When installing the operating system, as well as when changing files, redistributing space between partitions, it is necessary to format the hard disk. This is a fairly common operation performed by PC users. If you have not done anything like this before, then let's deal with the theoretical part of the question.
Formatting process, what is it?
Layout of information storage areas, in which some of it is deleted, is called formatting. It creates a system for accessing stored information.
As a rule, it is performed for:
- changes from one file system to another;
- deleting files from the hard disk.
At the moment, there are many different file systems. They are used on various equipment, including not only computers, but also mobile devices... To work in the latter windows versions the file system is NTFS.
Video: How to Format a Hard Drive
Why format your hard drive?
Formatting is performed to remove files from the hard drive, as well as to change one file system to another.
In most cases, it is resorted to:
- before installing a new operating system;
- to create an installation windows image, for example, on a USB flash drive;
- for the reason, the need to clean the disk from files, if they are not needed.
Formatting with Windows tools
Despite the large number of various programs for working with hard disk the Windows operating system has its own set of utilities.
Consider the process of formatting disks using Windows:
- select the drive you want to format;
- press the right mouse button;
- select the Format item;
- in the window that appears, select the file system, cluster size, and formatting method;
- as the file system, it is recommended to set NTFS, and leave the cluster size by default - 4096;
- after setting the necessary parameters, click Start.
Windows also includes a more complete service for working with hard drives.
To open this menu, do the following:
- to push right click mouse on My Computer;
- select Management;
- open the Disk Management item;
- in this menu the user can perform various operations with the hard disk, including formatting.
Command line formatting
You can also perform this operation using the command line:
- press the key combination Win + R;
- enter cmd and press Enter;
- in the command line, write the command format y :, where y is the letter of your drive, maybe, for example, c or d;
- the system will ask you to confirm the operation by pressing the Y key;
- after confirmation, the system will start the formatting process;
- when finished, this message will appear
Formatting HDD in BIOS
If you need to format the partition from the BIOS hard disk, you have to tinker a little. Unfortunately, the BIOS does not have tools to format the hard drive, so you should use third party programs to perform these operations.
One of the most common is Acronis Disk Director. To work with it, you need to create a bootable media with the files of this program in the operating system. But before you start creating bootable media, it is worth considering another option - formatting using Windows Installer. This decision is a simpler option compared to Acronis Disk Director.
For this method, you only need a disk or flash drive with the recorded installation package of the operating system.
To format, follow these steps:
Attention! The drive letters may not match. For a more precise definition required disk use the command wmic logicaldisk get deviceid, volumename, size, description.
Creating a bootable USB flash drive Acronis Disk Director
To create a bootable flash drive you will need:
Algorithm of actions:
- insert a USB flash drive;
- install and open the program;
- in the application, open the Tools section and select Acronis Bootable Media Builder;
- click next;
- choose the type of boot windows media PE;
- in the next menu, you should mark the necessary components for writing to a USB flash drive;
- after selection, you must select the medium to which the recording will be made, and click Next. The USB flash drive should be formatted in FAT 32 format using the Windows utility;
- you can also create an image for later burning to a flash drive or disc using the Ultra ISO program.
Working with a bootable USB flash drive Acronis Disk Director
To download a USB flash drive you need:
How to format an external hard drive to NTFS
The most convenient formatting method is to perform all actions using standard operating system utilities. This solution does not involve installation additional programs and creating additional bootable disks.
If you do not have an operating system installed, then in this case you should use special programs such as Acronis.
Actions describing how to format hDD like ntfs:
Utilities
Besides standard program Windows has a variety of utilities used for the same purpose.
Of the most common options, the following can be noted:
What program in ntfs is better just format drives?
Each program has its own characteristics, but the main direction for all utilities remains one - working with disks, including creating partitions, forming into other file systems, etc. Therefore, the choice of a program is a purely personal question of each user, which depends on his preferences ...
Formatting problems and solutions
How to quickly format a disk without losing data?
