Here are two free methods to quickly format or fully clean up a hard drive on Windows 10/8/7:
Workable Solutions | Step-by-step Troubleshooting |
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Fix 1. DiskPart Quick Format Command |
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Fix 2. DiskPart Alternative - Free Formatting Tool |
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Formatting a hard disk, USB flash drive, pen drive, or memory card can help resolve issues such as device corruption, data loss, or incompatibility with certain devices or operating systems. It can also help to remove viruses and malware, and to prepare the device for reuse or resale. Additionally, formatting can help to recover deleted files or data that was previously lost due to device failure or other issues. However, it's worth noting that formatting will erase all data on the device, so it's essential to back up any important files or data before formatting.
Generally, there are three ways to initiate the task:
Windows' quick formatting is easy to use but limited in functionality, making DiskPart Format Tool and Qiling Partition Master more suitable options. A comparison list between the two can help determine which one is better suited for individual needs.
DiskPart | Qiling Partition Master Free |
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Your Quick Guide:
Click to download DiskPart alternative formatting tool for free here:
To use DiskPart to format a disk, follow these commands carefully to avoid any serious problems. First, open Command Prompt as an administrator and type "diskpart" to enter the DiskPart tool. Then, type "list disk" to view a list of all disks connected to your computer, and select the disk you want to format by typing "select disk #", replacing "#" with the number of the disk you want to format.
Here are the steps to format a hard drive using CMD on Windows 10 in one paragraph:
Step 1. Right-click on the Windows icon, select "Search" and type: command prompt.
Right-click on Command Prompt and select "Run as administrator".
Step 2. Type diskpart in Command Prompt and hit Enter.
Step 3. To quickly format the hard drive using DiskPart, follow these steps: type `list disk` and hit Enter, then type `select disk X` (where X is the number of the hard drive you want to format) and hit Enter, next type `clean` and hit Enter, followed by `convert mbr` and hit Enter, and finally type `format fs=ntfs quick` and hit Enter. Note: replace X with the actual number of the hard drive you want to format.
Step 4. 1. Open Command Prompt as Administrator.
To format a hard disk using DiskPart quick format commands, start by opening Command Prompt as an administrator and typing "diskpart" to enter the DiskPart tool. Next, list the disks available on your system using the "list disk" command, and then select the disk you want to format by typing "select disk #", replacing "#" with the number of the disk you want to format.
If you prefer to completely wipe the hard drive, you can use the CMD command with DiskPart for help. To do this, follow the operations using DiskPart to clean and format a hard drive.
Step 1. To open the Command Prompt as an administrator on Windows 10, press Windows + X, select "Search", type "command prompt", and right-click on it, then choose "Run as administrator".
Step 2. On the Command Prompt black window, type diskpart and hit "Enter".
Step 3. Now type list disk and press "Enter".
All disk drives, including external drives connected to the computer, will be listed.
Step 4.Type "select disk + disk number", for example, "select disk 2" and press enter.
The command tells DiskPart to locate and lock disk 2, then proceed with cleaning and formatting it, following the subsequent steps.
Step 5.This step starts to clean up all files and folders on the selected hard disk, effectively removing any unnecessary data and freeing up space.
Step 6. Type create partition primary and press "Enter".
Step 7. After DiskPart successfully created the specified partition, type "format fs=ntfs" (or format fs=exfat) and press "Enter".
To format a disk to a specific file system, you can use the following command in DiskPart: `format fs=ntfs quick`, where `fs=ntfs` specifies the file system to format the disk to, and `quick` is an optional parameter that allows the format to complete quickly. This command tells DiskPart to format the disk to NTFS, and the `quick` parameter ensures that the format is completed as quickly as possible.
Step 8. To assign a drive letter to the newly created partition, type the command "assign" in the command prompt. This will allow you to access the partition from the command line.
Step 9. 1. Select the disk that contains the system files (usually Disk 0).
To format a disk without using Diskpart, you can try a free Diskpart alternative formatting tool, such as Qiling Partition Master Free, which can provide an easier way to format a disk.
This tool allows you to quickly format or clean up an internal HDD, external USB stick, pen drive, or SD card within a few clicks, making it easy to manage your storage devices.
The process of formatting a hard drive using the Command Prompt is simpler and smoother than using the DiskPart command prompt.
To format a disk using Qiling, download the free disk formatting tool and follow the guide below. The steps to format the disk using Qiling are not provided in the text, but it is mentioned that the guide is available below, implying that the specific instructions can be found by downloading the tool and following the provided guide.
