Formatting an external hard drive. What to do if the external drive does not open and asks to format it

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

Attention!!!

Format / change file systems - process which deletes all files and folders on the storage device, so you need to transfer all data to another medium before starting this process.

Format / change the format of a USB flash drive or external hard drive using the Windows interface.

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

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

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

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

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

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

For this method, you need to run the command line, for this press the button " Start"or press the keyboard shortcut + and in the program search bar enter CMD, click "Enter".

A line will open command line... here we have to use the FORMAT command to format the USB device.

The syntax for the FORMAT command is:

FORMAT volume
FORMAT volume
FORMAT volume
FORMAT volume
FORMAT volume

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

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

An external hard drive is a compact device that provides the ability to store copies of data, transfer a large amount of information from one device to another. The advantage of an external HDD is the use of a USB interface, which allows convenient connection of the device to any tablet, laptop and PC. The rest of its parameters are similar to a regular computer hard drive.

Despite the advantages of conventional hard drives, the device also has disadvantages. When working with an external HDD, users may have the following problem: they cannot access the disk and require formatting. Let's take a look at the causes of this problem and how to deal with it.

To organize and store information on any type of storage device (external hard drive, flash drive, hard drive), you need to apply a set of special rules, determined by the place and method of storage. This is a specific set of software tools that provide access to information in a convenient form for various applications. The most popular file system is NTFS. It is also used on external hard drives.

Damaged or missing file system

When you look at the information about an external drive that is denied access and, if necessary, formatting it, you can see that instead of the NTFS file system, it has become RAW. This means that the file system is missing and damaged on the disk. Often the data itself remains intact.

Not all users know that apart from the recorded files, there are special file identifiers on the HDD. They contain information about the file type, its size and other attributes. This method of organizing the storage of information can be compared with a table. There is a key and the data itself, and access to them can be obtained using a specific identifier. When the key column disappears, it will be difficult to access specific information. This happens if the disk file system is damaged.

Solutions to the problem when the external hard drive does not open

The easiest way to return a file system to an external drive is to use the standard CHKDSK command type:

The command line is launched (press Windows + R, enter "cmd" in the field that appears and click on "Run").
A console will appear in which to write the command "CHKDSK disk_name: / f". In place disk_name, specify the name of the external disk with the RAW file system.
This method copes with minor damage to the file system. There is a risk of losing some data.

There are applications that provide recovery of the file system on the disk. The most popular is GetDataBack. The utility recovers all data without loss.

If these two methods did not work, and the external drive still does not open and asks for formatting, then it is necessary to format hard disk... Fast formatting will not result in data loss. Information in the form of zeros and ones will remain on the disk, but access to it will be lost. There are applications that help you recover this information. Normal formatting completely erases the information, but solves the problem with accessing the external hard drive.

Formatting with Windows

The following steps are required:

Connecting an external hard drive to your computer and opening the My Computer window.
After detecting the hard disk by the system and its appearance in the “My Computer” window, you need to open the context menu of the external disk and select “Format”.
Then a window will open showing the disk formatting settings. Here you need to select a file system, specify a disk name and enable the quick format function.

It is better to choose the NTFS file system. FAT has a large number of restrictions, and under modern conditions it has become frankly outdated. Using the quick format feature will write a clean file system without physically deleting files from the external drive.

If you disable the quick format function, this process can take several hours. Optionally, the volume label is set. After setting the required parameters, you need to click on the "Start" button. Then a window opens, where a warning is written about the deletion of all existing data on the formatted disk. After completing the formatting process, the external drive will be reopened and available for use.

Command line formatting

You can format your external hard drive using the command line. To do this, connect the drive and start the Windows command line.

The disks are formatted with the FORMAT command. To find all the parameters that this command accepts, just enter "FORMAT /?".

To format an external hard drive, you must execute the FORMAT command with the following parameters:

/ Q - turns on the quick format feature.
/ V: MyDisk - indicates the name of the disk. Any other name can be used instead of MyDisk.
/ FS: NTFS - formatting using the NTFS file system.

