- #How to format wd elements on windows xp how to#
- #How to format wd elements on windows xp install#
- #How to format wd elements on windows xp upgrade#
While this should have been picked up in the factory during the low level format tests, drives can get damaged in shipping. Keep in mind that depending on what is wrong with the disk at the bad sectors, those sectors can spread very quickly to other parts of the disk once accessed as the read,write head sweeps over (in the case of debris on the platter). It's much better to do that as soon as possible, rather than later on in a few months after you've got your data on it and find out some of the disk is actually bad. If after the full format, you get SMART failures you can immediately return the drive to the retailer for a replacement, or offer up a RMA ticket for a replacement. A full format will overwrite every sector of the drive, ensuring that the SMART information is accurate and correct before you start using the disk. Thus, SMART at that moment in time will only be counting the a very small part of the disk. SMART gets updated once that happens.Ī quick format only write the start of the disk with the partition layout and basic file system structure. Bad sectors are only reallocated when they can't be read/written on the disk.
SMART only updates the information based on what the drive accesses.
#How to format wd elements on windows xp how to#
How to create and format partition using Disk Management Once you complete the steps, the tool will format the selected partition on the drive, and then you can begin storing files.
#How to format wd elements on windows xp upgrade#
Seagate offers an external 3TB.Īt this point you might as well upgrade to vista or win7. You'd have to find out whether your dock supports a 3TB drive.
#How to format wd elements on windows xp install#
The manufacturer has a utility to do that or you can use their install utility to clone, partition and align the drive in one operation.Īll this applies to an internal drive setup. If the drive uses advanced format (4k sectors, used by WD, don't know about others), you need to align the sectors after formatting it or you will get degraded perfomance.
An add-on SATA controller with support for it or a board with the right BIOS and chipset would fix that and you could use the entire 3TB in 1 partition (the retail package for WD's 3TB comes with such a card). It could go either way, it sees only 2TB or only 1TB. This drive with XP is a big problem the 2.1TB limit is MBR related, XP itself can handle 16TB partitions.