HDD Format failed

[Robscure]

So I waited for almost 9 hours for my second hdd to format... finally when it got to 100% then I hear my computer make an error sound, "Disk format failed"

/facepalm

/facepalm

[peterb]

What tool are you using to format it it with? And what do you understand by the process "formatting a hard drive"? (Because it is one of the most mis-understood and mis-used terms in computing! )

[Robscure]

What tool are you using to format it it with? And what do you understand by the process "formatting a hard drive"? (Because it is one of the most mis-understood and mis-used terms in computing! )

Vista's built-in Disk Management. My understanding is that I'm wiping all data from my HDD in an attempt to make it clean and prepared to be used for data in the future, freshly.

[peterb]

OK - well you aren't"

Formatting a hard disk only means that you are are initialising a a file system. That is setting up the master file table(s) and file pointers. In general practice that means that any existing data cannot be read by the new file system (all the pointers will have been erased/reset) but the data is still on the disk, and can be read and accessed by readily available software such as WinHex and the like)

An extended or full format under windows completes a surface scan of the disk to detect possible errors, but doesn't do anything to the data. And normally Windows shouldn't find any errors, because bad sectors should have been mapped out by the drive's internal firmware.

For every day purposes a re-format is entirely adequate for re-using a drive, but it should NEVER be regarded as secure wipe, or used to 'wipe' a disk prior to disposal, simply because it doesn't do that.

So if the drive reformats using the short format command, and you intend re-using it on your system, then no problem.

Would I be concerned at it failing a long format with a surface scan? Hmm, maybe, although I'd be more inclined to wonder if it was a Vista problem rather than a disk problem, but I'd certainly want to look at the S.M.A.R.T data to get a warmer feeling about it.

If you want to securely erase a disk for disposal, there are several tools available. The simplest is to use a linux CD and the dd command, but dban will do the job. There are some ATA commands which enable some disks to to do a secure erase internally, but you need special tools to access these (like hdparm) and they will be no quicker.

Some manufacturers also provide tools that allow for a low level format (which is format in the true sense) of a drive, but again you can't really tell exactly what the software is doing if you are concerned about residual data.

SDo - to re-use. Normal windows format or long format with a look at the S.M.A.R.T data if long format fails.

For disposal - some form of secure wipe that you can trust, or if the data on the disk is really sensitive, do a secure wipe, then dismantle the disk, and physically smash the platters, or take an angle grinder to the surfaces.

[Robscure]

Thanks for all of that information, it's good to know for the future.

But really what I'm trying to do right now is simply to get my second hdd to work.

It isn't being detected, I cannot place files on it, and formatting fails.

(EDIT)

Nevermind, I got it to work, I think, for now...

I unplugged the HDD from the SATA slot, rebooted, then plugged it back in..

Then I added a drive letter to it first... Then it appeared in my "Computer" then rather than using the disk management I just clicked on the drive in "Computer" and it asked me to format so I did a quick format and instantly it was available...

I don't know what the difference is between this method or trying to format it inside of Disk Management, but disk management took 9 hours for a full format and then failed in the end, I wonder if it would've succeeded if I had've assigned a drive letter BEFORE formatting...

Lesson learned, I hope.