Unfortunately this is not possible. All stored information will be deleted. Only part of the data can be restored.
Which drive is better: external or external?
Formatting external drives is performed in the same way as for a regular hard disk. When this process all information will be deleted, including windows, after execution the disk turns out like a new one without windows.
Unable to format hard disk
If you did everything according to the instructions, but did not achieve the result, do not sound the alarm. It doesn't always mean something bad.
- format command - cannot be used for the system disk if it is in its environment;
- if the operating system is located in a different partition of the hard drive, it cannot be deleted;
- settings antivirus software access to different sections of the hard drive may be closed;
- different applications and viruses can block access.
If you removed the above factors, but you still cannot format the hard drive, you will have to resort to special programs... The most popular tool is HDDscan, which is easy to install and free.
Algorithm of actions:
- download the utility;
- open and install;
- run as administrator;
- click on the sphere-shaped icon 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 lower right corner, write down the error data;
- set the EraseWAITs option to ON and select Scan again;
- repeat until the error clears up.
You can also use the Acronis Disk Director program. If it is impossible to format portable hard disk, using this program, most likely the hard disk is partially out of order. And the whole procedure can sometimes be performed only from bootable media, that is, not in the operating system.
How to force format a USB flash drive?
You can use the program to format flash drives HP USB Disk storage Format Tool
- provide the required set of functions;
- have a fairly simple interface that will be easy for novice users to work with.
Hello, friends! Why would you need to format your hard drive or partition? There are a lot of options, starting with what you need to make a new hard drive usable and ending with the next reinstallation of the operating system. With the formatting of the section, of course. In this article we will understand what formatting is, how to format a hard drive using built-in Windows tools and using the operating system installer.
While writing this article, I was fortunate enough to supplement my knowledge in this topic. For which you, readers, thank you.
Formatting hard disk is the process of marking up a storage area. It includes several stages:
- low-level formatting
- dividing an entire area into logical drives or partitions
- high-level formatting of the latter
Low-level formatting all modern hard drives carried out at the manufacturer's plant using special equipment. This process cannot be done at home or in service center... In low-level formatting, servo marks are applied to the surface of the disk, thanks to which the positioning of the read heads occurs. The new, just purchased hard drive is only low formatted.
Partitioning the hard drive... The first step is to create partitions on the new hard drive. They do this most likely when installing the operating system or if the hard drive is the second in the system, built-in windows tools... How to split hdd on Windows -.
High-level formatting... After the partition is created, it is formatted. This is high-level formatting. You decide on the file system (in most cases you can accept the default parameters. Hopefully Microsoft doesn't give bad advice :-) and format the required partition. A file table appears in this section and system information is recorded. In this case, the entire partition is divided into clusters of a given size. The default is 4KB. A cluster is the minimum amount of information that can be allocated for storing data. Those. if you have a file of 20 Bytes, then a whole cluster will still be allocated for it - 4,000 Bytes by default. Learn more about clusters.
There are two types of high-level formatting:
- swift
- complete
When quick format the file table is updated and that's it. At the same time, all files remain in their places. By updating the file table, the operating system sees the partition as empty and overwrites the old one. When full formatting section (how to do below) in addition to deleting the file table, the entire section is checked for professional suitability. (More about diagnostics hdd -) If an unreadable cluster is found during the check, it is marked as not working and the operating system will not write anything to it. This is done with software the hard drive itself.
It is due to the fact that when formatting, even complete, information is not deleted, you can try to restore it. How to recover data from a USB flash drive -.
Quick format is called because the process itself is fast. Clearing the table of contents only. Full formatting can take several hours depending on the size of the partition or volume.
Format the partition using Windows.
You can format the hard drive using Windows by opening Computer and selecting desired disk or section. Right-click on it and select Format ...
Click OK. Your section is formatted. Close the window with formatting options.
