Hello readers of the company blog ComService(Naberezhnye Chelny). Why would you need to format your hard drive or partition? There are a lot of options, starting with what you need to make 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 the built-in Windows tools and using the operating system installer.
While writing this article, I was lucky enough to supplement my knowledge in this topic. For which you, readers, thank you.
Article structure
- low-level formatting
- dividing an entire area into logical drives or partitions
- high-level formatting of the latter
All modern hard drives are low-level formatted at the factory using special equipment. This process cannot be done at home or in a 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.
Division of the hard drive into partitions. The first step is to create sections. This is most likely done when or if the hard drive will be 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 - 4000 Bytes by default. Learn more about clusters.
There are two types of high-level formatting:
- swift
- complete
With a 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. With the complete formatting of the section (how to do it below), in addition to deleting the file table, the entire section is checked for professional suitability. (More about hdd diagnostics -) If an unreadable cluster is found during the scan, it is marked as not working and the operating system will not write anything to it. This is done using the software on the hard drive itself.
It is due to the fact that when formatting, even complete, information is not deleted, you can try 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.
2. How to format a partition using Windows?
You can format the hard disk using Windows by opening Computer and selecting the desired disk or partition. Right-click on it and select Format ...
A standard window opens with formatting options. Here you can select the file system and set the volume label. Unchecking the Quick Format checkbox will perform full formatting. (You can read about him at the end of the first section). I usually only give the volume label and enable full formatting if necessary. Click Start
A warning appears about deleting all data from the formatted partition. If you haven't made a copy, it's time to click Cancel and Done. If important data is saved or not, click OK
After that, you need to wait. At the end of the process, a message will appear
Click OK. Your section is formatted. Close the window with formatting options.
Formatting from the Disk Management snap-in
You can also format partitions from the Disk Management snap-in. To get there, you need to go to, on the Computer item, right-click and select Management. In the window that opens in the left field in the Storage section, select Disk Management
Here it is convenient to see what kind of disks are connected to your computer and how they are. 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 it, write CMD in the search bar and run the found utility. Running the command line with Administrator rights is not required.
Write a command
Replace f with your drive letter. Press Enter. Then press Enter again and formatting will go
Carefully! There is no warning about deleting all data here.
Full formatting is performed by default. 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.
3. Formatting the system partition
The information from point 2 is good, but this way you cannot format the system disk. A message is issued
This Windows security system warns the user about incorrect actions. This will eliminate accidental formatting. If our system is infected (in the section you will find everything for, and others), or is somehow corrupted and 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 section and.
You can also format the system partition by connecting your hard drive to. In this case, proceed as in the second paragraph.
Formatting the system drive when installing Windows
To do this, you need an installation disc or flash drive. How to make a disk, how to make a bootable USB flash 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.
Boot from a prepared drive and do everything as you want. When you select the installation section, you click on the Disk setup link
Additional links appear: Create Volume, Delete Volume, and Format Volume. Select your system drive 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 window - Installing Windows and the process will be interrupted.
Conclusion
In this article, we learned how to format a hard drive in the 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
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As various statistics show, not all users know how to perform the specified action. The biggest problems arise when you need to format the C drive in Windows 7 or 8, i.e. system hard drive.
In this manual, we will just talk about how to do this, in fact, a simple action - to format the C drive (or, rather, the drive on which Windows is installed), and any other hard drive. Well, I'll start with the simplest.
Formatting a non-system hard drive or partition in Windows
In order to format a disk or its logical partition in Windows 7 or Windows 8 (relatively speaking, drive D), just open Explorer (or “My Computer”), right-click on the disk and select “Format”.
After that, just specify, if desired, the volume label, the file system (although it is better to leave NTFS here) and the formatting method (it makes sense to leave the "Quick Format"). Click "Start" and wait for the drive to be fully formatted. Sometimes, if the hard drive is large enough, it can take a long time and you might even think that the computer is frozen. There is a 95% chance it is not, just wait.
Another way to format a non-system hard drive is by using the format command on a command line running as administrator. In general, the command for quick formatting of the disk in NTFS will look like this:
Format / FS: NTFS D: / q
Where D: is the letter of the drive being formatted.
How to format drive C in Windows 7 and Windows 8
In general, this guide will work for previous versions of Windows as well. So, if you try to format the system hard drive in Windows 7 or 8, you will see a message that:
- You cannot format this volume. It contains the version of the Windows operating system currently in use. Formatting this volume may cause the computer to stop working. (Windows 8 and 8.1)
- This disk is in use. The disk is in use by another program or process. Format it? And after clicking "Yes" - the message "Windows cannot format this disk. Quit all other programs using this disk, make sure no windows are displaying its contents, and then try again.
