How long does a full format take?

[Annuit Coeptis]

I recently decided to encrypt the data on my external HDD but I ran into some errors because of some bad sectors and I had to quit. Unfortunately, quitting left my HDD in a RAW file system format so I just decided to do a full format because that will fix all the bad sectors and restore my HDD to good as new. (I have all my data backed up.)

I started the full format process and it has been running for close to thirty hours now. Windows doesn't give you an estimated remaining time or anything during a reformat, just this:

Based on my crude process of measuring the distance of the solid part of the bar and comparing it to the total bar I calculated that it will take about 7 days to reformat the hdd. Is this reasonable?

specs
HDD
These are the specs for the HDD
PC specs

• 3 GB RAM
  
• 1.66 GHz intel cpu
  
• win 7
  

[#Reality]

You're just trying to reinstall Windows?

[Annuit Coeptis]

You're just trying to reinstall Windows?

No, I am trying to format a hard drive. It is external.

[--joker--]

You can't do anything about it, all you have to do is to wait.In the past when I had 166GB on HDD,I had to wait about 1 hour and a half to format, and this HDD was internal.I guess the externals format in a longer time.

[Black Ghost]

Depending on the computer, it varies.
It could take a little 5 minutes, or it could take a couple of hours.

[Dr.BrokenGod]

Depending on the computer, it varies.
It could take a little 5 minutes, or it could take a couple of hours.

Exactly! I have a pretty good computer so it takes me like 20 minutes for a 500 GB HDD

[Omniscient]

A drive that size can take days.

Also try Drive Wipe which comes with ccleaner.

[Dr.BrokenGod]

A drive that size can take days.

Also try Drive Wipe which comes with ccleaner.

Again all depending on PC spec but if you take a look at the CPU OP has and in case he doesn't use the PC while he formats it could take him a week time!

[Annuit Coeptis]

Jeez, alright. All I can do is wait. I am so impatient. The power better not go out or anything. haha

[Injection]

takes anywhere near 4-8 hours