Formatting from the Disk Management snap-in
You can also format hard disk partitions from the Disk Management snap-in. To get there, you need to go to the Start menu, on the Computer item, right-click and select Management. In the window that opens in the left field in the Storage Devices section, select Disk Management.
Here it is convenient to see what drives are generally connected to your computer and how they are broken. To format, right-click on the desired section and select Format ...
Command line formatting
Hard disk partitions can just as well be formatted using the command line. Open the Start menu, write CMD in the search bar and run the found utility. Running the command line with Administrator rights is not required.
Write the command:
Replace f with your drive letter. Press Enter. Then press Enter again and formatting will go.
Caution! There is no warning about deleting all data here.
The default is full formatting... If you need a quick one, set the command:
If you need more information about the parameters of this command, type:
At the end of the formatting process, you will have the opportunity to set a volume label. If you don't need it, just press Enter. Upon completion, you will see approximately the following picture.
Formatting is complete. Close the command line.
Formatting the system partition
The information from point 2 is good, but it cannot be formatted this way system disk... A message is issued.
This Windows security system warns the user about incorrect actions. This will exclude random formatting... If our system is infected (In this section you will find everything for cleaning the computer from viruses, Trojans and other evil spirits), or it is somehow corrupted and the system restore does not help, then you need to format the system partition. To do this, it will be good to use the disk management tools built into the installer. Conveniently. You immediately format the partition and install the new operating system.
You can also format the system partition by connecting your hard drive to another computer. In this case, proceed as in the second paragraph.
Formatting the system disk when windows installation
This requires installation disk or a flash drive. How to make a disc, how to make bootable USB drive.
Then you need to install boot from disk or from a USB flash drive. You can read how to do this in the article about installing Windows 7 from a USB flash drive.
Boot from the prepared drive and do everything as if you want to install Windows. When you select the installation section, you click on the Disk settings link.
Additional links appear: Create Volume, Delete Volume, and Format Volume. Select your system disk and click format. The system partition of the hard disk will be quickly formatted. Then, if you do not need to install Windows, just close the Windows Installation window and the process will be interrupted.
Conclusion
In this article, we learned how to format a hard drive in Windows operating system and how you can format the system partition. As you can see, nothing complicated, everything is simple. If you have any questions, ask in the comments.
Video - how to format your hard drive in the Windows operating system and during its installation
Thank you for sharing the article on in social networks... Good luck to you!
Instructions
Related Videos
You can request help with the formatting command. To do this, in the command line, you need to type and run the command "format /?" Help with detailed description parameters will be displayed in the window.
Sources:
- how to format hard drive via command line
- How to format a hard drive in Windows?
Formatting your hard drive is a markup disk space... Formatting must be done in case of disk failures or, if necessary, to quickly clear the contents this disk... Sometimes it turns out that formatting a disk standard ways does not allow achieving the final result.
You will need
- Command line (cmd.exe).
Instructions
To start the formatting procedure of any you need to run the "Command" utility. It allows you to perform a large number of operations on your system. How to start "": click the "Start" menu - select "All Programs" ("Programs") - the "Accessories" section - the "Command Prompt" item.
After pressing "Enter" in the "command line" will appear new entry: "ATTENTION, ALL DATA ON THE NON-REMOVABLE DISK C: WILL BE DESTROYED! Proceed to format Y (yes) / N (no)?". When you click on "Y" (yes), the selected disk will occur, otherwise formatting will not happen.
After completing the entire formatting process, the system may give you an error number - this means that the formatting operation was not completely completed. Use this data to determine the cause of the event:
0 Formatting completed successfully;
1 Invalid parameters were specified;
Click the "Start" button to start the formatting procedure.
Related Videos
For complete removal operating system or a quick cleanup of one of partitions hard disc recommend using the formatting process. There are many ways to implement it.
You will need
- Partition Manager.
Instructions
Almost any utility allows you to format a hard disk partition or USB drive to Fat32 format. First, try to do this without resorting to the help of additional programs. Press the Win + E key combination to go to the My Computer menu.
