Formatting a portable hard drive. Ways to format external drives in fat32 format

Formatting is a popular procedure performed with hard drives and removable media, which allows you to completely overwrite the file system, but in the eyes of the user, this procedure looks like a complete disk cleanup. Below we will look at how formatting is performed. external hard disk.
External HDD- exactly the same HDD as the one installed in your computer, with one rather significant exception: external hard a disk is a pocket device connected, as a rule, using a USB cable, which differs from a conventional flash drive by a significantly higher disk space, available for storing any files.

Previously, on our site, articles have already been devoted to the choice hard drive, its connection and options for setting a password on it. Below, the question of how an external hard drive is formatted will be discussed in more detail.

Formatting an external hard drive

Method 1: using standard Windows tools

The simplest and effective method format an external hard drive that does not require you to install any additional tools. All that is required of you is to connect an external HDD to your computer, and then follow these simple steps.

1. open windows explorer under "This PC". All disks connected to the computer will be displayed on the screen. Find your external HDD among them, click on it right click mouse and in the displayed context menu select item "Format" .

2. The screen will display the formatting settings window, in which, as a rule, the settings should not be changed, but you should pay attention to the item "File system" . Make sure you have an item next to it "NTFS" , since this file system is best suited for working with external hard drives.

3. To make the disk formatting more thorough, you can uncheck the “Quick” item, but keep in mind that in this case, the formatting process can take quite a long time. Click the button to start formatting. "Begin" .

4. The system will notify that the format procedure will destroy all files on the disk. Therefore, if you have not yet transferred important documents or other files, be sure to click on the button "Cancel" . To continue formatting, press the button "OK" .

5. The system will start the formatting procedure, the duration of which will depend on the size of the hard drive, but, as a rule, you do not have to wait long. If the process is completed successfully, a corresponding notification will be displayed on the screen.

Method 2: Formatting with HDD Low Level Format Tool

As a rule, users turn to third-party tools for formatting an external HDD when standard means are powerless to complete the process.

HDD Low Level Format Tool is a popular shareware utility that will provide low-level formatting hard drives and USB drives from virtually any manufacturer. The utility is remarkable in that it allows you to completely destroy the previous information contained on the disk, and, unlike standard method, data recovery cannot be performed.

To use this utility, download it from the link at the end of the article, and then perform a simple installation on your computer. At the first start, you will need to select the disk with which the further work and then click on the button "Continue" .

Go to tab "Low Level Format" and then click on the button Format This Device .

Again, the utility will warn you that formatting will permanently delete all files previously written to the disk. Agree with the offer to continue the procedure.

Formatting with this utility will take much longer than standard way described above. However, such a utility allows you to reduce the likelihood of errors during the formatting process, and also closes to zero the possibility of recovering files previously contained on the disk (which is especially important when selling an external hard drive).

Actually, one of the two proposed methods will help you easily format an external hard drive. In favor of which decision to give a choice - it's up to you to decide.

Installing operating system, as well as when changing files, redistributing space between partitions, it is necessary to clear the hard disk. This is a fairly common operation performed by PC users. If you have not done anything like this yet, then let's deal with the theoretical part of the question.

Formatting process, what is it?

The marking of information storage areas, in which some of it is deleted, is called formatting. It creates a system for accessing stored information and is performed to:

• change one file system to another;
• deleting files from disk space.

On this moment exists a large number of various file systems. They are used on a variety of equipment, including not only computers, but also mobile devices. To work in the latest Windows versions the NTFS file system is used.

How to format a hard drive: detailed video instruction

Why delete files from disk?

Formatting is done to remove files from the hard disk, as well as to change one file system to another.

Why clean the disk

In most cases, they resort to it:

• before installing a new OS;
• to create an installation Windows image, for example, on a flash drive;
• due to the need to clean the disk from files, in case they are not needed.

Windows utilities for deleting files

Despite the large number of programs for working with a disk, Windows has its own set of utilities.

Consider the process of formatting disks using Windows:

1. select the disk to be cleaned;
2. press the right mouse button;
3. select Format;
4. in the window that appears, select the file system, cluster size, and formatting method;
5. as a file system, it is recommended to set NTFS, and leave the cluster size by default - 4096;
6. after setting the required parameters, click Start.

Windows also includes a more complete service for working with the hard drive.

To open this menu, do the following:

1. right-click on My Computer;
2. select Manage;
3. open Disk Management;
4. V this menu the user can perform various operations on the hard disk.

Run this operation possible with the help command line:

• press the key combination Win + R;
• enter cmd and press Enter;
• on the command line write format command y:, where y is your drive letter, maybe c or d, for example;
• the system will ask you to confirm the operation by pressing the Y key;
• after confirmation, the system will start the cleaning process;
• this message will appear when finished.

If you need to format a disk partition from the BIOS, you will have to tinker a little. Unfortunately, the BIOS does not have tools for this purpose, therefore, third-party software should be used to perform these operations.

