5 Ways To Format Hard Drive

Formatting your hard drive allows you to save files and install programs on your computer. The format you choose determines the compatibility of your hard drive. Formatting your hard drive will erase all your data, so back up your data in advance. You can format the second (or third, fourth, etc.) hard drive within the operating system, or you can use the operating system installation CD to format the primary hard drive. If you need to wipe your data safely, there are also free tools that can safely wipe your data so that it cannot be restored.

Format the second hard drive in Windows

Make a backup copy of the data you want to save. Formatting a hard drive erases all stored data, so be sure to save the data in a safe place. You can back up your data to a new hard drive later.

Software that is already installed cannot be backed up. You will need to reinstall the program on your new hard drive. However, you can usually back up configuration files and configuration files.

Read this guide for more information on how to back up your data.

Install the hard drive. To format a new hard drive, you need to connect it to your computer. Please read the installation guide for the internal hard drive. If your hard drive is an external hard drive, connect it via USB.

⊞ WinEPress the Start menu or + to open the Computer / My Computer / My PC window. All storage media on your computer will be displayed in this window.

Right click on the hard drive you want to format and “Format ” “Click. A Windows format window opens.

Make sure you have selected the correct hard drive. Formatting the hard drive will erase all data.

Select a file system. The file system is a way for hard drives to organize and categorize files and determine hard drive compatibility. Select NTFS if the hard drive is an internal hard drive and will only be used on Windows computers. If you are using an external hard drive, select FAT32 or exFAT.

FAT32 and exFAT can be created on fairly new operating systems. FAT32 is an older file system and does not support files larger than 4GB, but it can be read by almost any operating system. There is no limit to the size of exFAT files, but they cannot be read by older operating systems such as Windows 95.

In general, exFAT is compatible with most operating systems and can store large files, making it ideal for external hard drives.

Specify the name of the hard drive. If you are using your hard drive for only one purpose, naming your hard drive will help you identify its contents. For example, if the second hard drive contains music, movies, and photos, the name ‘media ‘ will quickly indicate the contents of the hard drive.

Decide whether to use the quick format. Quick Format formats your hard drive faster than the standard formatting process, which is sufficient for most users. Run the standard format only if you suspect a problem with your hard drive. You can solve the problem in standard format.

Explicit formatting options do not guarantee that your data will be safely deleted. If you need to safely delete your data, please read the last part of this guide.

Click Start to start the formatting process, then click OK to make sure you understand that the entire contents of your hard drive will be erased. If you choose quick format, the formatting process will be completed in seconds.

Format the second hard drive in Windows

Make a backup copy of the data you want to save. Formatting a hard drive erases all stored data, so be sure to save the data in a safe place. You can back up your data to a new hard drive later.

Software that is already installed cannot be backed up. You will need to reinstall the program on your new hard drive. However, you can usually back up configuration files and configuration files.

Read the guide for more information on how to back up your data.

Install the hard drive. When you format a new hard drive, you need to connect it to your computer. Please read the installation guide for the internal hard drive. If the drive is an external drive, connect it via USB, FireWire, or Thunderbolt.

“Go ” Click “and select to open Disk Utility. “Utility “. If you don’t see the Utilities option, “Application ” Select “” and double-click the folder “Utility “, then “Open Disk Utility Program “.

Select your hard drive from the list on the left. All storage media connected to your computer are listed on the left side of the Disk Utility window. Make sure you have selected the correct hard drive.

Click the “Erase ” tab to open the hard drive format options.

Select a file system. The file system is a way for hard drives to organize and categorize files and determine hard drive compatibility. Use the Volume Format menu to select a file system. If the hard drive is an internal hard drive and you want to use it only on a Mac computer, ” Select Mac OS X Extended (Journaled). If you are using an external hard drive, select exFAT.

In general, exFAT is compatible with most operating systems and can store large files, making it ideal for external hard drives.

Click Clear to start the formatting process. This process only takes a few seconds.