To format the external hard drive, you can use the following summary command: FORMAT X: / FS: NTFS / V: MyDisk / Q. Here, the letter X stands for the name of the external drive being used. When formatting using the command line, it is important not to mix up the disks.

When formatting a disk using the command line, no additional warnings are displayed, so you need to be careful.

Formatting via Disk Management

Windows has a handy tool called Disk Management. Its functions include formatting disks, creating and deleting partitions, as well as performing other operations. To access this tool, open the Run menu and enter the diskmgmt.msc command.

After opening the window, the following actions are performed to format the external hard drive:

Search for an external hard drive and open its context menu (right mouse button).
Selecting the "Formatting" item in the context menu.
The user is shown a warning about deleting all data from this disk. To start formatting, you need to click on the "Yes" button.

External hard drives are very handy and useful devices. If a situation arises when the external hard drive does not open and asks for formatting, then you can solve the problem yourself. It is enough to follow the instructions given above in the article. To prevent cases with loss of information, you can copy important data to other storage media.

They are not fundamentally different from hard drives that are installed in desktop and laptop computers. Therefore, formatting an external hard drive is the same as for other hard drives. But, since users are interested in this moment, then in this article we will talk about how to format an external hard drive.

How to format an external hard drive using Windows

Connect your external hard drive to your computer and open the My Computer window. After the external drive is detected by the system and appears in the "My Computer" window, open the context menu of the external drive (right-click on the drive) and select "Format".

After that, a window with disk formatting settings will open in front of you.

How to format an external hard drive via the command line

You can also format your external hard drive via. To do this, connect the disk and start the Windows command line (Run menu - CMD command).

Formatting disks via the command line is performed using the FORMAT command. Type "FORMAT /?" To see all the options that a given command can accept.

To format the external hard drive, we need to execute the format command with the following parameters:

/ FS: NTFS - formatting using the NTFS file system.
/ V: MyDisk - specifies the name of the disk. You can use any other disk name instead of MyDisk.
/ Q - enable quick formatting function.

As a result, the command to format the external hard drive using the command line looks like this:

FORMAT X: / FS: NTFS / V: MyDisk / Q

Where X: is the letter that is assigned to this external drive. When formatting via the command line, it is important not to mix up the disks, otherwise you may format the wrong disk, which is fraught with big trouble.

It should also be noted that when formatting a disk via the command line, the system does not display any additional warnings. Therefore, you need to be especially careful.

How to format an external hard drive via Disk Management

The Windows operating system has a very handy tool called Disk Management. It can be used to create and delete partitions, format disks, and perform other operations. To access this tool, open the Run menu and enter the command "diskmgmt.msc".

After the "Disk Management" window opens, find your external one and open the context menu (right mouse button).

In the context menu, select the "Format" item. After selecting this item of the context menu, you will see a warning about deleting all data from this disk.

To start formatting the external hard drive, click on the "Yes" button.

Before proceeding with changing the file system, I suggest looking at what file system is currently being used on the USB storage. To do this, go to " My computer"/ "A computer" / "This computer"(respectively in Windows XP, Windows7, Windows8) right-click on the flash drive / external hard drive and select" Properties". In the properties window, you will see the file system of the device.

Attention!!!

Formatting / changing the file system is a process that deletes all files and folders on a storage device, so before starting this process, you must transfer all data to another medium.

Format / change the format of a USB flash drive or external hard drive using the Windows interface.

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

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

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

This completes the procedure for changing the file system of USB devices / formatting.

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

For this method, you need to run the command line, for this press the button " Start"or press the keyboard shortcut + and in the program search bar enter CMD, click "Enter".

A command prompt will open. here we have to use the FORMAT command to format the USB device.

The syntax for the FORMAT command is:

FORMAT volume
FORMAT volume
FORMAT volume
FORMAT volume
FORMAT volume

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

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

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

Windows Disk Management

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

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

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

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

Command line formatting

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

Format<буква_диска_носителя>: / FS: FAT32

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

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

Program + for formatting the hard drive

The third way to format removable media in FAT32 is to use a third-party disk formatting program, of which you can find a large number on the Internet. I can recommend a simple free utility FAT32Format... Download it