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FAT32 and low-level flash drive formatting. How to Low-Level Format a SATA or ATA (IDE) Hard Drive

HDD Low Level Format Tool - this program allows you to perform low-level formatting of hard drives. Thanks to this, the partition table and data from the boot sector are completely cleared, and each byte is filled with zero sectors, bringing the hard drive to its factory state. Therefore, after formatting, it will be impossible to restore any information.

Such formatting, for example, will help revive damaged disks or restore the boot sector (MBR) if it is infected with a virus.

Attention: It is impossible to recover data from a hard drive after such formatting!


In addition, the HDD Low Level Format Tool allows you to perform such actions as checking the hard drive for bad sectors, and will also help hide bad sectors of the hard drive, thereby extending its service life. The program interface is simple and clear; it displays all the necessary information about the characteristics of the disk - model, size, etc.).

How to format a flash drive if it cannot be formatted

The program is almost universal, as it allows the user to work with hard drives from almost all modern manufacturers and with different connection interfaces. In addition, the program works with flash drives and USB drives.

The HDD Low Level Format Tool can be downloaded for free and is fully available to the general public. In this version, it has a small drawback - a significant limitation on the formatting speed - only 50 Mbit/s. This limitation can be critical, especially when formatting large hard drives, since you will have to spend a significant amount of time waiting.

Let's summarize the main functions of the HDD Low Level Format Tool:

  1. Works with hard drives from well-known popular manufacturers.
  2. Supports hard drives with different types of interfaces and allows you to check your hard drive for bad sectors.
  3. Acts as a program for formatting flash drives.

Good day!

In some cases, you have to perform low-level formatting of the hard drive (for example, to “heal” bad sectors of the HDD, or to completely delete all information from the drive, for example, you are selling a computer and do not want anyone to dig into your data).

Sometimes, such a procedure works “miracles” and helps bring a disk (or, for example, a flash drive, etc.) back to life. In this article I want to look at some issues that every user who has had to deal with a similar issue faces. So…

1) What utility is needed for low-level HDD formatting?

Despite the fact that there are quite a lot of utilities of this kind, including specialized utilities from the disk manufacturer, I recommend using one of the best of its kind - .

HDD LLF Low Level Format Tool

Main program window

This program easily and simply performs low-level formatting of HDD drives and Flash cards. What’s captivating is that even completely novice users can use it. The program is paid, but there is also a free version with limited functionality: maximum operating speed is 50 MB/s.

Note: For example, for one of my “test” hard drives of 500 GB, it took about 2 hours to carry out low-level formatting (this is in the free version of the program). Moreover, the speed sometimes dropped significantly less than 50 MB/s.

Main features:

  • supports work with SATA, IDE, SCSI, USB, Firewire interfaces;
  • Supports drives from: Hitachi, Seagate, Maxtor, Samsung, Western Digital, etc.
  • supports formatting Flash cards when using a card reader.

When formatting, the data on the drive will be completely destroyed! The utility supports working with drives connected via USB and Firewire (i.e., you can format and bring back to life even ordinary USB flash drives).

Low-level formatting will delete the MBR and partition table (no program will help you recover data, be careful!).

2) When to perform low-level formatting, what will help

Most often, such formatting is carried out for the following reasons:

  1. The most common reason is to get rid of and treat the disk from bad blocks (bad and unreadable), which significantly impair the performance of the hard drive. Low-level formatting allows you to “instruct” the hard drive so that it can discard bad sectors (bad blocks), replacing their work with backup ones. This significantly improves the performance of the disk (SATA, IDE) and increases the life of such a device.
  2. When they want to get rid of viruses, malware that cannot be removed by other methods (such, unfortunately, do occur);
  3. When they sell a computer (laptop) and don’t want the new owner to rummage through their data;
  4. In some cases, this needs to be done when you “transfer” from a Linux system to Windows;
  5. When a flash drive (for example) is not visible in any other program, and it is impossible to write files to it (and indeed, format it using Windows);
  6. When a new drive is connected, etc.

