formatting

Definition

Making a digital storage media ready (usually by the user or reseller) to receive and store data in a logical manner. Upon their manufacture, diskettes and hard disks are like blank sheets of paper which need to be divided (formatted) into logically numbered or named equal-size sections (called sectors) so that data can be entered and found quickly. Every operating system (OS) has its unique (non-standard) procedure for formatting magnetic media which normally cannot be used by other OS. Optical media (CD and DVD), however, can be used by any OS because it is formatted (always by the manufacturer) according to the universally-followed ISO standards.