Formatting Disks
You usually cannot use new disks until you format them (but some disks come already formatted). Formatting prepares disks for use on a computer. Formatting is similar to preparing a blank book for use by writing in page numbers and creating a blank table of contents. If a disk contains data, formatting it completely erases all existing data. Part of the process of formatting is checking for bad areas on the disk's magnetic surface. All bad areas found are identified so that data is not recorded in these areas.
The 32-bit multitasking environment in Windows 95 makes it possible to format disks in the background as you go about your work in other applications. This capability is a real time-saver.
Formatting a Floppy Disk
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