Can't format external HDD

Return the unit and ask for a replacement which actually works as an external drive.. Do this before the warranty runs out..

Hi,

Thanks for your help. I connected the drive to another computer and it worked!

Now I have a feeling that my computer's USB ports aren't working properly. But that is another natter.

Again thank you.

Hi, 

Thank you for replying. 

What happens when you connect the device to a different computer? 

I would suggest you to connect the device to a different computer and check the results. 

Hope this information helps.

Hi, thanks for your reply.

I tried your method but I needed to format the hard drive first, which once again failed. I get a message saying Windows could not complete formatting of hard drive'. I've also checked if write protection was on but it wasn't.

Hi Emile,

Thank you for posting the query on Microsoft Community Forums.

1. Do you get any error code?
2. Are you trying to format the disk from disk management? If not, you may try to access the disk management and check if you are able to format from here.

We need to make sure that your hard disk has no errors. Let's perform few scans to check for any bad sectors on the external Hard Drive.

Check the drivers for errors to confirm if the issue is caused due to any bad sectors on the external drive.

Follow the steps to run the chkdsk:

a. Right-click the external drive and click Properties.

b. Click the Tools tab, and then, under Error-checking, click Check now.  If you're prompted for an administrator password or confirmation, type the password or provide confirmation.

• To automatically repair problems with files and folders that the scan detects, select Automatically fix file system errors. Otherwise, the disk check will report problems but not fix them.

• To perform a thorough check, select Scan for and attempt recovery of bad sectors. This scan attempts to find and repair physical errors on the drive itself, and it can take much longer to complete.

• To check for both file errors and physical errors, select both Automatically fix file system errorsand Scan for and attempt recovery of bad sectors.

c. Click Start and follow the prompts until the computer restarts and gives you the error report.

Disclaimer: While performing chkdsk on the hard drive if any bad sectors are found on the hard drive when chkdsk tries to repair that sector if any data available on that might be lost.

Hope this information helps. Reply with the status so that we could help you further.