What is happening is easy to explain - Windows cannot format the disk on which it is located. Moreover, even if the operating system is installed on disk D or any other, all the same on the first partition (i.e. on disk C) there will be files necessary to boot the operating system, since when the computer is turned on, the BIOS will first start loading from there.
Some notes
Thus, when formatting drive C, you should remember that this action implies the subsequent installation of Windows (or another OS) or, if Windows is installed on a different partition, the OS boot configuration after formatting, which is not the most trivial task and if you are not too an experienced user (and apparently, this is so, since you are here), I would not recommend undertaking this.
Formatting
If you are sure of what you are doing, then we continue. In order to format the C drive or the Windows system partition, you will need to boot from some other media:
- Bootable USB flash drive Windows or Linux, bootable disk.
- Any other bootable media - LiveCD, Hiren's Boot CD, Bart PE and others.
There are also special solutions such as Acronis Disk Director, Paragon Partition Magic or Manager and others. But we will not consider them: firstly, these products are paid, and secondly, for the purposes of simple formatting, they are superfluous.
Formatting using a bootable USB flash drive or disk Windows 7 and 8
In order to format the system disk in this way, boot from the appropriate installation media and at the stage of choosing the type of installation, select "Full installation". The next thing you will see will be the selection of the partition to install.
Another way is to press Shift + F10 at any time during the installation, the command line will open. From which you can also perform formatting (how to do it, it was written above). Here you need to take into account that in the installation program, the letter of the C drive may be different, in order to find out it, first use the command:
Wmic logicaldisk get deviceid, volumename, description
And, to clarify if anything was confused - the DIR D: command, where D: is the drive letter. (With this command, you will see the contents of the folders on the disk).
After that, you can already apply format to the desired section.
How to format a disk using a LiveCD
Formatting a hard disk using a different kind of LiveCD is not much different from formatting just in Windows. Since when booting from a LiveCD, all the really necessary data is located in the computer's RAM, you can use various BartPE options to format the system hard drive simply through the explorer. And, as in the options already described, use the format command on the command line.
There are other nuances of formatting, but I will describe them in one of the following articles. And in order for a novice user to know how to format the C drive, this article, I think, will be enough. If anything - ask questions in the comments.
There are times when we need to format the hard drive via Bios. This may be needed immediately after purchasing a new hard drive, when installing or reinstalling an operating system, or as a virus-fighting tool. In this article I will tell you how to format a disk through a BIOS, introduce the reader to various methods of this formatting, and also describe programs for formatting through a BIOS that will help us with this.
If you want to know how to enter BIOS, we have collected everything for each device for you.
Usually, the need to clean up through BIOS arises in a situation where full access to the corresponding Windows OS toolkit is impossible, and it is necessary to do everything from scratch. I'll make a reservation right away that the companies that developed the available BIOS versions - Award Software (AwardBios), American Megatrends (AmiBios), Phoenix Technologies (PhoenixBIOS) and others did not include a tool for formatting the hard drive in their bios versions, while access to the hard drive in the BIOS available by default.
Consequently, "formatting the hard drive via BIOS" is possible only conditionally, in such an algorithm it acts only as a logistic link, allowing the user to use it to perform the necessary operations to format the hard drive.
I'll make a reservation right away that formatting (especially complete) completely deletes all information on the disk being formatted, so if you have something valuable there, then before formatting it is better to copy it to a USB flash drive, another hard disk, send it to the cloud, and so on.
Supporting toolkit
To format, we need a program that will help format the hard drive. Such a program is usually included in the boot disk (flash drive), together with the installer of the operating system, it is also included in the programs of the system recovery disk (Live CD), in addition, it can be separately or on a disk.
Using the command line
After you have decided to format the hard drive, you can select the auxiliary toolkit. The easiest option is to use a regular Windows boot disk, which almost every user has. To use its capabilities, we need to run it through the BIOS.
- To do this, we restart the computer (if it was turned off, turn it on), and immediately after starting, quickly press the button responsible for entering the BIOS several times - usually this is the "Delete" key, but there are also variations with the F8, F12, Ctrl + F2 keys and Escape.
- After entering the BIOS, go to the Boot tab, select the "Boot Device Priority" item in it and press "Enter".
- Install our CDROM or DVDROM as the main boot device (in the first place), click on F10 and save our changes by clicking "OK".
- The computer will start to boot and the message "Press any key to boot from CD or DVD" will appear in front of you. Press any key.
- On the language selection screen, press Shift + F10 to access the command line. If you are a Windows 8 user, then follow the path select language - diagnostics - advanced features - command line.
- In the command line, type the following command (instead of C, you can put down another partition of your hard disk - D, E, etc.):
format / FS: NTFS С: / q - fast format in NTFS system
format / FS: FAT32 С: / q - fast format in FAT32
It can be written even easier, for example: format c: / q
Click "Ok" and wait for the end of the formatting process.
