Manual format hard drive

During the normal computing process, Windows accumulates a ton of junk that slows it down: residual files, leftover installers, temporary files, cached data, and more.

Open Finder , click the Go drop-down menu, and select Utilities. Click Erase to format the drive. A window will display to let you choose the file system you want, and how many times you want to overwrite the drive. Before you start the formatting process outlined above, decide which hard drive you want to reformat.

On Windows, your primary hard drive or C drive C: is the internal hard disk where the operating system OS resides. You may also have additional internal drives to store more files on your computer. This happens when your disk is partitioned separated between the primary drive and additional internal drives. An external hard drive is located outside of your computer, and it can be a flash drive also called thumb drive or USB or a larger drive that can contain either a solid-state drive SSD or hard disk drive HDD.

File systems are rules that govern how an OS stores and reads files. With basic file security and support for files over 4 GB in size, NTFS is the best option when transferring large files. Also, NTFS lets you set helpful advanced permissions. Use the exFAT file system if you want to move files between Windows and Mac devices, or if you want your files to be compatible on both operating systems. After selecting the appropriate file system, you can start formatting.

Jump back up to learn how to reformat a hard drive on Windows or get formatting instructions for Mac. The steps to format external drives and flash drives also called thumb drives and USB drives are the same as formatting internal drives. That means that learning how to format an external hard drive is fairly straightforward. See above for our step-by-step instructions on formatting drives on Windows or Mac.

And remember that if you want your external drive to be both Mac and Windows compatible, use the exFAT file system. Why format a hard drive? As mentioned above, formatting a hard drive can help with a variety of tasks. Quick format: Deletes or overwrites your files, which is closer to hiding them than removing them for good. Normal format also called reformat : Erases your files and completely wipes the drive, making it much more difficult to recover.

This is the best option if you want to sell or give away your computer or external storage device. Start from scratch: If things are no longer working on your machine, you can format the drive and reinstall the OS to try to create a new computer environment.

Make sure to back up the files you need or clone your hard drive before you start formatting. Hard disk and hard drive have the same meaning. While in that folder, the files can be recovered easily. If you empty the Recycle Bin or Trash, the files can then be overwritten by new data. When your device needs to save new data, it can and will use the space occupied by the deleted files. Before they get overwritten, though, you can still recover deleted files using data recovery software.

The more recently the files were deleted, the easier it is to recover them. Wipe: Wiping refers to erasing everything on a given storage device or hard drive. As with erasing, you can use data destruction software — or just break out a hammer, unless you want to use the device again.

Format: Depending on your operating system, you should have a few options available for formatting. A quick format will simply delete data on a drive, while a normal format will erase everything wipe the drive. The drive can be your hard drive, or a removable drive such as a USB.

Step 3. Find the external hard drive under External and then click Partition on the top menu of the right panel. Step 4. Note: To save games and apps, you need to do this formatting on Xbox One itself because the Xbox One external hard drive format type is a proprietary one. Step 1. Plug the USB 3. In the next page, choose Install new things here and then Format storage device.

Be aware that any data on the drive will be wiped clean. When finished, all is done. Kind Remind: If you cancel formatting a storage device, you can set it up later by following these paths:. Like this post? Share it with more Xbox One users! While a lot of users complained their Xbox One external hard drive cannot be recognized by Windows anymore, we find that the drive is actually detected in BIOS and appears in Disk Management but shows as Disk Unknown not Initialized.

Xbox One just changed the way for communication so Windows cannot recognize the drive. In MiniTool Partition, not initialized hard drive will be shown as unallocated disk space. And in this case, you just need to create a new partition on the drive. Latitude Laptop. Inspiron Laptop. Studio Laptop. XPS Laptop. Adamo Laptop. Precision Laptop. Vostro Laptop. Alienware Laptop.

Dell Chromebook. Venue Tablet. Precision Desktop. XPS Desktop. Vostro Desktop. Optiplex Desktop. Dimension Desktop. Inspiron Desktop. Studio Desktop. Aleinware Desktop. PowerVault Server. More Resources. Dell Laptop Repair Service Center. We are a leading supplier of Dell replacement parts and stock all laptop repair parts needed to repair your Dell laptop.

We are a trusted supplier to s of schools, government agencies, military and repair shops worldwide. Send your laptop to the Dell Experts! Dell DC Jack Repair. Part Installation Service.