Right click on the local drive that you want to format and select "Format". In the File System field, select the Fat32 option.
Specify the default cluster size and uncheck the "Quick (clear table of contents)" checkbox. Click the Get Started button. In the warning window that appears, click OK.
Unfortunately, it is not always possible to change the file system using this formatting option. If you encounter this problem, download the Paragon Partition Manager program.
Install the downloaded application and restart your computer. Start Partition Manager. Select Power User Mode. Click on the partition of the disk you want to format with the right mouse button. Select "Format Partition".
Select the file system, in this case Fat32, and set a label for of this volume... Click the "Format" button to start the process.
Unfortunately, the above methods may not be suitable for formatting the partition on which the operating system is installed. In such situations, it is recommended to use the installation windows disks or LiveCD.
Insert into dVD drive with operating system archives. Run the installer. If you are using a disk with Windows XP, then select the desired partition and press the F button in the next window to start the formatting process.
In case of Vista or Seven OS, click the "Disk Setup" button. Select the required section, click the "Delete" button. Now click the "Create" button and set the size and file system of the future local disk.
Related Videos
Formatting hard drives different models happens according to the same scenario. The sequence of actions depends only on the purpose for which the this procedure.
Instructions
Copy the files you need in the future, contained on the disk that you want to format, or make sure that you absolutely do not need them, since their recovery after formatting is unlikely.
If you want to format an Asus hard drive that is not installed in your computer as a system drive, then start the operating system. After Windows boots up, go to the "My Computer" menu.
Select the required hard drive from the connected devices. Right-click on it, select the "Format" menu item. A small program window will appear on your screen, in which you will need to select the operation parameters.
Select file system of hard disk. If the parameters allow, put NTFS, if not, then FAT 32. Here you can also be guided by your own preferences. Choose a formatting method, it is best to do it completely without cleaning the table of contents.
Specify the name of the hard disk in the "Volume label" line. Start the operation. Wait for the system to perform all the necessary actions. During this time, access to the disk and operations with it will be unavailable.
If you want to format the Asus system drive, then save all important files and folders on a separate hard drive or removable media. Restart your computer and press Esc while turning it on. Using the menu that appears, configure boot from the drive, save the changes.
Insert the operating system disc into the drive. Enter the Windows setup menu. Please select new installation in any of the available discs. You can also install on the Asus drive you want to format.
Following the instructions of the installation menu, install the operating system on your computer, having previously selected the formatting of the hard disk that you have chosen as the system one.
If you did not install on the drive you want to format, go to "My Computer" and repeat the sequence of steps described at the very beginning.
note
Formatting the hard drive - program process marking the elements of the memory area of \u200b\u200bthe magnetic plates and creating a new file structure of the carrier. Without labels and the structure of the file system, a hard disk is a useless device, which cannot be written to due to the physical and software features of the processes of recording, storing and reading information.
Physically, during the formatting of the hard disk, nothing happens to it, but at the program level, its logical structure is organized on the medium - a certain order necessary for recording, storing, editing and deleting data. Otherwise, the logical structure of a disk is called a file system. Depending on the selected file system, the speed of access to information, maximum length file name, number of files in one directory, drive performance, search methods, information recording, etc. will vary.
Hard disk formatting is divided into two types. This is low-level and high-level formatting.
Low-level formatting is a process by which special electronic tags, called servo tags, are applied to the magnetic surface of the polished platters of your HDD. They contain service information about the positioning of the read heads and the position of sectors and tracks on the disk, which determine the physical format of the drive. This procedure is performed on special factory equipment, since before that there is no information on the media on the sectors and tracks of the plates (s), due to the absence of which it is impossible to work with the media. Due to the volumetric expansion coefficient of the materials (which is known to many of the physics lessons in school), from which HDD plates were made in the past and the stepper motors that control the positioning of the heads, sectors and tracks were displaced relative to the read heads. Thus, when, in the controller's opinion, the head was in the desired sector, it could physically be on an adjacent track. Because of this, the hard drive malfunctioned and bad (inoperable) sectors appeared (if the controller considers that the head is in the first sector, but in reality it positions, for example, above the 5th sector, then the first four sectors are inaccessible to it). Such hard drives needed repeated low-level formatting throughout their entire service life, which required complete and repeated destruction of all data on the hard disk platter / platters.