3) An example of low-level formatting of a flash drive under Windows

A few important notes:

  1. The hard drive is formatted in the same way as the flash drive shown in the example.
  2. By the way, the flash drive is the most common one, made in China. Reason for formatting: it is no longer recognized and displayed on my computer. However, the HDD LLF Low Level Format Tool saw it and decided to try to save it.
  3. Low-level formatting can be done both under Windows and Dos. Many novice users make one mistake, its essence is simple: you cannot format the disk from which you booted! Those. if you have one hard drive and Windows is installed on it (like most) - then to start formatting this disk, you need to boot from another medium, for example from (or a computer and format from it).

Now let's move on directly to the process itself. I will assume that you have already downloaded and installed the HDD LLF Low Level Format Tool utility.

1. When you launch the utility, you will see a window with a welcome message and the price of the program. The free version is distinguished by its speed, so if you do not have a very large disk and there are not very many of them, then the free version is quite enough for the work - just click the “Continue for free” button.

First launch of HDD LLF Low Level Format Tool

2. Next you will see in the list all the drives connected and found by the utility. Please note that there will no longer be the usual “C:\” drives, etc. Here you need to focus on the device model and drive size.

For further formatting, select the desired device from the list and click the “Continue” button (as in the screenshot below).

Selecting a drive

3. Next, a window with information about the drives should appear in front of you. Here you can find out the S.M.A.R.T. readings, find out more detailed information about the device (Device details), and perform formatting - LOW-LEVE FORMAT tab. That's what we choose.

To start formatting, click the Format This Device button.

Note. If you check the box next to Perform quick wipe, “normal” formatting will be performed instead of low-level formatting.

Low-Level Format (format the device).

4. Then a standard warning will appear stating that all data will be deleted, check the drive again, perhaps the necessary data remains on it. If all backup copies of documents from it have been made, you can safely proceed...

5. The formatting process itself should begin. At this time, you cannot remove the flash drive (or disconnect the disk), write to it (or rather, try to write), and generally do not run any resource-intensive applications on the computer; it is better to leave it alone until the operation is completed. When it is completed, the green bar will reach the end and turn yellow. After this, you can close the utility.

By the way, the operation time depends on your version of the utility (paid / free), as well as on the condition of the drive itself. If there are a lot of errors on the disk, sectors are not readable, then the formatting speed will be low and you will have to wait quite a long time...

Formatting process...

Formatting complete

By the way, the easiest way to do high-level formatting is to simply go to “my computer” and right-click on the desired disk (if it is visible, of course). In particular, my flash drive became visible after the “operation” was performed...

Next, all you have to do is select the file system ( for example NTFS, since it supports files larger than 4 GB), write the disk name ( volume label: Flash drive, see screenshot below) and start formatting.

After the operation has been completed, you can start using the drive as usual, so to speak, “from scratch”...

That's all for me, Good Luck :)

Good day everyone!

You can argue, but flash drives have become one of the most (if not the most) popular storage media. It is not surprising that there are quite a lot of questions regarding them: especially important among them are the issues of recovery, formatting and testing.

In this article I will present the best (in my opinion) utilities for working with drives - that is, those tools that I have used myself many times. The information in the article will be updated and expanded from time to time.

The best programs for working with a flash drive

Important! First of all, if you have problems with a flash drive, I recommend visiting the official website of its manufacturer. The fact is that the official website may have specialized utilities for data recovery (and not only!), which will cope with the task much better.

For testing

Let's start with testing drives. Let's look at programs that will help determine some of the parameters of a USB drive.

H2testw

A very useful utility for determining the actual volume of any media. In addition to the storage capacity, it can test the actual speed of its operation (which some manufacturers like to overestimate for marketing purposes).

