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Pitchfork
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Joined: 25/06/03
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Best Format for new Drive?
      #785642 - 08/11/09 03:02 PM
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Just bought a new HD (Mybook 1TB) for my ageing PC laptop and wanted to know the best format etc for re-formatting this blank..

Do I leave the
"Allocation unit Size" to
Default Allocation Format OR 512 1024, 2046 or 4012??

Also do i tick "Quick Format" and Enable Compression???

Just using this as a Firewire Audio drive, its 1TB running on Windows XP Pro sp2

Thanks!

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Rocke



Joined: 05/11/09
Posts: 4
Re: Best Format for new Drive? new [Re: Pitchfork]
      #785662 - 08/11/09 05:31 PM
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Allocation unit size is like this

Larger size will make it read and write faster, but leaves you with less overall space, smaller will save you space at the cost of performance.
Some disk utilities doesn't work when you change this value. I suggest you keep it at default.

Quick format isn't needed, it will at best save you a few minutes when the disk is new. (It has brought problems in rare cases also.)

Don't enable compression, it's just exactly what is sounds like, its mostly used in the case when free space is critical. It's also a performance killer.

--------------------
http://www.mapeaudio.com

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Martin WalkerModerator
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Re: Best Format for new Drive? new [Re: Pitchfork]
      #785881 - 09/11/09 12:05 PM
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Welcome to the SOS Forums Rocke!

Yes, I agree with you - leave the allocation size at its default setting and avoid compression, since it adds extra overhead for the days when hard drives were titchy and every little bit if space really counted


Martin

--------------------
YewTreeMagic

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Rocke



Joined: 05/11/09
Posts: 4
Re: Best Format for new Drive? new [Re: Martin Walker]
      #786378 - 10/11/09 07:07 PM
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Quote Martin Walker:

Welcome to the SOS Forums Rocke!


Thank you!

--------------------
http://www.mapeaudio.com

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