In new HDDs, this problem was solved by using a voice coil in the readhead mechanism, due to which the effect of thermal expansion was compensated by recalibration of the operating parameters of the disk heads (if it's simpler, everything was solved at the software level by simple redirection).
Low-level formatting is necessary to solve several problems and is performed in such cases:
- at the production facilities of the manufacturer to create the physical structure of the manufactured hard disk before testing it and delivery to the end user;
- on old hard drives to reset the file system (due to the coefficient of linear expansion of materials when heated during long-term operation of the HDD, the head slightly shifts in relation to the formed grid of tracks and sectors);
- complete, reliable and irreversible erasure of all information stored on the hard drive, for example, before selling your own computer or the hard drive itself.
High-level hDD format - the process of forming the file structure of the hard disk, which consists in creating a master boot record, file table, file system structure and, depending on the formatting option, checking the surface of the hard disk platters for bad sectors with their subsequent replacement or deactivation. High-level formatting prepares the hard drive for use by the operating system to store data on it.
High-level formatting is divided into two types: fast and full. During the quick process, the file table is updated, which stores the file names and paths to them, attributes, etc. After that, its new structure is formed, and the main one is also created. boot record disk or its logical partition. Upon completion of the process, the operating system will define the hard or logical disk as clean, although physically all information on it will remain intact, with the exception of the file table - all data in it will be marked as non-existent and will be overwritten with new bits of information during operation.
Full formatting is a procedure for clearing the file table, as during quick formatting, but with the subsequent rewriting of each sector with zero bits of information. Also, during full formatting, all sectors of the hard drive will be checked for operability. If a bad sector is found, it will be replaced with a working one, which is in reserve, or simply excluded, as a result of which the useful volume of the HDD will slightly decrease.
High-level formatting of hard drives and their partitions should be performed in the following cases:
- during reinstallation of the operating system to reset all data on them and form a new disk structure;
- while partitioning the drive into logical disks;
- for a high-quality check of magnetic plates for the presence of damaged sectors;
- right after low-level formatting to form the file structure of the disk by the manufacturer or user (mandatory procedure);
- deleting all information on the hard drive.
2. Formatting a non-system hard drive
Any operating system of the Windows family is located on a disk or its partition, which is designated as the system disk, and contains the master boot record and system windows files, thanks to which the interaction of the software part with the hardware is carried out. There may be several such partitions, but, as a rule, the user has one operating system installed, which implies the presence of a single system partition. All other sections and connected to the computer hard drives are not systemic. The second and subsequent hard disks are non-system ones, therefore the procedure for formatting them is no different from formatting removable USB drives.
Consider the methods of forming the file structure of non-system hard drives by means of tools built into the operating system and with the help of outsiders software productsdesigned to work with hard drives.
2.1. BIOS formatting
One of the ways to format the hard drive is to use a bootable USB flash drive or CD with the operating installation distribution kit. windows systems, the so-called LiveCD or bootable media with one of the programs for formatting media. There are versions of programs such as AcronisDiskDirector that can boot directly from a USB flash drive, which means they work without an operating system. The latest versions of Acronis have a Bootable Media Builder. Such a flash drive will allow AcronisDiskDirector to boot from the BIOS and format the hard disk.
In addition to extraneous programs, you can format the hard disk with BIOS by booting from the installation disk with the Windows distribution using the command line or the operating system installer. More details about all these options will be discussed further.