Check Flash

A free utility that can quickly check your flash drive for functionality, measure its real read and write speed, and completely delete all information from it (so that no utility can recover a single file from it!).

In addition, it is possible to edit information about partitions (if they are on it), make a backup copy and reanimate the image of an entire media partition!

The speed of the utility is quite high and it is unlikely that at least one competing program will do this job faster!

HD Speed

This is a very simple, but very convenient program for testing flash drives for read/write speed (information transfer). In addition to USB drives, the utility supports hard drives and optical drives.

The program does not require installation. Information is presented in a clear graphical representation. Supports Russian language. Works in all versions of Windows: XP, 7, 8, 10.

CrystalDiskMark

One of the best utilities for testing information transfer speed. Supports various media: HDD (hard drives), SSD (newfangled solid state drives), USB flash drives, memory cards, etc.

The program supports the Russian language, although running a test in it is as easy as shelling pears - just select a carrier and press the start button (you can figure it out without knowledge of the great and mighty).

An example of the results can be seen in the screenshot above.

Flash Memory Toolkit

Flash Memory Toolkit - this program is a whole set of utilities for servicing flash drives.

Full set of functions:

  • a detailed list of properties and information about the drive and USB devices;
  • test to find errors when reading and writing information to the media;
  • quick data clearing from the drive;
  • search and recovery of information;
  • backup of all files to media and the ability to restore from a backup copy;
  • low-level testing of information transfer speed;
  • measuring performance when working with small/large files.

FC-Test

A benchmark for measuring the real read/write speed of hard drives, flash drives, memory cards, CD/DVD devices, etc. Its main feature and difference from all utilities of this kind is that it uses real data samples to work.

Of the minuses: the utility has not been updated for quite some time (problems with newfangled media types are possible).

Flashnul

This utility allows you to diagnose and test USB Flash drives. By the way, during this operation, errors and bugs will be corrected. Supported media: US and Flash drives, SD, MMC, MS, XD, MD, CompactFlash, etc.

List of operations performed:

  • reading test - an operation will be carried out to determine the availability of each sector on the media;
  • recording test - similar to the first function;
  • information integrity test - the utility checks the integrity of all data on the media;
  • saving a media image - saving everything that is on the media into a separate image file;
  • Loading the image into the device is similar to the previous operation.

For formatting

HDD Low Level Format Tool

A program that has only one task - to format the media (by the way, HDD hard drives, SSDs, and USB flash drives are supported).

Despite such a “meager” set of capabilities, it is not for nothing that this utility is in first place in this article. The fact is that it allows you to “bring back” to life even those media that are no longer visible in any other program. If this utility sees your drive, try low-level formatting it (attention! all data will be deleted!) - there is a good chance that after this format, your flash drive will work as before: without failures and errors.

USB Disk Storage Format Tool

A program for formatting and creating bootable flash drives. Supported file systems: FAT, FAT32, NTFS. The utility does not require installation, supports USB 2.0 port (USB 3.0 is not visible. Note: this port is marked in blue).

Its main difference from the standard tool in Windows for formatting drives is the ability to “see” even those media that are not visible by standard OS tools. Otherwise, the program is quite simple and concise, I recommend using it to format all “problem” flash drives.

Format USB Or Flash Drive Software

The utility will help in cases where the standard formatting program in Windows refuses to “see” the media (or, for example, will generate errors during operation). Format USB Or Flash Drive Software can format media into the following file systems: NTFS, FAT32 and exFAT. There is a quick formatting option.

I would also like to note the simple interface: it is designed in a minimalist style, it’s easy to understand (the screenshot is shown above). In general, I recommend it!

SD Formatter

A simple utility for formatting various flash cards: SD/SDHC/SDXC.

The main difference from the standard program built into Windows is that this utility formats the media according to the type of flash card: SD/SDHC/SDXC. It is also worth noting the presence of the Russian language, a simple and understandable interface (the main program window is shown in the screenshot above).

