How to format a disk from bios. What do you think are the ways to format a hard drive on a laptop via BIOS? Now I will enlighten you

There are times when we need to format HDD via Bios. This may be needed immediately after purchasing a new hard drive, when installing or reinstalling an operating system, or as an anti-virus tool. In this material I will tell you how to format a disk via BIOS and introduce the reader to various techniques this formatting, and I will also describe programs for formatting via BIOS, which will help us with this.

If you want to know how to enter the BIOS, we have collected everything for you for each device.

Usually the need to cleanse through Bios arises in a situation where it is impossible to full access to the appropriate Windows OS tools, and everything must be done from scratch. Let me make a reservation right away that the companies that developed the existing BIOS versions - Award Software (AwardBios), American Megatrends (AmiBios), Phoenix Technologies (PhoenixBIOS) and others did not include a tool for formatting a hard drive in their bios version, while access to hard drive Available by default in the BIOS.

Consequently, “formatting a hard drive via BIOS” can only be conditional; in such an algorithm it acts only as a logistics link, allowing the user to use it to perform the necessary operations to format the hard drive.

Let me make a reservation right away that formatting (especially full formatting) completely deletes all information on the disk being formatted, so if you have something valuable there, then before formatting it is better to copy it to a flash drive, another hard drive, send it to the cloud, and so on.

Supporting tools

To format, we need a program that will help format the hard drive. Such a program is usually included in the boot disk (flash drive) along with the operating system installer; it is also included in the system recovery disk (Live CD) programs; in addition, it can be sold separately or on disk.

Using the command line

Once you have decided to format your hard drive, you can select auxiliary tools. The easiest option is to use a regular boot disk Windows OS, which almost every user has. To use its capabilities we need to run it through the BIOS.

To do this, we restart the computer (if it was turned off, turn it on), and immediately after the start, quickly press several times on the button responsible for entering the BIOS - usually this is the “Delete” key, but there are also variations with the F8, F12, Ctrl + F2 keys and Escape.
After entering the BIOS, go to the Boot tab, select the item “ Boot Device Priority" and press "Enter".
We install our CDROM or DVDROM as the main boot device (in first place), click on F10 and save our changes by clicking “Ok”.
The computer will start to boot and the message “Press any key to boot from CD or DVD” will appear in front of you. Press any key.
On the language selection screen, press Shift+F10, which will give you access to the command line. If you are a Windows 8 user, then go to the path select language - diagnostics - additional features- command line.
At the command line, type the following command (instead of C, you can enter another partition of your hard drive - D, E, etc.):

format /FS:NTFS C: /q – fast format in NTFS system

format /FS:FAT32 C: /q – fast format in FAT32

You can write it even simpler, for example: format c:/q

Click “Ok” and wait for the end of the formatting process.

Using the Windows Installer Features

We can also use the built-in capabilities of the Windows installer to format the hard drive via BIOS ( a new version). We also launch through the BIOS as in the previous case, only in the Windows installer language selection menu we click “Next”. Then select “Full installation”, select the disk to format (click on it), then click “Disk Settings” and select “Format” there.

Formatting from a flash drive

As a boot tool with a Windows installation, you can use a flash drive on which the Windows OS installation is recorded. In this case, the flash drive itself must be made bootable using special programs (for example, UltraISO). Although sometimes it’s enough to simply copy the Windows installer to a USB flash drive and run it from the BIOS. Don't forget to make the flash drive the first boot device in the BIOS as shown above (sometimes in the "Hard" menu item Disk Drive you need to specify the flash drive first, and the CD (DVD) second).

We use the Acronis Disk Director Suite program

This program usually included in the LiveCD and other Windows OS builds, and is an auxiliary utility for working with hard drive. After launching the application, select the hard drive you need to format, right-click on it, in the menu that appears, click on “Format”, select the type file system and confirm the operation by clicking “Execute”. After the operation is completed, reboot.

