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Easy hard drive formatting. Diskpart program. Formatting and creating a bootable USB flash drive or disk via the command line

Any hard drive, before at least one file appears on it, must be formatted, without this there is no way! In general, formatting a hard drive is done in many cases: not only at the very beginning, when it is new, but also commonplace when you need quickly all the files from the disk, when you want to change, etc.

In this article I would like to touch on several of the most commonly used methods of formatting a hard drive. First, a short introduction about what formatting is and which file systems are the most popular today.

A little theory

At all formatting means the process of partitioning a hard drive, during which a certain file system (table) is created. Using this logical table, in the future, all information with which it will work will be written and read from the surface of the disk.

These tables can be different, which is completely logical, because information can be organized in completely different ways. What kind of table you have will depend on file system.

When formatting the disk, you will have to specify the file system (required). Today, the most popular file systems are FAT 32 and NTFS. They each have their own characteristics. For the user, perhaps the main thing is that FAT 32 does not support files larger than 4 GB. For modern films and games - this is not enough, if you install Windows 7, Vista, 8 - format the disk to NTFS.

Most frequently asked questions

1) Quick and full formatting... what's the difference?

With fast formatting, everything is extremely simple: the computer thinks that the disk is clean and creates a new table. Those. physically, the data has not gone anywhere, it’s just that those parts of the disk on which they were written are no longer perceived by the system as occupied... By the way, this is what many software programs are based on.

When fully formatting, hard disk sectors are checked for bad blocks. Such formatting can take a long time, especially if the hard drive is not small. Data is not physically deleted from the hard drive either.

2) Is frequent formatting harmful for the HDD?

No, it's not harmful. With the same success, sabotage can be said about writing and reading files.

3) How can I physically delete files from my hard drive?

It’s trivial to write down other information. There is also special software that deletes all information so that it cannot be restored by any utilities.

Formatting HDD in PartitionMagic

PartitionMagic is an excellent program for working with disks and partitions. It will be able to cope even with those tasks that many other utilities cannot cope with. For example, maybe without formatting and data loss!

The program is very easy to use. After it boots, simply select the drive you need, click on it and select Format. Next, the program will ask you to specify the file system, disk name, volume label, in general, nothing complicated. Even if some terms are not familiar, you can leave them by default, selecting only the required file system - NTFS.

Formatting a hard drive using Windows

In the WIndows operating system, a hard drive can be formatted in three ways, at least they are the most common.

Via "my computer"

This is the easiest and most famous way. First, go to “my computer”. Next, right-click on the desired partition of your hard drive or flash drive or any other device and select “format”.

Via Disk Control Panel

Let's show the example of Windows 7, 8. Go to the “control panel” and enter the word “disk” in the search menu (on the right, top line). We look for the “Administration” heading and select the “Create and format hard disk partitions” item.

Using the command line

To begin with, logically, launch this command line. The easiest way to do this is through the start menu. For users of Windows 8 (with “tricky startup”) we will show it with an example.

Partitioning and formatting a disk when installing Windows

When installing Windows OS, it is very convenient to immediately “split” the hard drive into partitions, immediately formatting them along the way. In addition, for example, the system partition of the disk on which you have installed the system differently and cannot be formatted only using boot disks and flash drives.

Useful installation materials:

An article about how you can burn a boot disk with Windows.

This article describes how you can burn an image to a flash drive, including the installation one.

The article will help you set Bios to boot from a CD or flash drive. In general, change the boot priority.

In general, when installing Windows, when you get to the disk partitioning step, you will have the following picture:

Installation of OS Windows.

Instead of “next”, click on “disk setup”. Next, you will see buttons for editing the HDD. You can split the disk into 2-3 partitions, format them into the desired file system, and then select the partition in which to install Windows.

Afterword

Despite the many formatting methods, do not forget that there may be valuable information on the disk. It is much easier before any “serious procedures with HDD” to do everything on other media. Often, many users only later, having come to their senses after a day or two, begin to scold themselves for their careless and hasty actions...

In any case, until you have written new data to the disk, in most cases, and the sooner you start the recovery procedure, the higher the chance of success.