Using the features of Windows Installer
We can also use the built-in capabilities of the Windows Installer to format the hard drive through BIOS (new version). We also start through the BIOS as in the previous case, only in the language selection menu of the Windows installer, click "Next". Then we select "Full installation", select the disk for formatting (click on it), then click "Disk Setup" and there we select the "Format" item.
Formatting from a USB flash drive
You can use a flash drive containing the Windows OS installation as a bootable tool for installing Windows. In this case, the flash drive itself must be made bootable using special programs (for example, UltraISO). Although sometimes just copying the Windows installer to a USB flash drive and launching it from the BIOS is enough. Do not forget to make the flash drive the first bootable device in the BIOS as shown above (sometimes in the "Hard Disk Drive" menu item you need to specify the flash drive as the first, and CD (DVD) as the second).
We use the program Acronis Disk Director Suite
This program is usually included in the complex LiveCD and other assemblies of Windows OS, and is an auxiliary utility for working with a hard disk. After starting the application, select the hard drive you need to format, right-click on it, click on "Format" in the menu that appears, select the type of file system and confirm the operation by clicking "Run". After the end of the operation, we reboot.
Visually, the methodology of this program can be viewed in the video:
Paragon hard disk mananger
An alternative to the previous one, a program with good functionality and good work experience. The algorithm for working with it is similar to the previous program - select the disk - right mouse button - Format Partition - select the file system - Format. After completion, reboot as usual.
DBAN
You can also use the free DBAN tool that easily cleans and formats your hard drive. To use its functionality, this program must be made bootable from a USB flash drive; the appropriate software will help us with this (for example, Universal USB Loader).
How it looks visually shown in the video:
Conclusion
As we can see, the formatting of the hard disk through BIOS is carried out using auxiliary tools in the form of a boot disk or flash drive, on which the Windows OS installer is installed. The capabilities of the latter make it easy to install, both using the command line and using the Windows installer itself. At the same time, there is always an alternative in the form of various auxiliary programs included in various LiveCD assemblies, these tools are quite enough for easy and quick formatting of the hard disk we need.
Formatting a hard disk is the process of creating a file system on its partition, accompanied by deleting data and drawing up 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 more about how to format a hard drive in several ways.
It is very easy to format the HDD using standard tools. To do this, in the explorer, select the desired section, right-click and select "Format" in the pop-up menu.
In the menu that opens, select the 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 Format" significantly speeds up the process, but only the FS table is re-created. The data itself remains physically 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 drag on for a long time. A hard drive with a capacity of several terabytes will take hours to format. But such formatting allows you to irrevocably destroy data, for example, when transferring the drive to a new owner.
An alternative way to format the HDD by standard means is through the "Control Panel". To do this, you need to find the "Administrative Tools" menu, select "Computer Management" in it and find "Disk Management" in the left column. In the menu that opens, all drives will be displayed in the form of a structure. The advantage of this method is that you can format disks that do not have a partition and therefore do not appear in Explorer.
How to format a hard drive via the command line
To format the disk via the command line, there is the format utility command. To use it, you need to run Command Prompt as administrator and enter the format command, which should look like this:
format [drive letter]:- formatting will happen without question, in the same file system that is on the disk, in a slow way (with full erasure).
format [drive letter]: / q - the "/ q" flag starts fast formatting without physically clearing the contents of its memory. The flag can be set 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, but with fast formatting.
How to format your hard drive before installing Windows
To format the hard disk before installing Windows, you need to select the full installation, wait for the partition selection menu to appear, click on the desired disk and press the "Format" button below. The system will independently determine the optimal formatting method, file system type and cluster size. The whole process takes less than a minute.
Before formatting the hard drive - installing windows may need to create additional system partitions to boot the OS. The screenshot below shows that such a partition takes up 100 MB. It contains part of the boot loader.
The disadvantage of formatting this way is that you cannot manually manipulate the parameters. Ordinary users do not need this, but sometimes they need the same FAT32 instead of the standard NTFS system. For example, such a need arises on tablets with Intel processors and two installed OS (Windows + Android), like the ten-inch Chuwi Hi10. To see the Windows partition from under Android, it must be formatted in a compatible FS. The "green robot" cannot work with NTFS without special plugins and third-party programs.
The correct answer to this question is "no way." Bios of the computer is intended for a little other purposes and does not have functionality for working with HDD. Usually the people “formatting from under Bios are called formatting via the command line in a text 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 disk through a bootable DOS disk, you need to create an image of such an OS, write it to a USB flash drive and copy the formatting utility there. Instead of DOS, you can also use a special program for working with HDD, for example, GParted. This option is preferable as it is more functional.
To format the HDD from under 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 your USB stick.
