\nThe other day I ran across a USB drive perhaps fifteen years old. I asked my wife about it; she said all info on it was defunct. I asked if I could have it for my own use: “That’s fine,” she replied.<\/p>\n
\nI like small USB drives; this one, at 2GB, is great. Moreover, I like formatting old drives to brand new, empty condition. What data might have been on that drive, I wanted it gone. After double-checking with my wife that she was really sure the information on it was no longer wanted, I plugged the drive into a Windows 11 laptop and went to format it.<\/p>\n
\nThe “quick format” option was checked, I believe, but I didn’t want that one. It’s my understanding that quick format leaves all the info on the drive except perhaps the file table. So, an ordinary operating system won’t be able to find the info physically present on the drive, even though it’s still there. However, some programs outside of ordinary operating systems – forensic programs, one might call them – can search a drive cell by cell and find anything still on it.<\/p>\n
\nI wasn’t worried about a forensic audit of said drive; nonetheless, I wanted it back to brand-new, empty condition. Therefore, I unchecked “quick format.”<\/p>\n
\nAs I mentioned, it’s an old USB drive. The “not quick format” option did take quite a long time. I left it after about five percent completion, so it might have taken anywhere from several minutes to around an hour.<\/p>\n
Source:<\/p>\n