Microsoft KB Archive/302686

= Differences between a Quick format and a regular format during a &quot;clean&quot; installation of Windows XP =

Article ID: 302686

Article Last Modified on 5/19/2004

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APPLIES TO


 * Microsoft Windows XP Professional Edition
 * Microsoft Windows XP Home Edition

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This article was previously published under Q302686



SUMMARY
During a &quot;clean&quot; installation of Microsoft Windows XP, you are prompted to choose from the following format options:
 * Format the partition by using the NTFS file system (Quick)
 * Format the partition by using the FAT file system (Quick)
 * Format the partition by using the NTFS file system
 * Format the partition by using the FAT file system
 * Leave the current file system intact (no changes)

This article describes the differences between a Quick format and a regular format.



MORE INFORMATION
When you choose to run a regular 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 responsible for the majority of the time that it takes to format a volume.

If you choose the Quick format option, format removes files from the partition, but does not scan the disk for bad sectors. Only use this option if your hard disk has been previously formatted and you are sure that your hard disk is not damaged.

If you installed Windows XP on a partition that was formatted by using the Quick format option, you can also check your disk by using the chkdsk /r command after the installation of Windows XP is completed.

Additional query words: quickformat /q

Keywords: kbinfo kbenv kbsetup KB302686

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