Aomei Partition Assistant

Aomei Partition Assistant is a large free (for home use) “combine” that provides a huge number of functions and capabilities for working with hard drives and USB media.

The program supports the Russian language (but is still set to English by default), works in all popular Windows operating systems: XP, 7, 8, 10. The program, by the way, works according to its own unique algorithms (at least according to the developers of this software ), which allows it to “see” even “very problematic” media, be it a flash drive or HDD.

In general, a whole article would not be enough to describe all its properties! I recommend you try it, especially since Aomei Partition Assistant will save you not only from problems with USB drives, but also with other media.

Recovery programs

Important! If the programs presented below are not enough, I recommend that you familiarize yourself with a large collection of programs for recovering information from various types of media (hard drives, flash drives, memory cards, etc.): .

If, when connecting the drive, it reports an error and asks you to format it, do not do it (it is possible that after this operation, it will be much more difficult to return the data)! In this case, I recommend reading this article:.

Recuva

One of the best free file recovery programs. Moreover, it supports not only USB drives, but also hard drives. Distinctive features: fast scanning of media, a fairly high degree of search for “remains” of files (i.e., the chances of returning a deleted file are quite high), a simple interface, a step-by-step recovery wizard (even complete “beginners” can handle it).

For those who will be scanning their flash drive for the first time, I recommend that you read the mini-instructions for recovering files in Recuva:

R Saver

Free* (for non-commercial use in the USSR) program for recovering information from hard drives, flash drives, memory cards and other media. The program supports all the most popular file systems: NTFS, FAT and exFAT.

The program sets the media scanning parameters independently (which is also another plus for beginners).

Program features:

  • recovery of accidentally deleted files;
  • the ability to reconstruct damaged file systems;
  • recovering files after formatting the media;
  • data recovery using signatures.

EasyRecovery

One of the best data recovery programs, supports a wide variety of media types. The program works in all versions of new Windows: 7, 8, 10 (32/64 bits), supports Russian language.

One cannot fail to note one of the most important advantages of the program - the high degree of detection of deleted files. Everything that can be “pulled out” from a disk or flash drive will be presented to you and offered to be restored.

Perhaps the only negative is that it is paid...

Important! You can find out how to return deleted files in this program in this article (see part 2):

R-STUDIO

One of the most popular programs for data recovery, both in our country and abroad. A large number of different media are supported: hard drives (HDD), solid-state drives (SSD), memory cards, flash drives, etc. The list of supported file systems is also amazing: NTFS, NTFS5, ReFS, FAT12/16/32, exFAT, etc.

The program will help in the following cases:

  • accidentally deleting a file from the trash (this happens sometimes...);
  • formatting the hard drive;
  • virus attack;
  • in the event of a computer power failure (especially important in Russia with its “reliable” power grids);
  • in case of errors on the hard drive, if there are a large number of bad sectors;
  • if the structure of the hard drive is damaged (or changed).

In general, a universal harvester for all kinds of cases. The only negative is that the program is paid.

Remark! Step-by-step data recovery in R-Studio:

Popular USB flash drive manufacturers

It is, of course, unrealistic to collect all manufacturers in one table. But all the most popular ones are definitely present here :). On the manufacturer’s website you can often find not only service utilities for resuscitating or formatting a USB drive, but also utilities that greatly facilitate the work: for example, programs for archival copying, assistants for preparing bootable media, etc.

Note! If I have left anyone out, I suggest using the tips from the instructions for restoring the functionality of a USB drive: . The article describes in some detail how and what to do to “return” the flash drive to working condition.

This concludes the report. Good work and good luck everyone!

It’s no secret that you can format a USB drive or hard drive using the tools built into Windows - just right-click on the corresponding drive and select “Format” in the context menu. But what can this system utility actually do, and what is it capable of? If a bad sector is detected on the disk, the format procedure will not show you any notification about this, leaving the cluster available for writing along with good areas.