You can visually see how this program works in the video:

Paragon Hard Disk Manager

An alternative to the previous one, a program with good functionality and good work experience. The algorithm for working with it is similar to the previous program - select a disk - right mouse button - Format Partition - select a file system - Format. After completion, reboot as usual.

DBAN

You can also use free tool DBAN, which easily cleans and formats your hard drive. To take advantage of its functionality, this program needs to be made bootable from a flash drive; the appropriate software will help us with this (for example, Universal USB Loader).

How it looks is visually shown in the video:

Conclusion

As we can see, formatting a hard drive via BIOS is carried out using auxiliary tools in the form of a boot disk or flash drive on which the Windows OS installer is installed. The capabilities of the latter make it easy to install, both using the command line and using the Windows installer itself. At the same time, there is always an alternative in the form of various auxiliary programs included in various LiveCD assemblies; these tools are quite enough to easily and quickly format the hard drive we need.

Standard means do not imply a direct ability to format the hard drive through the BIOS. Sometime during the use of DOS, which itself was already operating system, but booted the same way as BIOS, you could type in Command line DEL plus the drive name and perform this action. Today's PCs do not provide this option. Therefore, to perform this operation you must use either the operating system or special programs. The first option is not suitable if the OS does not start. Additionally, Windows protects itself. If you try to format a volume, usually the “C” drive on which the OS is recorded, this action will be prohibited. Therefore, a different approach is needed. But exiting to the BIOS is mainly necessary as an intermediate stage of performing an action. Therefore, we will figure out how to format a hard drive through BIOS, taking these features into account.

What is formatting

The hard drive is structurally a plate on which a coating with special magnetic properties is applied. Initially there are no reference points for the hard drive heads on it. In order for every bit of information to be stored in a specific place, and provided fast access to it, the disk needs to be partitioned. This process is called formatting. Tracks, sectors are applied to it, and information is also recorded to identify the hard drive and control it. During this operation, the physical condition of the surface is also checked; those areas that have defects that preclude reliable recording and storage are marked as inaccessible.

Formatting is carried out not only on new hard drives, for which this is almost always done at the manufacturer, but also when reinstalling the system. Disk sectors on which Windows or another OS was recorded are marked in a new way in order to eliminate conflicts between programs. In addition, deleting files from storage does not mean that they are completely erased. Quick formatting deletes only information about the location where they were located. Therefore, over time, the disk becomes filled with their fragments, which does not improve the stability of the machine. Approximately the same applies to solid-state hard drives (on chips) that are gaining popularity; the OS works with them according to the same principle.

Formatting Types

When reading files, the machine does not search for them across the entire surface of the disk. The disk has a service area in which a list of files and exact addresses, that is, track and sector numbers, are stored. The reader immediately goes there, and then precisely positions the heads in the right place. This feature is associated with the existence of two types of formatting. When considering how to format a hard drive, you need to take this feature into account.

Quick formatting takes minimal time. When executed, the list of saved files is simply erased.

Standard normal formatting - a longer operation, during which all information is erased and the disk is checked. In this case, all service information is completely rewritten, taking into account detected inoperative tracks and sectors.

Conducting quick formatting it is necessary to take into account that information previously recorded on the disk becomes inaccessible standard methods. True, most of it can be restored using special utilities. With full formatting, everything is lost forever.

FAT32 or NTFS

If you need to format the disk, you can select one of the file systems. By the way, the need to change it is also the reason for formatting the disk. It doesn’t matter what system was installed before, all programs and Windows versions work with both options. Let's figure out what to choose.

NTFS supports working with large amounts of data, but, as experience shows, it works slower on older machines with low performance. This is her only drawback. If you choose FAT32, then you need to take into account that you will not be able to copy or move a file larger than 4 GB, because when the system was developed, all computer memory was smaller. Also, this system does not support data encryption and restriction of access to it. Therefore, if speed is important with limited hardware capabilities, then for formatting you should choose FAT32, otherwise NTFS which is more suitable for hard drives modern cars.

