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mkntfs should quick format by default #162

@HT-7

Description

@HT-7
Initializing device with zeroes

Full formatting is incredibly slow and wasteful, especially on SSDs, which only have a finite write life. Therefore full overwrites should only ever be done if the user explicitly asks for it, not by default.

I believe some people will simply stick to the defaults thinking "they are like this for a good reason". But in this case, a quick format makes more sense and full formatting usually does more harm than good.

Currently, the options are like this:

Basic options:
    -f, --fast                      Perform a quick format
    -Q, --quick                     Perform a quick format

Instead, --full should perform a full format.

Basic options:
    -f, --fast                      (deprecated, default now)
    -Q, --quick                     (deprecated, default now)
    --full                          Overwrite device with zeroes.

Or perhaps get rid of full overwriting entirely. If the user really wants to overwrite (e.g. for privacy before resale), they already have the dd tool at their disposal. It is out of scope for a file system creation tool.

Activity

changed the title [-]mkntfs should quick format by default[/-] [+]`mkntfs` should quick format by default[/+] on Sep 19, 2025
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          `mkntfs` should quick format by default · Issue #162 · tuxera/ntfs-3g