So that you have maximum formatting options, we will tell you which alternative low level formatting program hard drive and USB devices currently available in the market is the best in its class and what features are built into it.

Important: before using any of these applications, copy all data from a flash drive or corresponding logical drive to a safe place, since when working with utilities, all information can be destroyed and irretrievably lost.

JetFlash Recovery Tool

A proprietary utility from Transcend. An excellent choice for owners of USB devices from this brand, as well as devices from ADATA. Using JetFlash Recovery Tool, you can not only format flash drives, but also recover data on them. It will be especially useful if your flash drive contains unreadable sectors, it takes a long time for the computer to detect it, or information cannot be written to it. The utility is incredibly easy to use, and even a child can master it. There are only two buttons available on the start screen: to start the recovery procedure and to exit.

The interface is absolutely intuitive and clear. The disadvantages include the lack of a Russian-language interface and support for USB drives of other brands. Not long ago, Transcend recently posted an alternative software product on its official website JetFlash Online Recovery, running on a cloud service. We recommend you try it too.

HP Drive Key Boot Utility

A convenient and functional program for cleaning a flash drive with bad sectors. Allows you to format flash drives from SanDisk, Transcend and Kingston. Three file systems are supported: FAT32, NTFS and FAT. It is worth noting that using the first of the file systems mentioned, it is possible to wipe a device larger than 32 GB, which, in fact, exceeds the FAT32 threshold. The main advantage of HP Drive Key Boot is its interface. All program options are concentrated in one window, and all operations can be performed without literally leaving it.

It is possible to create bootable flash drives based on the OS distribution using only the included tools. The application is portable, so you can use it on any PC without installation (simply by copying the folder with the executable file and libraries). The disadvantages of the utility include the lack of HDD/SSD support and the ability to correct system errors. In addition to this, on Windows Vista/7/8.1/10, the presented data formatting program is available to work only in compatibility mode. For modern operating systems, the development company has created an alternative product called HP USB Disk Storage Format Tool. All HP Drive Key Boot functionality has been successfully transferred here.

USB Disk Storage Format Tool

Official page USB Disk Storage Format Tool

A powerful, fully functional and free program for formatting flash drives from any manufacturer, as well as resuscitating them in case of broken clusters. There is support for all modern operating systems from Microsoft (Win 8/10). Using the program is incredibly convenient: insert a flash drive, select it in the list of devices at the top, indicate the desired file system and enter the drive label just below. What's especially convenient is that error correction and formatting functions are clearly separated. So, you can scan a USB device for bad or unreadable sectors and fix them by simply checking the corresponding additional options and clicking the Check Disk button. A separate button includes the process of clearing a USB drive from its contents without the possibility of recovery (quick and low-level formatting is available).

Another distinctive feature of the USB Disk Storage Format Tool is the maintenance of a detailed log of all operations, which will give you complete information about the actions performed by the utility. What’s especially impressive is that you can format any memory card (SD, Compact Flash, SDXC, SDHC, etc.) using the tools built into the application. Among the minor shortcomings are the inability to create bootable disks and the lack of Russian localization, but given the functionality built into the application, these disadvantages are practically leveled out.

HDD Low Level Format Tool

Official page HDD Low Level Format Tool

Basic program for low-level formatting of HDD/SSD and flash media. The design is very unpretentious and simple. To start the format procedure, you should choose what exactly you will work with: a flash drive or a hard drive. After this, by switching between tabs, you can perform a quick (deleting information about the drive in the corresponding partition and clearing the MBR record) or full formatting.

What distinguishes the application from all others is that the presented software solution has the option to obtain SMART, but this is only relevant for screws. By the way, you can work with HDD, SSD and other devices connected via any interface (FIREWIRE, IDE, SAS, SCSI, SATA). You can clear data not only on flash drives, but also on memory cards of any format from MemoryStick to MMC. There is support for the latest OS. In fact, the only limitation of the software product is the limited data processing speed (50 Mb/sec), but in essence, the advantages and functionality of the application more than cover this shortcoming.