One of the most common is Acronis Disk Director. To work with it, you need to create bootable media in the operating system with the files of this program. But before starting to create bootable media It is worth considering another option - formatting with Windows Installer. This solution is a simpler option compared to Acronis Disk Director.

For this method you only need a disk or flash drive with a recorded installation package Windows operating system, and you must also perform the following steps:

Attention! Drive partition letters may not match. To more accurately determine the required disk, use the wmic logicaldisk get deviceid, volumename, size, description command.

To create a bootable flash drive you will need:

Action algorithm:

1. insert a flash drive;
2. install and open the program;
3. in the application, open the Tools section and select Acronis Bootable Media Builder;
4. click "Next";
5. select the type of Windows PE bootable media;
6. in the next menu should be noted necessary components for writing to a flash drive;
7. after selection, you must select the media to which the recording will be made, and click Next. The flash drive should be formatted in FAT 32 format using the Windows utility;
8. you can also create an image for later burning to a flash device or disc using Ultra ISO.

To download a flash drive you need:

How to format an external file drive to NTFS

The most convenient formatting method is to perform all actions using standard OS utilities. Such a decision does not additional installations software and creating boot disks.

If you do not have an OS installed, then in this case you should use special programs, such as Acronis.

To execute as ntfs:

Utilities

In addition to the standard Windows, there are various utilities used for the same purpose. Among the most common options are the following:

What is the best program in ntfs to format drives?

Each program has its own characteristics, but the main direction for all utilities remains the same - working with disks, including creating partitions, forming into other file systems, etc. Therefore, their choice is a purely personal matter for each user.

Problems and solutions

• format command - cannot be used for system disk if she is in his environment;
• if the OS is on another partition of the hard drive, it cannot be deleted;
• antivirus settings may block access to different sections of the hard drive;
• different applications and viruses can block access.

If you have removed the above factors, but you still cannot start the process, you will have to resort to special programs. The most popular tool is HDDscan, which is easy to install and free of charge.

Action algorithm:

• download the utility;
• open and install;
• run as administrator;
• click on the icon in the form of a sphere located in the center of the interface;
• select Surface tests;
• check the box next to Erase;
• go to the Add test tab;
• click on Scan;
• in the right, lower corner, write down these errors;
• set the EraseWAITs option to ON and select Scan again;
• repeat until the error is gone.

You can also use Acronis Disk Director. If it is impossible to format a portable drive using this program, most likely it is partially out of order. And the whole procedure, sometimes it is possible to perform, only from bootable media, that is, not in the operating system.

How to force format a flash drive?

You can use the HP USB Disk Storage Format Tool to clean flash drives.

How do I format a write-protected drive? Simply, first open the command line and write the following commands in it:

1. diskpart;
2. list disk;
3. select disk Z. Z is the number of the flash drive, the execution of the previous command is shown;
4. attributes disk clear readonly;
5. clean;
6. create partition primary;
7. format fs=ntfs;
8. exit.

Windows includes utilities that:

• provide the necessary set of functions;
• have a fairly simple interface that will be easy for novice users to work with.

I suggest that before you start changing the file system, see which file system is currently in use on the USB storage device. To do this, go to " My computer"/ "Computer" / "This computer" (respectively in Windows XP, Windows7, Windows8) right-click on the flash drive / external hard drive and select " Properties". In the properties window, you will see the file system of the device.

Attention!!!

Formatting/changing the file systems - process, which deletes all files and folders on the storage device, so before proceeding with this process, you must transfer all data to another medium.

Formatting / changing the format of a USB flash drive or external hard drive using the Windows interface.

For this method, you need to insert a USB storage device into a computer / laptop open " My computer"/ "Computer" / "This computer" (respectively in Windows XP, Windows7, Windows8). Right-click on the device you want to format and select " Format".

In the format window, in the line File system choose the required file system (NTFS, FAT32, exFAT). The rest of the parameters can be left as default. Click " Begin".

A warning window will appear stating that all folders and files from the media will be deleted, click " OK".

After a few seconds, a window will appear about the successful formatting.

This is the procedure for changing the file system USB devices/ formatting can be considered finished.

Formatting / changing the format of a USB flash drive or external hard drive using the Windows command line.

For this method, you need to start the command line, to do this, click the " Start" or press the keyboard shortcut + and in the program search bar type cmd, click "Enter".

A command prompt will open. here we have to use the FORMAT command to USB formatting devices.

