NTFS quick or normal

[windows_user]

I want to format my system. As soon as I put the Windows XP disk, but during installation there is an option of NTFS (quick) or just NTFS. What is the difference between Normal and Quick Format of Windows XP? Is this normal formatting better than quick formatting?

[samar69]

The Quick Format is faster than Normal. But the data are more difficult to recover after a Normal Format.

The main difference between quick and normal format is that during a normal format the volume is checked for errors. Both methods do exactly the same thing as far as wiping the disk and setting up the filesystem.

[pddaugusto]

The Quick Format isn't really a format. It is more like a clearing out of the pointers to the files. Which is why it is so quick.

Basically the difference between the two is that the Quick Format removes all the data on the drive but leaves all the partition and allocation tables in tact to get reused; where as the Normal Format completely removes and rebuilds all of that (i.e. removes the old partition and allocation tables then makes new ones)

[SANDESH49]

NTFS (Quick) format removes HDD files without scanning it for bad sectors, repairing them and so forth. (You can still retrieve your data many times by choosing this method). The Normal Format method does both and replaces the data bits with a null.