What's low level format?

[TheMajor]

What does low level format mean, and what's the difference between regular format?

Tnx

 

[cajun33]

A low-level format creates the sectors and tracks and dictates where where data is stored on the HDD.

A high-level format creates the file system structure (i.e. master boot record and file allocation tables). This is the one everyone is talking about when they want to format.

Hope this helps.

 

[TheMajor]

Yes, thanks

other qeustion: does low level format fix anything? Like bad sectors?

 

[cajun33]

Low level formatting should fix bad sectors. Depending on what kind of hard disk you have. Seagate has something called discwizard that will low level format your hdd. Check out their website under support.

 

[rookie1010]

doesn't low level format writes 1's to al the disk or is that high level format.

 

[TheMajor]

can a low-level format destroy my disk? is it safe to do a low level-format from my BIOS?

 

[killians45]

http://www.techist.com/showthread.php?s=&threadid=24496&highlight=format

should explain it.

 

[ekÆsine]

other qeustion: does low level format fix anything? Like bad sectors?

no it doesn't, bad sectors usually means hardware failure. the end user should almost never have to use low-level formatting. The manufacturer does this at the factory.

 

[Blind_Arrow]

low level format or as well called quick format, deletes files from hard drive,nothing else

format / high-level format / full format, that makes sectors.

 

[ekÆsine]

I think you have a lot of confusion about what the terms mean Blind_Arrow. low-level & quick are 2 different things. quick format deletes nothing. Your definition of which one makes sectors was like a multiple choice quiz. None of those 3 are the same thing.