Hi, Hash.
If you delete first, then you'll need to have Vista Setup create a new
partition before you can format it. Despite the popular terminology, we
don't actually format a hard disk drive. We first create a partition on
that hard drive, and then format the partition. But when we assign a letter
to the partition, we call it a "drive" letter. :>{
We might be tempted to call it a "partition" letter. But there are "primary
partitions" and "extended partitions". "Drive" letters get assigned to
primary partitions, but not to extended partitions. An extended partition
does not get assigned a letter, but each logical drive within it gets a
letter. To reduce the confusion a little, we can refer both to primary
partitions and to logical drives in extended partitions as "volumes". But
longstanding usage is hard to change, so we still often call them "drives".
And that also reinforces the confusion between volumes and physical hard
disk drives. :>(
It helps to cut down on the confusion if we assign a name (label) to each
volume. Drive letters exist only within each operating system, and
dual-boot users often complain that Drive C: in WinXP is Drive D: in Vista -
or vice versa. But a volume labeled "VistaX64" keeps the same name until we
change it, no matter which OS is running and no matter whether it is Drive
C: or Drive X;.
So, you can either format the existing Drive C:, or delete it, create a new
volume, assign it Drive C:, and format it. You should wind up with the same
result either way.
RC
--
R. C. White, CPA
San Marcos, TX
rc@grandecom.net
Microsoft Windows MVP
(Running Windows Live Mail beta in Vista Ultimate x64)
"hash" <joeblogg@spam.com> wrote in message
news:#ix0l36zHHA.2484@TK2MSFTNGP06.phx.gbl...
> So before installing Vista I get two options, delete or format c:\ drive.
> If I do both will I still have a volume called c:\ drive. In what order
> can I do both - delete before format or vice versa ?
>
> hash
>
>
> "cquirke (MVP Windows shell/user)" <cquirkenews@nospam.mvps.org> wrote in
> message news:fbdha35csb5geaucv8m7rtphtcb2itqehk@4ax.com...
>> On Tue, 24 Jul 2007 11:10:31 +0100, "hash" <joeblogg@spam.com> wrote:
>>
>>>I'd like to know what is the difference between Delete or Format the
>>>entire
>>>hard disk or just a partition (Volume) c:\ drive ?
>>
>> Further to what Richard Urban said; Format imposes a new, empty file
>> system within a volume, whereas deleting a volume removes it and
>> leaves the space unallocated.
>>
>> IOW, Format isn't just about "deleting things", though deletion of
>> existing files is a side-effect of creating a new empty file system.