MiniTool Partition Wizard Free is the best program for low-level formatting HDD/SSD, and more

Official page MiniTool Partition Wizard Free

Perhaps this is the most expanded and developed project, both in terms of functionality and usability. As for the available functions, their variety and number are simply beyond expectations. In addition to basic operations with individual HDD and flash partitions (full disk partitioning, checking for errors, setting a label, changing the letter of the name, converting from one file system to another), there are also unique capabilities unique to this product. This includes migrating the installed OS to another HDD/SSD, copying the contents of disks/individual partitions to another drive, a data recovery wizard, and a host of other functions. As in most commercial paid applications, all operations can be performed both through a graphical menu and using a visual panel, which contains the lion's share of functionality.

You can work with both single screws and RAID arrays. Among other programs for low-level formatting of a hard drive, MiniTool Partition Wizard stands out due to its high speed, high-quality design and active support from developers, thanks to which the utility runs without problems in . An excellent candidate for the must-have category, both for ordinary users and administrators.

In this collection, we tried to find out which program for low-level formatting of a hard drive, as well as removable USB drives, is the most relevant at the moment. All products presented are absolutely free and do not require the purchase of a license. We hope that, depending on your tasks, you will be able to choose the best product for you as an alternative to the software tools available in Windows by default.

One of the most popular storage devices nowadays is a flash drive. It is convenient because it can not only store the necessary information and transfer it to another computer, but also because this reliable device can be used repeatedly. But, like all other equipment, a USB flash drive can wear out, causing errors in reading and writing information. Low-level formatting will help restore the device.

First of all, low-level formatting is used when it is impossible to carry out the procedure by other known methods or in the case when the device is write-protected. Before using this method, be sure to make sure that other known methods will not help you solve problems with your drive.

What is low level formatting

This is the distribution of a flash drive into sectors for recording information. This process erases absolutely all files and leaves no way to restore them. In this regard, you should make sure that the deleted data is not very important to you.

Low-level formatting is also carried out if it is necessary to clean a flash drive from virus files or when it is necessary to delete secret information to prevent it from reaching third parties, as well as if it is necessary to restore the boot sector.

This procedure is performed using special formatting utilities. Some of the applications are only suitable for a certain brand of device, while the use of others is universal for all types of flash drives. The article will discuss the most easy-to-use utilities.

Method 1: HDDGURU HDD Low Level Format Tool

This utility is completely free to use and has all the necessary functionality for formatting. In addition to working with a flash drive, it can also perform a similar procedure with a computer hard drive. The free version has a storage capacity limitation, but the limit is high enough that most users should not have any difficulties.


Once the download is complete, the flash drive is formatted and you can use it again as before. However, it is worth considering that upon completion of the procedure, the flash drive may need to be further formatted using Windows functions.

Method 2: Low Level Formatter

This program specializes in working with Silicon brand flash drives, but its functionality also extends to devices from other manufacturers. After connecting the media, the application will automatically determine if it is supported. Working with the program is quite simple and takes just a few steps.


Method 3: D-Soft Flash Doctor

The advantage of this program is that it does not require additional computer resources to operate, and it is entirely in Russian. You don't have to install it, since the utility works in portable mode. Follow these steps:


Method 4: JetFlash Online Recovery

The program in question works with devices of the following brands: JetFlash, Transcend, A-Data. Its advantage is that it is completely portable, contains only a couple of buttons and puts minimal load on the PC due to interaction with the cloud.

To get started you only need to do two steps:


As you can see, this is a very easy to use utility and even a novice user can handle it.

Regardless of what software is used in the work, the information on the media will be deleted permanently. Because of this, it is extremely important to back up all existing data before formatting. Sometimes, after completing the procedure, the flash drive starts to work slower, in which case it will be enough to safely remove it and reinsert the device into the PC.