Formatting a hard drive is the process of creating a logical layout of a data storage area located on a magnetic medium and necessary for further filling with information and working with it. Typically, formatting is carried out before starting to work with the HDD, to completely destroy information or to eliminate damage caused by a virus.

Types of hard drive formatting

Low-level formatting is the layout of the HDD at the physical level, which usually remains unchanged throughout the life of the media. It is carried out at the manufacturer's factory and cannot be done at home. Programs that claim to allow low-level formatting are usually, at best, only able to overwrite control information.

Partitioning is necessary to create a layout into logical drives, which will allow you to store information in a more organized way. For example, the only hard drive of a laptop can be divided into two disks, one of which can be used for the operating system, the other for storing files. This will allow you to reinstall the OS without erasing information stored on the non-system partition. Partitioning non-system disks can be done from under Windows.

High-level formatting is divided into full and quick. Fast only involves clearing file system tables, which are kind of directories for storing files. Full formatting (verification), in addition to destroying information in tables, also includes searching for broken blocks and replacing them with working ones. There are several formatting options.

Formatting the HDD during Windows installation

In order to begin installing the operating system, you should set the settings in the BIOS so that the first device from which the computer starts booting is the installation disk. To enter the BIOS, you must restart the operating system and press the Delete key several times after the computer starts up again.

In the window that appears, go to the Boot section and specify there, as the device from which the computer will first boot, the disk drive where you insert the installation disk.

After setting the necessary boot parameters, insert the installation disk into the drive, save the changes to the BIOS and restart the computer. Typically the F10 key is used for this. If you have done everything correctly, the operating system installation and recovery window will appear in front of you.

Press Enter to begin installation, click Windows. After this, the text of the license agreement will appear in front of you, press F8 to continue further work.

After this, you will need to delete all the partitions into which the hard drive was divided in order to create a single partition on the HDD with an unallocated area. To do this, select each of the available sections one by one and press the L key.

After you delete all the partitions on your hard drive, only the single inscription “Unallocated area” will remain in the list.

Press Enter and you will be presented with options for file systems into which you can format the hard drive. Select Format partition in NTFS system.

After a few minutes, formatting the hard drive will be completed. This method is good primarily because it allows you to format the system disk, while programs running under Windows do not allow you to do this. If you are going to format a HDD where there is not a running operating system, but some files, then it will be much more convenient to use another method.

Formatting a hard drive using the built-in Windows program

Open "My Computer" and right-click on the required drive and select "Format" from the pop-up menu.

In the window that appears, you can specify the necessary formatting parameters. Quick formatting takes much less time compared to full formatting, but occurs without completely erasing information, which allows, if necessary, to restore some of the information using special programs.

After you set the necessary parameters and click Start, a window will appear warning you that all data on the disk will be destroyed. Click the OK button and wait for the formatting completion message.

Using the command line to format the HDD

One of the simplest ways to format a hard drive is to use a special command on the command line. Click Start -> Run or press the Win+R key combination. A small window will appear in front of you, where you should enter the name of the cmd program and press Enter.

In the black window that appears, type the command format and the drive letter followed by a colon, for example, format d:, and press Enter. A question will appear with the warning “Attention, all data on the fixed drive d: will be destroyed!” and the question “Start formatting?” Press Y and Enter to continue. The formatting will begin.

Formatting using the built-in Disk Management program

The Windows operating system has a special built-in program that allows you to perform various operations with disks and their partitions. The program is located at Control Panel -> Administrative Tools -> Computer Management -> Disk Management.

Right-click on the required drive and select Format. In the window that appears, you can specify the formatting method (quick or full) and file system type.

Using the Partition magic utility to format the HDD

One of the most convenient and functional programs for working with disks and logical partitions is the Partition magic utility. The program can be used even if the built-in Windows software fails to cope with the task.

In order to format a disk using Partition magic, you need to create a boot disk, insert it into the drive and after restarting the computer, working in the program itself, perform all the necessary operations - formatting, as well as deleting or creating a new partition.

Formatting a hard drive is the process of creating a file system on its partition, accompanied by deleting data and creating a new file system structure. Functionality for formatting hard drives and solid-state drives is contained in almost all modern operating systems, but the standard mechanism is not always optimal and applicable. This material will tell you in more detail how to format a hard drive in several ways.