2.2. Windows formatting
The Windows operating system contains all the tools you need to format hard drives. In this section, we will consider all methods to format the hard drive using the tools provided by the Windows operating system.
2.2.1. Through properties
The easiest way to prepare a hard drive for work, to clear it of unnecessary information and generate new system, is formatting via context menu.
2.2.2. Through "Creating and formatting hard disk partitions"
The second method to format the hard drive using the Windows operating system tools is the Disk Management snap-in located in the Computer Management system console.
Disk Management - System windows service, designed to manage flash drives, hard drives and their partitions. This program allows you to format hard drives connected to your computer in one of three file systems and create new partitions on them. Almost all actions are performed without restarting the operating system, which will not distract the user from the main work.
You can start Disk Management in one of the following ways.
Through the start menu
Through "My Computer"
Through the "Control Panel"
We launched the Computer Management service. Next, you need to go to its subsection called "Disk Management", which, in turn, is located in the "Storage Devices" section.
During formatting, you will not see any windows with the progress of the operation, except for the inscription "Formatting" in the "Status" line (see screenshot).
Our hard drive is formatted in the selected file system and is ready for further operation. You will be notified of this dialog box and a system signal.
2.2.3. Command line
In addition to formatting hard drives via graphical interfaces, the operating system, since the time of the console MS-DOS, allows the formation of a new file system of the hard drive with the removal of all files and, with full formatting, checking its surface for integrity, by using system commandsentered into the command console, also called the Windows command interpreter.
The command line allows the user to interact with the computer directly, without any intermediaries in the form of third-party software. It is a window for entering text commands understandable to the operating system with many parameters for direct control of the operating system or computer hardware. Naturally, using the command line, you can quickly format the hard disk. To do this, launch the system console using any of the listed methods or in a more convenient way.
Through the "Run" window
Through the start menu
Through Windows Explorer
The command line is launched by calling the "cmd.exe" file located in the "System32" folder of the Windows operating system directory. To start the command line, you can go to the path c: \\ Windows \\ System32 \\ cmd.exe or use the shortcut to start the command interpreter.
Having launched the command line, we will see a black window on the screen, where you can enter text commands that are understandable for the Windows operating system, starting from its first versions.
If you did not enter the label, the operating system will ask you to enter it before formatting or to leave the hard disk unnamed by pressing "Enter" (see screenshot).
The process of formatting the hard drive, depending on the specified parameters and the volume of the drive, can last from a few seconds to several tens of minutes. The formatting is accompanied by the inscription: "Creation of file system structures".
At the end of the process, the console window will display the inscription: "Formatting completed" and the results of the operation will appear.
Now our hard drive is formatted using the system console and is ready for further use.
2.3 Formatting a disk using the HDD Low Level Format Tool
The HDD Low Level Format Tool or HDDLLFT for short is designed for low-level formatting of hard disks and media digital information based on memory chips. It copes with the task perfectly even in cases where the magnetic surface of the plate is severely damaged.
Carrying out the procedure for formatting a hard disk through the utility does not require any special user knowledge.
Please note that in free version HDD Low Level Format Tool formatting speed is limited to 50 Mb / s, which with significant volumes modern hard drives during full formatting, checking the drive for broken sectors can result in several hours of work. The second drawback of the program is the inability to specify the cluster size.
3. Formatting the system hard drive
The system hard disk is, as a rule, a high-speed (with a rotational speed of the platters equal to 10,000 rpm, although it can be with the standard 7200 rpm) hard drive on which the operating system is installed. Based on this, it will not work to format it using Windows. Formatting the system hard disk is carried out in a different way, the essence of which does not differ from the formation of a new file system of a conventional hard drive. The only difference is that the utility to create a new file system will have to be launched from the installation disk or flash drive.
3.1. Formatting using a bootable flash drive or disk
3.1.1. Through the installer of the Windows operating system
One of the most common methods to format a hard drive used as a system drive is to use a removable media or CD and a Windows installation distribution.
