Burn

-Both: Clear data from the disk

-Quick: Just clears data
-Full: Checks disk for bad sectors and clears data

Personally, each time I re-format I do a full format just in case there is any sort of bad sectors on the drve...Don't want to take the risk of having bad sectors and then having all sorts of Windows-based issues.


http://support.microsoft.com/default...&Product=winxp

kagaos

Ha, cool. I never knew that. Great faq! +rep!

sleeper300

remember that after so many "full" formats, it can start to create bad sectors.

Burn

Really? I never knew that. Care to post some proof? Just wondering.

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sleeper300

if i can find it i will.

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Samson

I'm not convinced that it actually 'clears data' as I bought a program that can pull all the data off a fully formatted drive that you would have thought you just cleared.

Having said that, I always do a full format anyways.

Villainstone

They must save some data thats how the FBI still bust pedo's even after a format right?

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Burn

Well, the only way to truly "clear" data is a zero-fill, where a program writes zeroes to each possible space on the drive....So you have a drive full of zeroes! No traces are left behind.

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We cannot change the cards we are dealt, just how we play the hand.
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gonX

Or use some military pattern (Forgot it's name) which write a file over with 0's, 1's, both and keeps doing that.

Chipp

DOD Wipe.

(Meets standards for use within the Department of Defense.) It writes all 0's, all 1's, and all 0's again.