time by new files.
  
  A full format physically wipes everything from the drive
• ndmmxiaomayi

  2 Nov 07, 14:31

  Full format checks and fixes errors as well.