Types of Hard - Disk Formats

Types of Computer Hard-Disk Formats

The format means to prepare a storage medium for reading and writing. Formatting the hard

disk creates sectors, tracks and places the file system on the hard disks so that the operating

the system can store and retrieve data.

There are two types of formatting. These are:

High-Level Formatting

Low-Level Formatting

High-level formatting

It is a formatting method that initializes portions of the hard disk and creates the file system

structures on the disk, such as the master boot record and the file allocation table. High-level

formatting prepares drive partitions for the operating system by creating a root directory,

from which all other subdirectories can be created, including a File Allocation Table (FAT).

FAT keeps track of all information on the disks and all the relationships between different

pieces of information.

Low-level formatting

It is a formatting method that creates the tracks and sectors on a hard disk. Low-level for-

matting creates the physical format that dictates where data is stored on the disk. 

At this stage, the drive is physically divided into tracks and sectors. Low-level formatting stays

unchanged for the entire life of the drive unless the drive is re-formatted. A low-level format is also called a physical format.