Failure to format external HD in Win 7

caribbeanspur · 09 Dec 2010

Hi guys,

I purchased an iomega ego 500gb external HD and I wanted to reformat it before using it. I selected a complete reformat (instead of a quick format) using the windows 7 utility. After over 12 hours I could barely see a green bar of progress! It was on a pace of at least week of reformat lol!

Anyway, I killed the whole process and tried it on my old inspiron 5100 with XP on it. And after 2 hours, reformat was done!

So my question is, is there something I should be doing in windows 7? I remember when I had Vista formatting rewritable CD would always fail (but I would get an error message as opposed to never ending format). Any input would be great!

Thanks!

brianzion · 09 Dec 2010

hi and hello to the forums :)

you have done nothing wrong quick format is the choice of formating because its quick!(excuse the pun!)

**When you choose to run a Full format on a volume, files are removed from the volume that you are formatting and the hard disk is scanned for bad sectors. The scan for bad sectors is the reason why the Full format takes twice as long as the Quick format.

If you choose the Quick format option, the format removes files from the partition, but does not scan the disk for bad sectors. This option is best when your hard disk has been previously formatted and you are sure that your hard disk is not damaged nor has bad sectors. This can be a problem later because bad sectors that are not located can cause damage to the hard drive. For example, if data is later installed on this “bad sector”, the data will read errors or as corrupted files.

In simple terms, a Full format will truly scrub through the hard drive from scratch, rebuild all of its file structures, and scans the drive to make sure that everything is on a satisfactory level. On the other hand, what a Quick format does is lay down a blank FAT and directory table without checking for bad sectors.

**extract from HDD TOOL

Difference between Full Format and Quick Format

caribbeanspur · 09 Dec 2010

Thanks for the reply. I know the difference between quick and non-quick format. What I don't understand is why it fails in Windows 7. When I do a non-quick format in windows XP it works no problem, when I tried in Win 7 it does not work. this is my problem.

brianzion · 09 Dec 2010

im sure windows 7 will do it its the time it takes over xp maybe xp does not do a complete reformat as in windows 7 the amount of sectors it has to check is time consuming, did you read this

This is why when you buy a brand-new unformatted hard drive, you cannot give it a Quick format. The drive needs a Full Format because it needs the entire file structures set-up, so the FAT actually has blocks and sectors to track, rather than a chaotic mess. However, like we mention earlier, if your hard drive is already has a clean slate and has no bad sectors, a Quick format will be suitable.

caribbeanspur · 09 Dec 2010

Why would XP not do a full format, when it is set to do a full format?I mean it took windows XP almost 3 hours to do a full format of a 500 gb drive, do you consider that too fast to be a full format?

I understand that the full format takes time, I don't question that but , when I tried (twice) in windows 7, the green progress bar was not even showing 5% progress after over 12 hours! Which means that at this pace, it would take windows 7 over 10 days to reformat a 500 gb disk. I just find that rather unlikely. In average how long do you think a full format should take on a new 500 gb hard drive? (I know it is not necessary to do a full format, I just want to understand why it took soooo long)

gregrocker · 09 Dec 2010

Do you have any other performance issues with Win7, such as it's recognition of USB storage devices?

Is this a clean install or an in-place Upgrade from Vista? Did you check optional Windows Updates for newer chipset drivers? If you have continued problems with storage devices, try updating the chipset from manufacturer's Support Downloads webpage for your model computer or mobo.

Coram Daes · 09 Dec 2010

Some newer USB drives have chips in them that requires a driver installation for them to run at full speed. I had some really bad issues with some WDC USB drives. Finally I solved it by using a standalone partitioning/formatting software (Acronis Disk Director in this case) to get it done.

Iomega should have drivers and software available to do this without having to resort to other measures.

brianzion · 09 Dec 2010

caribbeanspur said:

Why would XP not do a full format, when it is set to do a full format?I mean it took windows XP almost 3 hours to do a full format of a 500 gb drive, do you consider that too fast to be a full format?

I understand that the full format takes time, I don't question that but , when I tried (twice) in windows 7, the green progress bar was not even showing 5% progress after over 12 hours! Which means that at this pace, it would take windows 7 over 10 days to reformat a 500 gb disk. I just find that rather unlikely. In average how long do you think a full format should take on a new 500 gb hard drive? (I know it is not necessary to do a full format, I just want to understand why it took soooo long)

was the drive bought second hand or brand new? if second hand the age (year of manufacture) and hours of use will contribute to the performance of the drive as would how data was used on it (deleted reformatted etc)

CrystalDiskInfo 3.9.3 is a good program to see how well your drive is it will tell you lots of info (as in the pic) you can download it here

Download Center - Crystal Dew World

caribbeanspur · 09 Dec 2010

Thanks guys for all the answers. Let me answer your questions:
- I did a clean install for windows 7 (not an upgrade)
- Never had any problem with usb device. Windows 7 has been good to me (as oppsed to vista)
- The drive was brand new

I ended up returning the drive today and got a toshiba ( the toshiba was on sale) and I did a format in XP to be on the safe side.

Too bad I won't know what the problem was. I am researcher and I have a tendency to want to know why things don't work :) . But I guess I learned a few things from you guys so all is not lost. Thanks again guys!