Formatting External hard drive

Hi.

If Windows does not recognize the Hard Disk.

First you need to open the Disk Management tool.

Press Windows + R on the keyboard to start the Run dialog box. Type "diskmgmt.msc" and press Enter.

Although the task we are going to carry out is very simple and easy to carry out, there is a possibility that you will do erroneous tasks with this tool, something that can make you have a bad time. Check each step carefully. Make sure you are selecting the correct disk, or else you may lose a large amount of data.

Next, in Disk Management, scroll down through the list of disks in the lower pane. These discs will be labeled "Disc 1". Windows assigns a number to all hard disks, solid state disks, USB drives and card readers, so do not be surprised if you have to scroll down a bit.

There are some data here. First, the disk is marked as "Unknown" and "Not initialized" on the left. Second, the size of the installed unit is observed, and the unit is marked as "Not assigned", which means that none of the spaces on the hard disk have been formatted or assigned to a partition.

Right click on the name of the disk and select "Initialize Disk" from the context menu of the right button.

In the first step of the initialization process, you are asked to choose if you want to use a Master Boot Record (MBR) or GUID partition table (GPT) partition style for the disc. In summary, unless there is a compelling reason to use MBR, using GPT is newer, more efficient, and offers more robust protection against boot record corruption.

Click on "Accept" and you will return to the main Disk Management window. There you will find that your disc now has the label "Basic" and "On screen" on the left, but the content is still "Not assigned". Right click on the striped box of the unassigned disk. Select "New Simple Volume".

This will start the New Simple Volume Wizard to guide you through the disk configuration process. In the first step, select the amount of space you want to include in the volume. By default, the number is the total amount of disk space available, unless you are thinking of reserving a space for additional partitions, there is no reason to change this. Click on "Next".

In the second step, assign a unit letter. The default value is probably fine.

Finally, format the volume. If you are using the volume for routine tasks (storing photos, video games, etc.) there is no real need to deviate from the default NTFS file system. Give the volume a name, click "Next" and wait for the process format to finish.

When the process is complete, you will see your new disk assigned, formatted and ready to start being used in the Disk Management list

Hope this helps. Keep us posted on the status for further assistance.

Hi Vet_tech

If you are using Disk Management, right click that drive and choose 'Delete Volume' when that completes, right click again and choose 'New - Simple Volume'

Alternatively, in File Explorer, right click that drive and choose 'Format'

Hi,

Doesn't it show in File Explorer? If not, try using Diskpart, the command Line Utility.

https://www.windowscentral.com/how-clean-and-fo...

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