The syntax of the FORMAT command is:

FORMAT volume
FORMAT volume
FORMAT volume
FORMAT volume
FORMAT volume

volume Specifies the drive letter (followed by a colon), mount point, or volume name.
/FS:filesystem Specifies the file system type (FAT, FAT32, NTFS, or UDF).
/V:label Volume label.
/Q Quick formatting. Overrides the /P option.
/C NTFS only: Sets the default compression mode for all files created on a new volume.
/X Initiates a volume shutdown as the first action, if needed. All open handles to the volume will be invalid.
/R:revision UDF only: Formatting in the specified UDF version (1.00, 1.02, 1.50, 2.00, 2.01, 2.50). The default is revision 2.01.
/D UDF 2.50 only: Metadata will be duplicated.
/A:size Overrides the default cluster size. In general, it is recommended to use the default cluster sizes. NTFS supports sizes 512, 1024, 2048, 4096, 8192, 16K, 32K, 64K. FAT supports sizes 512, 1024, 2048, 4096, 8192, 16K, 32K, 64K, (128K, 256K for sector size > 512 bytes). FAT32 supports sizes 512, 1024, 2048, 4096, 8192, 16K, 32K, 64K, (128K, 256K for sector size > 512 bytes). exFAT supports sizes 512, 1024, 2048, 4096, 8192, 16KB, 32KB, 64KB, 128KB, 256KB, 512KB, 1MB, 2MB, 4MB, 8MB, 16MB, 32MB.
The FAT and FAT32 file systems impose the following limits on the number of volume clusters:
FAT: number of clusters<= 65 526
FAT32: 65526< число кластеров < 4 177 918
The FORMAT command will immediately abort if a violation of the above restrictions is detected using the specified cluster size.
NTFS compression is not supported for clusters larger than 4096.

/F:size Specifies the size of floppy disks to be formatted (1.44)
/T:tracks The number of tracks on each side of the disc.
/N:sectors The number of sectors in each track.
/P: times Zeros out each sector of the volume the specified number of times. This option has no effect with the /Q option
/S:state Where "state" can be "enable" or "disable"

Disk formatting is required for complete cleaning it from information, while many removable hard drives are formatted in NTFS or HFS + mode for Windows iOS, respectively. But in order for information to be read by other devices, except for PCs and laptops, formatting must be carried out in FAT32 format, and this procedure is the same for removable hard drives and small flash drives.

This system has its limitations - it does not support a device with more than 32 GB of memory, while each file cannot exceed 4 GB in size.

Drives up to 32 GB

If you intend to clear media up to 32 GB, you can do this standard means Windows. One has only to first save all the necessary information on the PC and start cleaning:

After the process is completed, you can rewrite information to the media.

Ways to format large drives

There are several ways to format large hard drives: both system Windows and using third-party utilities. In addition, the cleaning process is different for different operating systems.

fat32format program

The fat32format program is free and available for download from its developer's official website: http://www.ridgecrop.demon.co.uk/index.htm?guiformat.htm. Moreover, it does not need to be installed, just download it, connect the device to a PC and run the utility.

In the window that opens, select the required section and press the " start". The formatting process will start automatically. This method is suitable for media volumes 500 GB or terabyte, but the maximum size of an individual file must not exceed 4 GB.

SwissKnife program

This program is used to format large disks up to 400 GB. You can download it at https://swissknife.ru.uptodown.com/windows. After installation you should:

Sometimes the system does not immediately update, then you need to disconnect and reconnect the media to the PC.

Through the command line

You can also clear the media using the command line. For this:

1. Click Enter and confirm the action by pressing the Y button.

In this way, you can clean both internal and external drives connected via the USB port.

Formatting on macOS

The Mac OS operating system is significantly different from Windows, and the formatting procedure will look a little different:

Before formatting, be sure to save the necessary information. And after cleaning, check the operation of the disk - write and try to read the data on the required device.

In this tutorial, I want to talk about several ways to format an external hard drive to FAT32 on Windows 10. The whole point is that Microsoft developers simply removed this file system from the list available in the standard formatting procedure that can be launched from Explorer, counting completely outdated in every way. Meanwhile, it is FAT32 that is most convenient if you connect your external drive to a smartphone, tablet or other gadget to copy photos, videos, or backup important information.

I will show you all three methods that will help you quickly and easily format a removable disk to FAT32 on Windows 10. Let's go!!!

Windows Disk Management

To work with disks connected to the system, the Windows 10 operating system has a special disk manager that can do almost everything the user needs! To open it, press the key combination Win + R, in the window that appears, enter the command diskmgmt.msc and click the "OK" button.

After that, the Disk Management window should appear. It will list all the physical and logical media that Windows sees. We find the connected external hard drive there. In my case, this is drive J.

Be careful! Make no mistake when choosing a disc! It is necessary to check it by letter and by volume! Otherwise, if you make a mistake, delete the data from another medium!

Here it is necessary to select the FAT32 item in the "File system" list in order to format the external drive in such a file system. Click on the "OK" button and wait for the process to complete.

Formatting via command line

In any version of the Windows operating system, you can always format an external hard drive to FAT32 through the command line. To do this, first launch a command prompt. To do this, press the key combination Win + R, enter the command cmd and click on the "OK" button. A black console window should appear in response. The command to format a disk looks like this:

Format<буква_диска_носителя>: /FS:FAT32

Here you also need to correctly specify the letter of the desired drive. After entering the command, press the Enter button. In my case it looks like this:

It remains only to wait for the process to complete. Its duration depends on the volume of the external disk - the larger it is, the longer the process!

Program + to format the hard drive

The third way to format removable media in FAT32 is to use a third-party disk formatter, of which you can find a large number on the Internet. I can recommend a simple free utility FAT32 format. Download it