It is very easy to format a HDD using standard tools. To do this, you need to select the desired partition in Explorer, right-click and select “Format” from the pop-up menu.

In the menu that opens, select formatting options. It is recommended to use NTFS as the file system, and leave the cluster size as standard. Checking the box next to “Quick formatting” significantly speeds up the process, but only the FS table is created anew. The data itself physically remains on the disk, although it becomes inaccessible. If you do not check the box, all data will be physically erased (filling each memory cell with zeros), but the process will take a long time. A hard drive with a capacity of several terabytes will take hours to format. But such formatting allows you to permanently destroy data, for example, when transferring the drive to a new owner.

An alternative way to format the HDD using standard means is through the “Control Panel”. To do this, you need to find the “Administration” menu, select “Computer Management” in it and find “Disk Management” in the left column. The menu that opens will display all drives in the form of a structure. The advantage of this method is that this way you can format disks that do not have a partition and therefore are not displayed in Explorer.

How to format a hard drive via the command line

To format a disk via the command line, there is a utility command called format. To use it, you need to run the command line as an administrator and enter the format command. It should look like this:

format [drive letter]:- formatting will take place without any questions, into the same FS that is on the disk, in a slow way (with complete erasing).

format [drive letter]: /q — the “/q” flag triggers a quick format, without physically clearing the contents of its memory. The flag can be placed in combination with any other keys.

format [drive letter]: fs:[file system]— formatting the selected partition into one of the supported file systems: NTFS, FAT, FAT32.

format [drive letter]: fs:[file system] /q- the same thing, but with quick formatting.

How to format your hard drive before installing Windows

To format your hard drive before installing Windows, you need to select a full installation, wait until the partition selection menu for installation appears, click on the desired drive and press the “Format” button at the bottom. The system will independently determine the optimal formatting method, file system type and cluster size. The whole process takes less than a minute.

Before you format your hard drive, installing Windows may require creating additional system partitions to load the OS. The screenshot below shows that such a partition takes up 100 MB. It stores part of the system bootloader.

The disadvantage of formatting this way is that you can't manually manipulate the parameters. Ordinary users do not need this, but sometimes they need FAT32 instead of the standard NTFS system. For example, such a need arises on tablets with Intel processors and two installed operating systems (Windows + Android), like the ten-inch Chuwi Hi10. In order for the Windows partition to be visible from Android, it must be formatted in a compatible file system. The “green robot” cannot work with NTFS without special plugins and third-party programs.

The correct answer to this question is “not at all.” The computer's BIOS is intended for slightly different purposes and does not have functionality for working with the HDD. Usually, “formatting from Bios” is popularly known as formatting via the command line in a text-based operating system (for example, MS-DOS). The advantage of this solution is that you can even work with a system partition that is not in use.

To format a hard drive using a boot disk with DOS, you need to create an image of such an OS, write it to a flash drive and copy the formatting utility there. Instead of DOS, you can also use a special program for working with HDDs, for example, GParted. This option is preferable as it is more functional.

To format a HDD from BIOS using a bootable USB flash drive, you need to download. This is an automatic installer that will download and write the latest version of Gparted to a flash drive.

After creating the flash drive, you need to restart the PC, go to Bios (usually by pressing DEl or F2) and find the Boot menu. In it you should select the item containing the words “Boot device priority” or something similar in meaning. Among them, you should put your flash drive first. Then you need to press F10, agree to save the settings and wait for loading from the flash drive.

In the loaded menu of the GParted program, you need to select the language, select the disk and find the item responsible for formatting. You can select the file system, cluster size, format type, and other options.

This article will discuss hard formatting in various systems. We will get acquainted with the concept of formatting, why is it even needed, and in what ways can this be achieved? Well, friends, let's get started. Let it be known to you that formatting a disk is a useful and necessary thing. Essentially, this is a process in which the hard drive is divided into logical drives for storing data. During such actions, information takes up a certain place on disk sectors. And after formatting, programs that request access to this or that information from the hard drive receive an exact answer about its location. This process is also actively used if it is necessary to change the file system to FAT32, NTFS, or exFAT. Advanced users know exactly how to properly format a hard drive, because this operation helps to reinstall an existing system, or install a completely new one, as well as destroy viruses that are deeply embedded in the hard drive. So, let's talk about the ways in which hard drives are formatted in the Windows operating system.