We will not consider how to create bootable media, many articles have been written on this subject in the Russian-speaking segment of the Internet. Let's get down to business right away.
- We insert the bootable USB flash drive into the USB socket of your computer or laptop (or a CD into its drive).
- We reboot or turn on the computer.
- As the device to which the control of the system will be transferred, we select our media (in our case, this is a 4 GB USB flash drive for booting from under UEFI).
- Depending on the windows assemblies, select the option to install the operating system (with a different bootloader interface, using third-party assemblies, the essence of the process will remain the same).
- We select the installation language. It will naturally be Russian, just like the keyboard layout, time format, etc.
- We click "Full installation ...".
- We press "OK" to confirm our intentions.
Immediately after loading the basic I / O system and carrying out its initialization and testing of the equipment, we begin to click on the button quick choice bootable media.
This key can be "F9" or "F11" (see the instruction manual before your motherboard or laptop), this data is also displayed during BIOS boot.
When a similar black screen with an inscription appears, press any button on the keyboard.
Information will be read from the bootloader program to which the BIOS passed control.
In the next window, just click "Install -\u003e".
We accept the operating system operating conditions, preferably after reviewing them.
We dwell on the second option so that we can get into the hard disk setup menu.
Using the keyboard and mouse manipulator, select the required hard disk, if several are connected to the computer, and click "Disk Setup".
The toolbar will change slightly.
Click on the "Format" button.
A standard window will appear warning that all files and programs on the disk will be destroyed.
After clearing the table of contents, the hard drive will be formatted and ready to install the operating system.
This method is reasonable to use in cases where the Windows operating system cannot format the hard disk, for example, because it is used by some application or is a system partition.
3.1.2. Formatting the system hard drive through the command line, booting from the installation disk / flash drive
Another simple option to format the disk on which the operating system is located is to use the command line, booting from a disk or flash drive with installation files operating system Windows.
3.2. Acronis Disk Director
- To start the bootable media creation wizard, go to the " Backup and recovery "on the program control panel, which is made in the style of a ribbon, like Microsoft Office, starting with the 2007 edition.
- Click on the "Create bootable media" item.
- Depending on the version of the program, a window may appear prompting you to select the type of bootable media. It is recommended to select the bootloader option on windows based PE. Click "Next".
Select the type of Acronis bootable media to create.
- Then we confirm our intentions to write the program files to the USB flash drive, destroying all the files on it before that, and wait for the end of the recording process.
We are loading from the created drive.
To do this, we restart the computer and select our USB flash drive as bootable media. This is done by changing the priority in the list of boot devices (menu item "Boot") in your BIOS or hotkey selection of boot devices.
In most cases, during the initialization procedure, which occurs before loading the operating system, you must press the F11, F9 or another key to bring up the boot menu. In it, select the USB drive and click "Enter".
We are waiting for the download of the program.
Usually, this procedure takes a little longer than loading Acronis Disk Director in Windows.
- We select our hard drive and call the procedure for formatting it using any method:
- In the dialog box that appears, select the parameters for formatting the hard drive:
- file system - it is recommended to use NTFS, due to the support for files larger than 4 GB, which is not available for FAT and FAT32;
- leave the cluster size "Auto" if you have no idea what this value is. However, for storing a huge number of small files, it is recommended to choose a cluster size less than 4 KB;
- volume label - enter the name of the hard disk or leave the field blank.
- If you are sure of the actions you are taking, check the correctness of the specified parameters and click on the "Continue" button.
We select the necessary components, on the basis of which the wizard will create a bootable USB flash drive.
The AcronisDiskDirector program is enough to format the hard disk. If you would like to have a tool to create backup copies of your partitions, also choose AcronisTrueImage.
Having set all the parameters, we turn our attention to the toolbar located at the top of the screen. Click on the button with the name "Apply pending operations (1)".
After a short load of the list of operations, a small window will appear with their detailed descriptions and parameters.
