ntfs to ext3

[jora15678]

While installing BT over windows's whole partition, it formats it from ntfs to ext3.
Question:
What does this kind of format do in the bit's level? (encodes\changes\overwrite\nothing, only changes the pointers)? Another question is (if there are experts in data recovery): does this kind of formating leaving any chances to recover some files? Or, if I've just fried up 320 routers, and did the above than the police doesn't have any chance?

[Archangel-Amael]

Disk partitioning - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
File system - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Data_recovery

These links should sum things up.

[jora15678]

Thank you, although I've already read this.
In order to stop the pedagogical lessons and links to wiki, afraid that someone who does know something would give me another link to google, I'd like to mention: I have already searched etc... And my basic knowledge does let me to write a program that restores files\making HDD images, etc. Thus please, if you know the answer or something, answer the question - what does the formatting from NTFS to EXT3 does in the bit level to NTFS's files?

[Agarax]

When you format from NTFS to EXT3/4 it just overwrites the sectors it needs to set up the filesystem. Doing a bit for bit overwrite of even a modest sized hard drive takes a really long time compared for the amount of time for your average format.

However, the blocks that it uses are scattered over the harddrive. See this image for a more visual representation: http://bandwidthco.com/whitepapers/c...m%20Layout.png

If you are trying to recover files from the hard drive after it has been formatted from NTFS to EXT you will have to use some kind of file carver to look for the hexadecimal file headers and hope you get lucky and the whole file is still there.

See here for more information.