Using an operating system boot disk

This solution is actually formatting a disk in Windows; we simply use the system that is not installed in the machine, but load it from removable media. Let's consider the sequence of actions:

Using the Command Line

Another way is possible, through the Command Line. Then you should do the following:

Another method using a boot disk, but without booting

In this case, you do not need a boot disk, but a Windows recovery disk version 7, 8 or even XP. It's just as easy to do:

The process takes several minutes. Now you can use this disk to format your hard drive, even if the OS does not start. To do this you need to complete the following steps:

Insert the recovery disc into the drive and reboot the machine. The system will not start booting from hard drive, but from an optical drive.
After selecting the language, press Shift + F10. This will open Command line.
To determine the usual volume name, enter the command wmic logicaldisk get deviceid, volumename, size, description
Then format the disk using the already known command format /FS:NTFS X: /q

Formatting using special programs

There are many formatting programs, but the vast majority of them are installed and run from Windows. We are interested in those that do not require a working OS; relatively speaking, they allow formatting the hard drive via BIOS. True, this is a double job, since after performing an operation on the disk on which the OS was, you will still need to reinstall it, and for this you need a boot disk with Windows.

One of the utilities that works without an OS is ERD Commander, intended for emergency system recovery and is actually a trimmed version of Windows.

The program has many useful functions, but let’s consider formatting the disk. The sequence of actions, which is very similar to formatting work using the OS, will be as follows:

Conclusion

We will be glad if this short article helps you solve the problem of formatting disks using BIOS if other options are not possible. The solution to this problem is presented using the capabilities of the operating system and the use of special programs.

Video on the topic

Formatting hard disk through the BIOS is only possible using the boot disk of your operating system. To enter the BIOS you need to restart the computer. While loading the operating system, we press the "Delete" key. Here we are in the "BIOS" section. The BIOS system is designed to configure the performance of the entire computer as a whole. We will look at how to format a hard drive via BIOS.

Format the hard drive: BIOS menu

So, to start formatting your hard drive through BIOS you need to take the following steps:

Open the CD drive and insert the disc containing the installation files for your operating system.
Restart your computer.
When you see "Press Del to run setup" press the "Del" key.
You are now in the "BIOS" section menu.
You need to select the "Boot" tab, where you select your disk drive as the boot device. Typically, the drive is displayed by its model name.
After the loading principle is selected, you need to exit and save the changes.
If you did everything correctly, the download will start from installation disk.
Select "System Restore using the R key."
Press R.
A message appears telling you which copy of Windows needs to be restored.
If your computer has one operating system, then enter the number 1.
The next message will ask you to enter your administrator password. If you don't have a password, just press enter. If there is a password, enter the password and press enter.
We see the system prompt.
Next you need to enter the command "format: c"
Press enter and enter "y", which means you agree to perform the operations.

We will offer you another one good way on how to format a hard drive through BIOS, which does not require such a large number of actions:

We will need the ERD comander program.
You can download it from this link: download ERD comander.
After downloading, this program must be written to a blank disk.
Now on our disc there is a bootable installation disk.
We put in BIOS loading from the drive.
The "Working with Disks" section will load.
Using this partition you can format the disk.

Formatting a hard drive: help from another computer

Disconnect your hard drive and connect it to another personal computer.
After connecting, your hard drive will appear in the "My Computer" section.
You will need to right-click on it and select the format disk option.

Formatting the hard drive: installing new OS files

Place the installation disk of your OS (operating system) in the drive.
In the BIOS, select the boot from disk option.
Follow the instructions that appear next.
Attention. This method will lead to complete update yours operating program. Some files and programs that you actively used may be deleted.

What is BIOS

Of course, to understand how to format a hard drive through BIOS, you need to know what BIOS is.

