Files & Folders:
Format Disks

Before you can use a disk to store data, it must be formatted. This prepares it to hold data. All storage media must be formatted before you can store data on them. Removable media, like floppy disks, writable CD and DVD disks, USB flash devices, and zip disks, are normally formatted at the factory, but you may find an unformatted one from time to time. A new hard disk or tape may not be pre-formatted.

A full format does three things:

• Sets up the physical locations to be ready for recording.
• Sets up a system for keeping track of what is stored where on the disk.
• Checks the disk for physical and magnetic errors.

A quick format skips the check for errors, so it is a much faster process. You can quick format a disk only if it was already formatted. When you suspect there may be a problem with a floppy disk, you will have to do a full format to find out. Be cautious about using quick formats since you will be skipping an important safety check.

Data Security: Formatting a disk "erases" the address tables, so you will not see your files listed any more. The data may still be recoverable using data recovery software. If you have sensitive data on your disks, you have two choices: Use data "shredding" software to truly erase the data or else physically destroy the disk.

Formatting Disks

Capacity: Any time you format a disk, you must specify its capacity, that is, how much data it will be able to hold. This sets technical things about how to storage data on the disk. Fortunately you don't have to know all the technical numbers! It's now an automatic process. Your 3½" floppy disks almost certainly have a capacity of 1.44 MB. For other kinds of removable media, you will have to check the label for its capacity, but the Format dialog will usually show the correct capacity.

Make System Disk? A system disk has on it the files needed to get the computer started. This makes it a bootable disk. It is important to have at least one bootable removable disk available for those horrible situations when your computer refuses to boot normally.

Do not format a hard disk unless you really, really, really know what you are doing. It "erases" EVERYTHING. You will have to reinstall your operating system and all programs. All data files will be gone! Data recovery services may be able to get back your "erased" files, but there is no guarantee. And it can be expensive!

Write Protection

Most removable media has a way to keep you from writing to it accidentally, as a safety measure. A 3 ½" floppy disk has two holes at the top. One has a slide which can open or close the hole. This is the write-protect slide. To write on a floppy disk, and thus to format one, the write-protect slide must be closed.

Other kinds of disks may have a teeny, tiny switch for this function.

In the lesson that follows you will format a floppy disk for your class documents. Some steps direct you to do things that cause an error message to appear. This is on purpose! You need to see some of the error messages you can encounter while working on a computer. Some of the messages are quite useful.

You need:  at least 2 floppy disks (or the equivalent space on other media) for storing your documents for the lessons in Jan's Illustrated Computer Literacy 101. If you like to keep things forever and you work through more than just Working with Windows, you'll need a lot more than 2.

Disks formatted for one operating system may not work in a computer using a different operating system. In particular, DOS and Windows can't read a disk formatted for an Apple or Macintosh computer. You would have to reformat a disk to use a Mac-formatted disk in a DOS or Windows computer. This will erase any data on the disk! Be careful when you buy disks to check what operating system they are formatted for. Macs are friendlier and will happily read your DOS or Windows disks and write to them.

Be SURE you have chosen the correct drive (!!!!) and that you really, really, really, want to format it. Always check your disk's contents before formatting to be sure you've put the right one in the drive!!

~~  1 Cor. 10:31 ...whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God.  ~~

Last updated: 22 Jan 2008