How to format a disk with Windows 7?

There are several methods used for formatting. Each of them has both advantages and disadvantages. Let's take a closer look at the main ones.

The easiest way to format a hard drive is using operating system tools. To apply this method, follow the following algorithm:

  • Open “Computer” located on the desktop;
  • On the disk that you plan to format, right-click and select “Format...”;
  • Next, a window opens, in which you should select the necessary parameters and click on the “Start” button. If you don’t know which parameters are best for you to set, then leave everything as it is, that is, by default.

There is another simple formatting method using administration. So, repeat everything in this sequence:

  • Open the “Control Panel” by first clicking “Start”;
  • Next, go to the “System and Security” item, select “Administration”;
  • Double-click to open “Computer Management”;
  • On the left side of the window that opens, find “Disk Management”;
  • Well, then, on the disk selected for formatting, right-click on “Format...”;
  • In the window that opens, with formatting settings, you can choose the parameters yourself, or you can leave them as default.
  • Next, click on the “Start” button.

How to format a hard drive via BIOS?

To format your hard drive using this method, you will need the help of third-party programs. Today there are many similar programs, but we will look at a program that is considered one of the best and which is very easy to work with, this program is called Acronis Disk Director.

Before you start formatting your hard drive using BIOS, you need to have a boot disk or flash drive with Acronis Disk Director.


How to format a hard drive via the command line?

So, let's get straight to action:

How to format it correctly?

Before we begin describing how to format an SSD, let's tell you a little about what an SSD is. This is a solid-state storage device that does not have mechanical elements, the operation of which is based on the functioning of microcircuits.

Now let's look at how such media is formatted if the SSD is an external drive:

  • First of all, click “Start” and go to the “All Programs” section, in which we select the “Accessories” folder, and then “Run”;
  • In this window, enter the command compmgmt.msc and click “OK”;
  • The “Computer Management” window will appear, on the left side select “Disk Management”, a pop-up window will appear asking you to identify the SSD disk;
  • Next, select MBR (Master Boot Record) and click “OK”;
  • Right-click on the capacity and select “Create a new volume”;
  • “Wizard Assistant” will appear, follow “Next”;
  • Leave the “Specify Volume Size” option unchanged (maximum) and click “Continue”;
  • Select the drive letter and click “Next”;
  • A window appears where in the line “Format partitions” we write the name of the disk and click “Next”.

How to format a disk with Windows 10?

There are several ways to format a hard drive running Windows 10. In principle, this procedure is similar to formatting with Windows 7 installed. Let's take a quick look at how to do this in version 10.

So, the easiest way is using “My Computer”:

  • Open “Computer” and right-click on “Format...”;
  • In the window that opens, select the necessary parameters or leave them by default and start the process by clicking on the “Start” button.

Let's look at the second method, using the Windows Disk Management tool:

  • Click “Start”, open “Control Panel”, go to “System and Security”, select “Administration”, and then “Computer Management”;
  • On the left side of the window we find “Disk Management”;
  • Right-click on the drive you want to format and select “Format...”;
  • Select options and start formatting.

Another way using the command line:

  • We follow this path: “Start”, select “All Programs”, open the “Accessories” folder, and, finally, “Run”;
  • In the line we write cmd and press “Enter”;
  • On the command line we write format and the letter of the drive that we will format, for example format e:

Well, you can also format the hard drive using BIOS, we talked about this above.

As you know, the “format c:” command, originally related to MS-DOS tools, is used quite often for computer systems with Windows on board. Let many not be confused by the fact that support for MS-DOS by Microsoft was completed a very long time ago, since the system’s built-in tool in the form of a command console works exactly according to its principles, and some actions without the command line are impossible to perform at all, as well as to gain access to the hidden features of Windows. Next, we will consider the main aspects related to formatting and its practical application, without going too much into the technical components of additionally used attributes.