Formatting your hard drive this way will not safely erase your data. Please read the last part of this guide to make sure your data has been safely deleted.

Format the default hard drive in Windows

Make a backup copy of the data you want to save. Formatting the primary hard drive erases the operating system and all files stored on it, requiring you to reinstall the operating system. Backing up your data simplifies the transfer process.

Read the guide for more information on how to back up your data.

Insert the Windows installation CD. You can also use a boot disk or LiveCD. You can use this CD to format your hard drive because you can boot your computer instead of booting from your hard drive.

Configure your computer to boot from the CD. To boot from the CD, you need to set the boot order for your computer. Read the guide for changing the boot order.

Shut down and restart your computer to enter the BIOS. F2Press the normal settings button or.F10Del

The installation screen is displayed. To see the list of hard drives, you need to launch the installer and browse to the first few pages. “Run a custom installation ” “.

Select the hard drive to format. This will show you all your hard drives and partitions. Select the hard drive you want to format and click the Format button at the bottom of the list. The hard drive is formatted as an NTFS hard drive.

Basic hard drives can only be formatted as NTFS.

Reinstall Windows. After formatting your primary hard drive, you can either reinstall Windows or install Linux on your hard drive. You must have an operating system installed to use your computer.

Format your main hard drive on OS X

Software that is already installed cannot be backed up. You will need to reinstall the program on your new hard drive. However, you can usually back up configuration files and configuration files.

Read the guide for more information on how to back up your data.

Make sure your computer is connected to the internet. After this process, you will need an internet connection to reinstall your operating system. Read the guide on how to connect your Mac to the Internet.

Press the Apple menu and select Restart to restart your computer . After the computer restarts , press and hold ⌘ Command+R to open the boot menu.

From the Start menu “Disk Utility ” Select “” to open Disk Utility in boot mode.

Select your hard drive from the list on the left. The entire hard drive is displayed on the left. Select the correct hard drive as formatting will result in data loss.

Select a file system. The file system is a way for hard drives to organize and categorize files and determine hard drive compatibility. Because this is the primary hard drive, “Mac OS X (Journaled) ” “please choose.

Give your hard drive a name. For example, if you are reinstalling the operating system, name your hard drive “OSX “.

Click Erase to start formatting your hard drive. This process only takes a few seconds.

Close Disk Utility and return to the boot menu.

Reinstall OS X. “Reinstall OS X ” Click “to start the operating system installation.

Safely format your hard drive

Make a backup copy of the data you want to save. Even if you run it on a government-owned supercomputer, it can take several days to restore the content, so you cannot restore a securely formatted hard drive. Therefore, back up the required data.

Read the guide for more information on how to back up your data.

Download DBAN. DBAN is a hard drive format program designed to safely erase data by overwriting it irreparably.

DBAN cannot be used with SSD hard drives. You need to use another program like Blancco.

Burn DBAN to DVD. DBAN is provided in the form of an ISO image. You can start the DBAN interface directly by burning this ISO file to a DVD.

Read the guide for more information on how to burn ISO to DVD.

Boot your computer from DBAN DVD. Insert the DVD into your computer and restart your computer. Select your DVD drive as your default boot device.

Windows: You need to set the optical drive as the boot drive in the BIOS menu. Please read the manual for the setting method.

COS X: Press and hold while the computer is restarting. After a while, DBAN will start.

Please select a hard drive. Tap the DBAN home screen and ↵ Enteruse the arrow keys to select your hard drive. If you have multiple drives, you need to select the appropriate hard drive.

Select the deletion method. “DoD ” is recommended for most users because it securely deletes data. If you have very sensitive information, select “8-Pass PRNG Stream ” to overwrite the data on your hard drive with random numbers 8 times. , Discard the data.

Start the formatting process. Select a formatting method to start the formatting process. Deleting data using DBAN can take hours to days, depending on the type of method and the size of your hard drive.