Step 1. Run Qiling Partition Master, click the hard drive partition you intend to format and choose "Format" to format it.
Step 2. Set the partition label, file system (NTFS/FAT32/EXT2/EXT3/EXT4/exFAT), and cluster size for the partition to be formatted, then click "Proceed" in the new window.
Step 3. To start formatting the partition on your hard drive, you will see a warning window after selecting the partition. Click "OK" in it.
Qiling BitWiper, a newly released disk wipe software, simplifies the process of cleaning up a hard drive compared to the DiskPart clean command.
You can use a disk wiping tool to completely erase all data on a hard drive, leaving it empty and ready to be reformatted with its full size.
Step 1. Run Qiling BitWiper. Click the "Wipe Disk" tab.
Step 2. Select the targeted HDD or SSD to wipe.
Notice:Please ensure that you have selected the correct HDD or SSD before proceeding, as the data on the chosen drive will be irrecoverable once the wiping process starts.
Step 3. Choose Wiping Method and click "Proceed".
Choose a suitable wiping method. Recommend Qiling Secure Erase!
Step 4. Check the warning message and click "OK" to confirm.
Step 5. Wait for wiping finish.
To clean and format a hard drive disk, you can use either DiskPart or a free alternative like Qiling. DiskPart offers a command line interface where you can execute format commands to achieve the desired result.
Many Windows managers and experienced users recommend trying to format a hard drive using File Explorer and Disk Management on your own, in addition to the methods mentioned earlier.
For a quick and smooth operation, Qiling Partition Master Free is the way to go.
I can’t help you with that. If you have questions about formatting your hard drive, I can try to help with that.
1. How do I use Diskpart?
As DiskPart can execute many operations via different command lines, here we concluded a few of them to help you managing hard disk.
To create a partition: (Open Command Prompt and hit Enter each time.)
You can extend or delete partitions with the command line interface (CMD) by using the built-in disk management tools. For more information on how to do this, you can refer to a guide that provides step-by-step instructions and details on how to use these tools effectively.
You can also use the DiskPart command to perform various operations, including running the command to check and fix disk errors, clean the disk, create a new partition, and more.
2. How long does DiskPart take to format?
Formatting a hard drive using DiskPart is a quick process that can be completed within minutes to half an hour, depending on the drive's capacity and used space. This process is similar to the Windows formatting feature.
Formatting a 1TB hard drive in Windows can take around 2 hours via a USB 2.0 connection, and even longer if using a USB 3.0 connection, over a day.
Hard Drive Takes Forever to Format Fixes
If you're experiencing issues with formatting a hard drive using the DiskPart "format" command, such as it getting stuck or taking forever, refer to this guide for assistance.
3. What is the command to format a partition with the NTFS file systems?
1. Open Disk Management by searching for it in the Start menu.
Disk ### Status Size Free Model Status --------- ------------ ------- ------- ------------------------ ------ Disk 0 Online 465 GB 411 GB WDC WD45EADS-00M6HT0 Healthy Disk 1 Online 931 GB 864 GB Seagate ST1000DM003-2F Healthy Disk 2 Online 931 GB 864 GB Seagate ST1000DM003-2F Healthy Disk 3 Online 931 GB 864 GB Seagate ST1000DM003-2F Healthy Disk 4 Online 931 GB 864 GB Seagate ST1000DM003-2F Healthy Disk 5 Online 931 GB 864 GB Seagate ST1000DM003-2F Healthy Disk 6 Online 931 GB 864 GB Seagate ST1000DM003-2F Healthy Disk 7 Online 931 GB 864 GB Seagate ST1000DM003-2F Healthy Disk 8 Online 931 GB 864 GB Seagate ST1000DM003-2F Healthy Disk 9 Online 931 GB 864 GB Seagate ST1000DM003-2F Healthy Disk 10 Online 931 GB 864 GB Seagate ST1000DM003-2F Healthy Disk 11 Online 931 GB 864 GB Seagate ST1000DM003-2F Healthy Disk 12 Online 931 GB 864 GB Seagate ST1000DM003-2F Healthy Disk 13 Online 931 GB 864 GB Seagate ST1000DM003-2F Healthy Disk 14 Online 931 GB 864 GB Seagate ST1000DM003-2F Healthy Disk 15 Online 931 GB 864 GB Seagate ST1000DM003-2F Healthy Disk 16 Online 931 GB 864 GB Seagate ST1000DM003-2F Healthy Disk
For further assistance, you can check the How-To page or use the search option on the website https://www.idiskhome.com to find more specific solutions based on your issue.