The third part of the process, usually termed 'high-level formatting' most often refers to the process of generating a new file system. Partitioning is the common term for the second part of the process, making the data storage device visible to an operating system.
The first part of the formatting process that performs basic medium preparation is often referred to as 'low-level formatting'. In some cases, the formatting operation may also create one or more new file systems. What Is Drive Formatting?ĭisk formatting is the process of preparing a data storage device such as a hard disk drive, solid-state drive, floppy disk or USB flash drive for initial use. Now, here are answers to some common questions about formatting drives. Here, before formatting hard drive, you might be wondering: what is drive formatting? And, when do we need to format a drive? How to format a hard drive? Hard drives, which are the primary storage devices on our computer, need to be formatted before we can use them.
