Question about Reformatting HD/Clean installing HD

[Guest]

Have noticed mention of reformatting a HD and clean installation of a HD.
Is there a difference? Thanks for any helpful response.
franktee

 

[Gary S. Terhune]

Formatting is something you do to the partition. It rebuilds the file system
and wipes out info about where files are located. You clean install an OS,
usually by reformatting first.

 

[Ken Blake, MVP]

Have noticed mention of reformatting a HD and clean installation of a HD.
Is there a difference? Thanks for any helpful response.

Yes, there's a difference.

To "format" means to clear off everything that's on the drive or
partition.

To "reinstall" (you reinstall the operating system, not a HD) means to
reload the operating system onto the drive or partition.

First you partition and format the drive, then you install (or
reinstall) Windows on it.

In Windows XP, you normally do all of this (partition, format,
reinstall) in sequence as part of the same operation when you boot
from the Windows installation CD.

That's the difference between them, but in practice, what people
normally want to do when they are unhappy with their current
installation is both format and reinstall--to start over from scratch.
So the distinction blurs, and often when someone uses either term, he
really means both.

 

[Lil' Dave]

Have noticed mention of reformatting a HD and clean installation of a HD.
Is there a difference? Thanks for any helpful response.
franktee

Simply put, a reformat simply clears the file allocation table. The files
still exist, but, are not accessible. Does absolutely nothing to the
existing partition itself. A file allocation table must pre-exist to do a
reformat. A partition must pre-exist to contain the file allocation table.
An unconditional format creates a new file allocation table, but still does
nothing to the existing partition itself.

There is no such thing as a clean installation of a hard drive. Unless of
course the hard drive was installed with greasy, dirty hands.

Dave

 

[Guest]

Wat U mean by dat, Dave? U mean dat all dat grinding away for half an hour
across all dose sectors, does nutin?! except create a new FAT? One wonders
what dat FAT would luk like since, logically, there would be no Files to
Allocate yet.

BTW, while I'm at it, I should mention that the Win XP Pro install CD
allowed an NTFS format only (no FAT32); really upsetting, tho I tink an older
version had dat
choice. How do I fix dat w/o destroying all de work an aps I got on de prime
partition now? I happen to like FAT 32. Forget why now but tink it had to do
w/
DOS an easy accessibiity to FAT32 disks; plus I tink that altho more secure,
dere
were some odder issues w/ NTFS which bothered me.

 

[Guest]

Thanks for the helpful info, also..
your accent sounds like it's from the Bklyn side of the VN bridge.

 

[Guest]

Sori late. Got arthritis bad and can't make it to internet cafe. Just lucky
today got a wifi connect. Actually i was looking for some answers myself.
Buffalo, New York.
The accent is just me practicing some sms shortcuts. Got relations somwhere
in NY but havent been thru the Brooklyn pubs since Navy days - maybe 40 over
years ago.
This not working. Try again. Maybe next week get a line here.