Thread: Formatting software

  1. #1
    Registered User Nutshell's Avatar
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    Formatting software

    Hi,

    SOrry, maybe this is not C-related, but i don't seem to find any other suitable forums on this site, and i thought what i am asking here is pretty low level.

    What does formatting software do to format a hdd or partition? Like how does it work , in brief?

    Thanks

  2. #2
    Registered User red_baron's Avatar
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    search for format.com (this formats your harddrive by typing format c:\s , the \s puts system files on your harddrive after it is formatted)
    and
    fdisk.exe (this is for partitioning, just run the program in dos, type fdisk to start the program)

    partitioning is just taking one hard drive and dividing it up into more drives (eg c,f,g,etc drives) in the past hardware was more enhanced than software, they could make drives larger than the software could handle, they overcame the problem by splitting the harddrive into different drives so the software could handle the information. today partitioning isn't used a lot cause the software today can handle the whole harddrive and it isn't really necessary to make more drives (they become a nuisance).

    heh i know i'm very confusing but this is best i can explain it.
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  3. #3
    Registered User TravisS's Avatar
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    I think he means the programming end of things. Like how physically they work, as in, if you were to program one, how would you do it.

    Oh, and I have no clue

  4. #4
    Registered User Nutshell's Avatar
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    Yea, thats what i meant

  5. #5
    Registered User Zeeshan's Avatar
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    1. Complete format as opposed to quick format sets every byte of your partition to a NULL and marks the sectors which are physically damaged as "BAD", so the computer doesn't save any data onto these sectors.

    2. It sets up a FAT (File Allocation Table) which is a portion of the partition responsible for storing the file and directory names, the inital sector address of each file, file sizes etc.

    The famous "QUICK FORMAT" just sets up an empty FAT. Although there still is data on your harddisk. It isn't usable anymore b/c the old FAT is lost. Now when you copy new files onto this partition it overwrites the data on the required partitions, and simply makes an entry in the FAT about the file size, location...so that the new files will be reachable (executable, moveable, copyable...)

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