Mark wrote:
>
> >> How can it be that after formatting a disk during a Win XP install that,
> >> after the install, two versions of windows are proposed in the startup
> >> menu?
> >> On Partition 1 and partition 2? Does this mean that a format is not
> >> complete? Does it imply that the Master Boot Record has not been
> >> formatted?
> >> If so, problems with MBR viruses cannot be resolved with a Windows XP
> >> install.
> >>
> >> Found a formatting tool for Maxtor drives: called Powermax v4.23
> >> (13/03/2007) Never tried using this a s a solution for this problem, but
> >> it
> >> seems that a windows install format does not remove the master boot
> >> record
> >
> > reading a few of your posts, it's clear that you missed the point made
> > by the first person that replied. I'll expand on it.. Though I may
> > make mistakes in the process
> >
> > There is no such thing as formatting a disk
> > (there may be wiping a disk, writing zeros all over it, but that's not
> > formatting)
> >
> > Formatting formats a partition.
>
> The aim of low level format for me (knowing that it writes zeros) is for it
> to remove the MBR, since I thought that my install difficulties might come
> from there (perhaps a MBR virus) and because although each time I installed
> I removed and reformatted the partition concerned, problems persisted.

A proper low level format will write a bit pattern over the entire disk, including track 0 where the MBR is.

> In particular, I was getting a message [during install] saying that a line
> in a file was corrupt and I could not understand this, since for me there
> was nothing on the drive.

The file that is being copied might appear to be corrupted on the source media, or it could be corrupted because of e.g. bad memory.

> > If somebody stupidly/misleadingly says format a disk, they probably
> > mean the disk has one partition, format it.
> >
> > Chances are that when you had windows xp and then went ahead and
> > installed windows xp again, it created a new partition, formatted
> > that, and put windows on there. As oppose to removing windows
> > beforehand.
>
> No as I said above, I removed all partitions and recreated. Removing a
> partition must by definition remove any Windows installation (c:\windows)
> but not the MBR

True.

> > I don't know much about the MBR. But from what I understand,
> > The MBR sits outside the partitions. And It doesn't even know if a
> > partition is FAT32 or NTFS. One formats partitions. So the MBR won't
> > get wiped from formatting [a partition].
> >
> > So, for example, the win98 command fdisk /mbr works on a drive with
> > win xp, and win xp recovery console command FIXMBR works on a drive
> > with win98 . The difference between the 2 commands is a slight
> > technicality discussed somewhere on usenet. I don't think it's OS
> > related.
>
> OK. Again, the point is to be sure that when installing on a "second hand
> drive" is that its clean. However I dont know if a "normal" format writes
> zeros or not. What is the difference between a drive straight out of the
> factory and a drive / disk that can store files? What is the difference
> between FAT and NTFS? There is one, so a format must be more than just
> zeros, and zeros are just to ensure that the disk is "clean" and then
> recreate and format after.

It used to be that a format would write over the entire partition, but according to what I have been reading the last few years a format will read, but not write, the partition. A format will always create a file system (FAT, NTFS, etc.) which is what makes the partition usable.
NTFS is more secure than FAT because of permissions etc., more fault tolerant, and is more suitable for large drives. FAT12 and FAT16 work well for small drives. FAT32 supports large hard drives and a duplicate copy of the FAT (File Allocation Table) makes it makes it more fault tolerant.

> > The DOS Format command was e.g. format c: So the format command took
> > a so-called "Drive" as a paramater. But C is really a partition, not a
> > hard drive. When DOS "help" says Drive I guess it means partition. In
> > win xp disk management, the drive is called a disk.
> > The word drive might actually be a bit misleading - 'cos 2 possible
> > definitions. (is it a partition as DOS can use the term, or is it a
> > hard drive).

--
Mike Walsh
West Palm Beach, Florida, U.S.A.