BIOS is a basic input and output system or Basic Input/Output System. BIOS is designed to check Hardware computer. BIOS mainly consists of firmware that runs the control systems of each of the devices installed on the computer. The BIOS has a built-in speaker that sounds when the device verification process fails. The signal appears when it is impossible to display error information on the computer monitor. BIOS not only checks the performance of computer systems, but also sets some minimum characteristics for their operation. Bus frequency, for example, or some parameters of the central microprocessor. Thus, BIOS is one of the most important systems that a computer cannot do without. BIOS is a certain working minimum with which you can diagnose and correct errors in the operation of the entire personal computer system.

If you are puzzled by the question of how to format a laptop via BIOS, we want to warn you that it is not entirely correct. The point is that in basic system input/output, i.e. in the BIOS, as well as in the new UEFI interface, there is no function for formatting the hard drive. This error is due to the fact that the operating system, once loaded, will not allow the user to repartition the partition on which it is installed. And to format the disk, you need to exit the installed operating system. Therefore, many people mistakenly believe that formatting a hard drive occurs in the BIOS. How this is actually done, read below.

Prepare your boot drive

In order to format, you need to launch the so-called boot drive. For these purposes you can use the following:

operating system distribution, recorded on a flash drive or optical disk;
recovery disk (can be created on either a DVD or a USB drive);
Live CD based on Windows or Linux operating system.

You can get the distribution kit of the new Windows 10 operating system on the official Microsoft website. To do this you need:

If you want to create a recovery disk, do the following:

Go to BIOS or UEFI

Now insert the prepared boot drive into the laptop and follow the further instructions.

If your laptop is less than 3-4 years old, then most likely it uses the UEFI standard. In this case, to initialize the boot drive, do the following:

If your laptop uses a BIOS standard, then in order to launch files from the boot drive in the correct mode, you need to change the boot queue. To do this, launch the BIOS (read how to do this). Go to the BOOT section and put the USB drive or optical drive in the first place.

Let's start formatting

If the above steps were done correctly, after rebooting the computer will begin loading installation files from the drive. Next, if you plan to install the operating system from the same drive after formatting, do the following:

if necessary, change the language settings and proceed further;
click the “Install” button;
enter the activation code (activation is allowed after installation);
select the operating system version;
accept the license terms;
when determining the installation type, use custom;
select the hard drive that you want to format and click on the corresponding button;
follow further on-screen instructions.

If you do not want to install the operating system from a bootable drive, but simply want to format the hard drive, then in the language selection window, launch the command line by pressing Shift+F10 (if you use boot files Windows 8, then follow the path Diagnostics - Advanced Features - Command Line). Then determine the disk label using the command wmic logicaldisk get deviceid, volumename, size, description. Then substitute the resulting value instead of asterisks in one of the following commands:

format /FS:NTFS ***: /q– for quick formatting in the NTFS file system;
format /FS:FAT32***:/q – for quick formatting in FAT system

After entering the last command, enter the drive label and confirm formatting.

7 265

There are times when we need to format a hard drive via Bios. This may be needed immediately after purchasing a new hard drive, when installing or reinstalling an operating system, or as an anti-virus tool. In this material I will tell you how to format a disk via BIOS, introduce the reader to various methods of this formatting, and also describe programs for formatting via BIOS that will help us with this.

If you want to know how to enter the BIOS, we have collected for you all the methods for each device.

HDD

Formatting a hard drive via BIOS

Usually, the need to cleanse via BIOS arises in a situation where it is impossible to have full access to the corresponding Windows OS tools, and everything must be done from scratch. I’ll immediately make a reservation that the companies that developed the existing BIOS versions - Award Software (AwardBios), American Megatrends (AmiBios), Phoenix Technologies (PhoenixBIOS) and others did not include a tool for formatting the hard drive in their bios versions, while access to the hard drive in the BIOS available by default.

Control via BIOS

Consequently, “formatting a hard drive through the BIOS” is only possible conditionally; in such an algorithm, the BIOS acts only as a logistics link, allowing the user to use it to perform the necessary operations to format the hard drive.

