4tb Format Time

[Jokerlolz]

So I purchased a 4tb hdd online the other day and it is set to arrive tomorrow  I read that once I install it I will have to partition and format it.  My question is, How long will it take to format?

[ShadowCaptain]

2 minutes ago, Jokerlolz said:

So I purchased a 4tb hdd online the other day and it is set to arrive tomorrow  I read that once I install it I will have to partition and format it.  My question is, How long will it take to format?

 

Like 10 seconds

[Jokerlolz]

Just now, ShadowCaptain said:

 

Like 10 seconds

Oh really? Everything I searched online was from 2013 saying 4+ hours.  I was hoping with the 3 year difference it would be faster but I didnt expect that much quicker.

[ShadowCaptain]

1 minute ago, Jokerlolz said:

Oh really? Everything I searched online was from 2013 saying 4+ hours.  I was hoping with the 3 year difference it would be faster but I didnt expect that much quicker.

What? its an empty drive, its likely it will come preformatted for windows, and if it doesn't it will take no time at all to do a format

[cynexit]

2 minutes ago, Jokerlolz said:

Oh really? Everything I searched online was from 2013 saying 4+ hours.  I was hoping with the 3 year difference it would be faster but I didnt expect that much quicker.

Depends, real formatting will take a few hours but just doing a "fast" format i.e. deleting headers and tables takes only a few seconds.

A real format will also check for bad sectors which can be handy with new drives to determine if they are DOA.

[paddy-stone]

Have never doen a full format in 20 years of having PC, apart from a "forced" format when using checkdisk or similar to check for bad sectors etc. I once used EASUS partition manager a few years back to recover a 2TB external drive after it failed in the enclosure.. I still use that drive today after fidning and fixing errors on it, and haven't had a single problem with it since then.

Other than that I always use quick format.

[paddy-stone]

18 minutes ago, Jokerlolz said:

So I purchased a 4tb hdd online the other day and it is set to arrive tomorrow  I read that once I install it I will have to partition and format it.  My question is, How long will it take to format?

OP, what do you want to do with the drive? it is new right?

[Jokerlolz]

45 minutes ago, cynexit said:

Depends, real formatting will take a few hours but just doing a "fast" format i.e. deleting headers and tables takes only a few seconds.

A real format will also check for bad sectors which can be handy with new drives to determine if they are DOA.

I plan to do a full format if possible so I can check to be sure everything is in full working order

36 minutes ago, paddy-stone said:

OP, what do you want to do with the drive? it is new right?

It is new, and I havent entirely decided.  I am a gamer with a 1tb now and Have it completely filled so I either plan on just moving games to it and using it as full storage or move "Everything" to the new on including the OS and making the old Hard drive a Linux OS.

[Jarsky]

If you are going to install the OS to it omething to consider, is splitting the drive into partitions. I have a 3TB in my main PC, I made a 500GB space for all my Windows user folders, and the rest for Games so my computer has C: OS (SSD) D: DATA (Windows User folders and other stuff) E: GAMES (All my Game installs)

 

If you want to do this you can create multiple partitions in Disk Management which can be found in Computer Management.

You could go something like C:250GB D: 750GB E: 3TB.

 

This way if you need to reinstall on C: drive you don't risk your other data by just formatting C: drive.

Or if you want to upgrade to an SSD later, you can just delete the C: drive partition and extend the D: drive data partition and resize it to 1TB. 

 

If you do this, make sure the first partition is a primary and make the disk a GPT (not MBR) if its a newer UEFI computer. (3rd generation intel or newer)

[paddy-stone]

Ahh cool, probably best IMO if you don't mind me saying is to :-

 

Keep the OS on your old HDD, no performance difference from moving the OS to another mech HDD.

Move the games onto the new HDD to keep things neat.. then have plenty of space for staorage.

Then after stuff is moved from old HDD, partition it for a linux OS, you don't need that much space for a linux OS, so IMO would be best to just keep both OS on that old HDD and have some spare space for extra storage or VMs etc.

So anyway, if it's a fresh drive no need to do anything but partition it in windows to how you want it in the control panel->system and security->administrative tools-> create and format hard disks.

 

Hope it goes well, can't see a reason it wouldn't

[paddy-stone]

Also, once you have partitioned your original disk (via shrink drive after you have moved files), you can then make an image file of the OS, so that if you do want to have an SSD or just re-install everything after a system malfunction, then you can use that image if you've stored it somewhere other than the OS disk, so maybe a USB drive you have handy? my sytem image is 37GB and includes all my "must have" programs etc, so can do a complete re-install with progs in approx 10 mins from that image file if I need to... I have used it once already when I had a problem and works a treat

[Jokerlolz]

As an update for everyone that cares.  I installed the 4tb it only took a few seconds to format.  as for the Linux Idea I decided to keep both my 1tb and 4tb for windows and games I purchased a 250gb hdd that will be here around Monday to install in my computer and format to run Linux or another Unix OS for my software development needs.

 

Anyone have a preference of a good starter Unix OS to use?