prototype
Member
+52|6581
I just bought a Western Digital Caviar SE16 WD5000AAKS 500GB 7200 RPM 16MB Cache SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive - OEM

upon initial install/setup do I need to format this drive or should it be good to go right out of the bag?

I am putting it into an external HDD enclosure and it will only be used as a storage drive

Thank you for any info you guys post
jsnipy
...
+3,277|6792|...

You will need to format it. Just go into Disk Management to do everything you will need to do (assuming windows).
liquidat0r
wtf.
+2,223|6897|UK
Well if it needs formatting then format it ... It will probably be formatted though.
SpIk3y
Minister of Silly Walks
+67|6409|New Jersey
control panel -> administrative tools -> computer management -> disk management

that's for Vista, but I'm sure XP is very similar
killer21
Because f*ck you that's why.
+400|6861|Reisterstown, MD

SpIk3y wrote:

control panel -> administrative tools -> computer management -> disk management

that's for Vista, but I'm sure XP is very similar
Or a quicker way would be Right click on my computer>Manage>scroll down to storage and disk management is there.

Most new hdd are already formatted but you can check it at DM to make sure.
prototype
Member
+52|6581
I know HOW to format a drive

I just wanted to know if that model HDD came pre-formatted or If I would need to do it before I started to put all my fiels on it.

thank you for all the info guys
max
Vela Incident
+1,652|6837|NYC / Hamburg

depends. Sometimes they are, sometimes they are not and sometimes they are formatted all wrong (I got my 1TB drive with a single 100GB FAT partition, wtf?)
once upon a midnight dreary, while i pron surfed, weak and weary, over many a strange and spurious site of ' hot  xxx galore'. While i clicked my fav'rite bookmark, suddenly there came a warning, and my heart was filled with mourning, mourning for my dear amour, " 'Tis not possible!", i muttered, " give me back my free hardcore!"..... quoth the server, 404.
killer21
Because f*ck you that's why.
+400|6861|Reisterstown, MD

max wrote:

(I got my 1TB drive with a single 100GB FAT partition, wtf?)
Refurb?
prototype
Member
+52|6581
so it is best just to go ahead and format it ?
SpIk3y
Minister of Silly Walks
+67|6409|New Jersey
Yeah just format it to be on the safe side.  It can't hurt.
{M5}Sniper3
Typical white person.
+389|7030|San Antonio, Texas

prototype wrote:

so it is best just to go ahead and format it ?
Yes, always reformat new HDDs, even right out of the box. You know it will be in working order then.
killer21
Because f*ck you that's why.
+400|6861|Reisterstown, MD

prototype wrote:

so it is best just to go ahead and format it ?
Yea sure, but it will probably take a while giving it is a 500gig hdd.  You'll probably end up with 480 or so of actual space.
prototype
Member
+52|6581
how long should it take?

i had to RMA the first drive i got because it gave me block errors and when i tried to format it
it never finished even after 5 hours

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