After a few seconds of committing the operation, the procedure for formatting the hard disk will start.
Be careful, the program will not display a warning window asking about the confirmation of the operation and will not notify you about the destruction of all data on the hard disk.
Formatting will take place within a few seconds, as the utility uses the fast formatting algorithm. At the end of the procedure, the window will close automatically, and the hard disk with the cleared file table and the new file system will be ready for further use.
3.3. Paragon Partition Manager
Paragon Partition Manager is the most powerful free software product for working with hard drives. Naturally, with its help you can format any hard drive or its section. In addition, the utility can work with backups, modify and create logical partitions, install multiple operating systems on a disk, and more.
- We load the LiveCD or the installation distribution of the Windows operating system, which includes paragon program Partition Manager.
- We write the image to removable media and boot from it, specifying the highest boot priority from the USB flash drive in the BIOS or choosing the drive with the Paragon Partition Manager distribution as the boot device.
- We select our program using the mouse cursor or cursor keys and the "Enter" button, depending on graphical menu and the bootloader used to create the LiveCD.
- The main menu of the utility will appear, where we select "Partition Manager" in the list on the left, and then in its right frame.
In the next window, in the list of your hard drives, select the one you want to format.
This can be done both in the "Disk panel" tab, and in the lower frame called "Partition list".
- Calling the context menu magnetic storage and select the "Format" command in it, which is in one of the first places.
- We indicate the file system and the new label of the hard drive.
- Click "Additional parameters" if you want to change the number of sectors in one cluster. You can also specify here whether to perform formatting using the built-in Windows commands "Format", which we familiarized ourselves with when formatting the disk from the command console, or use the developers' own algorithm.
Click "Format".
The program will not ask for confirmation of the operation, but it will not start the execution of the command specified to it.
To do this, click on the "Apply the pending changes" button, which is located in the toolbar under the main menu.
Use the magnifying glass button to view the pending changes.
- In the dialog, we agree to make changes by clicking "Yes".
- We are waiting for the notification of the completion of the program.
The same is done through the main menu of the program.
4. Possible errors and ways to solve them
One of the many problems users face when formatting a hard drive is using outdated software. This happens due to the fact that the user for several years has not updated the program for working with disks, which he trusts. Also, the use of requests like "download hacked acronis" often leads to the most popular sites, which for many months have been in the first places. search engines and contain out-of-date software versions.
Make sure that your hard drive software is up to date, especially if you use one of the latest versions Windows.
The second problem is an error when trying to format the disk in use, especially for system partitions. Also, some application can use the hard drive or its partition, even if it is in read mode, while the user is trying to format it. The way out of the situation is to use bootable LiveCDs or Windows distribution media.
An error in the process of formatting the hard disk due to the huge number of bad sectors occurs when trying to perform a complete formatting of the hard drive, the surface of which is replete with damaged memory cells. Run a HDD check, for example, with the Victoria utility, with reassigning damaged areas or excluding them from the area used for storing information.
Situation: you turn on the computer, and there “ blue screen of death". An urgent need to format the hard drive, but there is no specialist. In this article, we will consider a way to format the hard drive yourself, without third-party help.
We reboot the computer and immediately after turning it on, press the Del key to enter the BIOS. It happens that instead of the Del button, you need to press Insert, F2, F5, F12. The exact data can be found when the computer is booted, at the bottom of the screen a message is displayed like “to enter BIOS press DEL / Insert, etc.” Immediately after these actions, a BIOS window will appear, where you can navigate through the tabs only through the keyboard, not with the mouse. Go to the “Boot” tab. Now you need to configure it so that when the computer is turned on, it does not boot from the hard disk, but from the boot sector of the CD-Rjm. To do this, go to the "Boot Device Priority" item. Use the F5, F4 keys to set the CDROM value to the first position.
After formatting is complete, the Windows installation process will begin immediately.
This is perhaps the fastest and useful way formatting the hard drive.