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 an item containing the words "Boot device priority" or those close to them in meaning. Among them, in the first place, you should put your USB flash drive. Then you need to press F10, agree to save the settings and wait for the boot from the USB flash drive.
In the loaded menu of the GParted program, you need to select a language, select a disk and find the item responsible for formatting. You can choose the file system, cluster size, formatting type, and other options.
Usually it is recommended to format the hard disk before using any computer equipment. This procedure should be followed by every PC owner. Due to the special quality and volume inherent in today's hard drives, they can be freely used throughout the entire period of use, without resorting to additional reformatting.
Why formatting is required
In some cases and over the course of a certain period of time, it is necessary to format the hard drive (hard disk), as this makes it easy to update it. Due to the fact that the Windows operating system sometimes gets clogged, that is, it contains irrelevant, old and not used files on the disk, formatting will be very useful. It will help get rid of files that take up some amount of memory space and can have a negative effect on the productivity of the system.
For their convenience, PC owners periodically install and remove the applications they need from their computer. As a result, a file dump arises and grows intensively, provoking serious problems: each application, becoming part of the OS, affects the configuration of the entire environment. The decision to format the hard disk drive (hard disk) after certain time intervals and reinstall the operating system will help to effectively solve this problem in the most optimal way.
Despite the radical nature of this method, it is the most effective, because not only useless files are destroyed, but also malicious programs and viruses. For this reason, it is recommended that before formatting the hard disk, overwrite the main data on some other media so as not to lose it.
It should be noted that during formatting, service marks are created on the hard disk sectors, which are necessary to search for data and correctly work with them (reading, writing, deleting). In addition to this procedure, during formatting, service information is created for the file system. Due to the fact that unpartitioned disks are useless for use, formatting acts as a first-priority operation to prepare a new “raw” disk for successful work.
Thus, to reduce the risk of losing important data in the indefinite future, formatting will help to achieve:
- guaranteed quick cleaning of the hard drive;
- effective detection of the presence of bad blocks (bad disk sectors);
- high-quality monitoring of all kinds of defective areas.
Formatting Quick or Simple: Process Analysis
The user has two types of formatting according to the capabilities of Windows OS - fast (Quick Format) or normal (Format). The uninitiated user will see the difference in them only in the time spent on the execution of each of these processes. But besides the visible factor, there is a more significant difference.
Fast formatting is a special method of disk cleaning that allows you to create a file table without overwriting it, as well as deleting information on a hard disk drive. Fast formatting is faster than normal formatting in time. As such, quick formatting only resets the file table: important data can be recovered - it is not destroyed. This method is appropriate when the user is sure that there are no damaged segments and the hard drive has not been previously formatted.
Relying on the usual formatting, the PC owner always completely empties the disk from files and checks it for the likelihood of incorrect, damaged segments. This is exactly the time of verification and stretches, affecting the total duration of the entire process.
High-level formatting was discussed above, but practice shows that understanding the term low-level formatting is no less popular. When performing such an operation, special markings are applied to the disk plane, which are necessary for the standard operation of the drive. It also allows you not only to save data and have open access to it, but also to ensure the correct operation of the drive's internal circuits, in addition to hiding the existing mechanical surface flaws.
Is the data recoverable at the end of formatting
Low-level formatting does not provide for the ability to restore previous information.
High-level formatting, in turn, gives significant chances to partially recover erased data. This is explained by the fact that at the time of formatting, new logical structures appear with selective rewriting of data.
Formatting options: a hands-on tour
It’s better to format your hard drive yourself if you go from theory to practice. Let's take a look at a few methods, moving from the simplest and most straightforward to the most complex.
Formatting options:
- The simplest method of formatting: by opening “My Computer”, right-clicking on the required type of formatting, in the menu that appears, select “Format” and the button “Start”.
- A special way in Windows: Open "Start" and follow the "Control Panel" to the file "Administrative Tools", select "Computer Management", and then "Disk Management". We find the required disk and for formatting we perform the operations presented in a simple technique.
Important: There may be slight differences in the path depending on the version of Windows.
- Command line: by pressing "WIN + R" and in the pop-up window, writing CMD followed by pressing ENTER, open the command line.
- There we register: fоrmat d: or format c: to start the process relative to the D: \ or C: \ drive. After entering, by pressing ENTER you will see on the display: “ATTENTION, ALL DATA ON THE REMOVABLE DISK C: WILL BE DESTROYED! Start formatting? "
When ready to delete data, select Y and press ENTER. - When there is a removable media with an operating system installation file. Those who have an installation disc and are familiar with installing Windows will probably know when is the best time to format discs. Perhaps this approach is used by few people only for formatting. However, it is very convenient if, after the procedure, the user is going to reinstall Windows.
