Whoa! 2 or 3 _ HOURS _? Formatting only takes a few seconds. Any longer than that and there’s something wrong! I don’t have a Clip, so I can’t say for sure of there is an on-board Format function in the SETTINGS menu like there is on the Fuze & e200v2’s. If there is, that’s the best and simplest one to use.
The other way is to have Windows do it for you:
- Connect in MSC mode.
- Right-click on your player in Windows Explorer.
- Select Format… from the context menu.
- Make sure it set for file system FAT32 (should be on by default, but check anyway).
- Do Not select the “Quick Format” option.
- Click the Start button.
- Verify that this is what you want to do and click OK.
Formatting will only delete/erase contenet put on by you, the user. It will not erase the firmware or any needed operating files, so it is safe. You will have to re-laod all of your music, etc. though, which can be a PITA. Thankfully you only have a 2GB Clip so it shouldn’t take long. 