What is the "format c:" command?

As is already clear, the command itself is intended specifically for formatting the hard drive, but in this particular case we are talking purely about the system partition in which the operating system is installed (by default, Windows is installed on the “C” drive, unless another location is specified, for example , when installing a second OS on a virtual partition).

I would immediately like to draw the attention of all users to the fact that this toolkit can only be used on the command line. For the “format c:” command itself, it is possible to use some additional attributes that allow you to activate certain options, depending on what action needs to be performed when formatting a system or logical partition.

Areas of application of the command

First, let's determine when this command may be needed, and then move on to its practical use.

For the most part, disk formatting is required when installing an operating system or reinstalling it after critical failures or virus exposure, when restoring functionality using Windows or removing virus threats is impossible.

The command can also be used when partitioning a hard drive into additional partitions using diskpart tools (however, in this case, it is not the “C” drive that is formatted, but the created logical partition). Actions with the system partition are performed only in the situations described above. Sometimes such measures even help restore the performance of the hard drive.

Some nuances associated with starting formatting

Somewhat distracting from the description of the “format c:” command, I would like to cheer up the readers. There is such a good joke when the support service receives a phone call:

Word doesn't work for me, what should I do?

Do you have Word on your C drive?

Write: “format c:” and press Enter.

Will it help?

And how! The most effective remedy!

But this is, of course, a joke. The fact is that in a loaded (working) system, no matter how hard you try, it is impossible to format the disk (system partition). Windows simply won’t allow you to do this (well, the system won’t give permission to self-destruct?).

Thus, the question of how to do “format c:” comes down to initially booting from removable media, then calling the console and using the command in its environment. Sometimes, however, you can encounter non-standard situations.

For example, a user has two Windows systems of different modifications installed. One is located on the “C” drive, the second is installed on the “D” drive. Formatting the “C” partition can be done by booting into the environment of the second system and calling the command console in it.

The same can be observed in the case when some kind of virtual machine with the tested “operating system” is installed on the computer, which is a complete resemblance of a real computer, but in a virtual form.

View all command line attributes

But let's return to the main command "format c:". The Command Prompt allows you to perform many operations using this feature. In order not to describe absolutely all the attributes used, any user can be advised to review them themselves.

Just open the command line and enter the command “format /?” in it. After completing it, a complete list of additional attributes will appear on the screen with a detailed description of each of them.

Practical formatting

Now about the practical use of the “format c:” command. Windows systems will not allow you to do this, so we assume that the boot is done from removable media (installation or recovery disk or flash drive).

Entering the command in its standard form will completely format the specified partition. If you set the additional attribute “/Q”, this will lead to Quick format. The average user is unlikely to perform setting cluster sizes or other specific actions, so for now we can limit ourselves to this simple example.

Formatting when creating new partitions

Creating new partitions and bootable media looks much more interesting. True, the “format c:” command is not used in this case, as such, but familiarity with the general use of the format command may be useful to many users:

When using the "diskpart" toolkit, it is sometimes necessary to create a primary partition and then activate the boot partition. At one of the stages, formatting needs to be done (you can even manually specify the preferred file system), for which an additional “FS” operator is introduced, after which, for example, the NTFS system type is indicated. If such a pointer is not used, formatting will be performed while maintaining the current system.

The use of such tools sometimes allows you to quickly change the disk format from unreadable (RAW) to regular. This is much faster than trying to change it using the same operating system tools.

When using the general command, if the /U attribute was not initially specified, it is possible to undo the formatting by issuing the UNFORMAT command, since the old file distribution table along with the root directory are preserved. However, such actions mostly relate to processes associated with removable media and logical partitions.

Finally

That's all briefly about the formatting command. A description of each attribute used was not specifically considered here, since most users find them unnecessary in practical use, and are mainly required by system administrators or specialists involved in repairing computer equipment (in particular, hard drives).

But even the general knowledge presented above will help any user understand why the described command is needed, how and where it is used. However, situations are different, so you should not neglect using formatting via the command line, especially since the general command is used even when manually creating bootable media using the operating system, which eliminates the use of third-party software.-