Supporting tools

To format, we need a program that will help format the hard drive. Such a program is usually included in the boot disk (flash drive) along with the operating system installer; it is also included in the programs on the system recovery disk (Live CD), in addition, it can be separately written to a flash drive or disk.

Using the command line

Once you have decided to format your hard drive, you can select auxiliary tools. The easiest option is to use a regular Windows OS boot disk, which almost every user has. To use its capabilities we need to run it through the BIOS.

To do this, we restart the computer (if it was turned off, turn it on), and immediately after the start, quickly press several times on the button responsible for entering the BIOS - usually this is the “Delete” key, but there are also variations with the F8, F12, Ctrl + F2 keys and Escape.
After entering the BIOS, go to the Boot tab, select the “Boot Device Priority” item in it and press “Enter”.
We install our CDROM or DVDROM as the main boot device (in first place), click on F10 and save our changes by clicking “Ok”.
The computer will start to boot and the message “Press any key to boot from CD or DVD” will appear in front of you. Press any key.
On the language selection screen, press Shift+F10, which will give you access to the command line. If you windows user 8, then follow the path select language - diagnostics - additional options - command line.
At the command line, type the following command (instead of C, you can enter another partition of your hard drive - D, E, etc.):

format /FS:NTFS C: /q – fast format in the NTFS system

format /FS:FAT32 C: /q – fast format in FAT32

You can write it even simpler, for example: format c:/ q

Click “Ok” and wait for the end of the formatting process.

HDD cleaning

Using the Windows Installer Features

We can also use the built-in capabilities of the windows installer to format the hard drive via BIOS (new version UEFI Boot). We also launch through the BIOS as in the previous case, only in the windows installer language selection menu we click “Next”. Then select “Full installation”, select the disk to format (click on it), then click “Disk Settings” and select “Format” there.

Formatting from a flash drive

As a loading tool with Windows installation You can use a flash drive on which the Windows OS installation is recorded. In this case, the flash drive itself must be made bootable using special programs (for example, UltraISO). Although sometimes it’s enough to just copy the windows installer to a flash drive and run it from the BIOS. Don't forget to make the flash drive the first boot device in the BIOS as shown above (sometimes in the menu item " Hard Disk Drive you need to specify the flash drive first, and the CD (DVD) second).

We use the Acronis Disk Director Suite program

This program is usually included in the LiveCD and other Windows OS builds, and is an auxiliary utility for working with the hard drive. After launching the application, select the hard drive you need to format, right-click on it, in the menu that appears, click on “Format”, select the type of file system and confirm the operation by clicking “Run”. After the operation is completed, reboot.

You can visually see how this program works in the video:

Paragon Hard Disk Manager

DBAN

You can also use the free DBAN tool, which easily cleans and formats your hard drive. To take advantage of its functionality, this program needs to be made bootable from a flash drive; the appropriate software will help us with this (for example, Universal USB Loader).

How it looks is visually shown in the video:

Conclusion

droidov.com

How to quickly format a hard drive via BIOS

Often, before installing an operating system, users wonder how to format a hard drive via BIOS. This procedure must be resorted to in order to clear partitions that are inaccessible after start windows. However, it is worth remembering that it will not be possible to completely delete information from the hard drive itself in this way.

Description of the procedure

To perform this, you will need a boot device with a recorded OS (it is advisable to create it in advance). The sequence of steps to format a disk via BIOS is as follows:

Restart the computer with the connected media and immediately after startup enter the I/O system using the appropriate key. Usually this is F12, F8 or Escape, but if the version is very outdated, other combinations may be used.
In the window that appears, you need to open the Boot tab, then Boot Option Priorities. This section allows you to select where the OS will be loaded from (from a flash drive or other device), which is what you need to do. Depending on the removable media, mark the USB port or CD-ROM.
Exit, saving your changes, after which the computer will restart. Before you start formatting the disk, you will need to launch the OS from the selected device by pressing any key on the laptop.
Call the command line. If the procedure is carried out using media with Windows 7, press the combination Shift+F10. For version 8 this method does not work, it is replaced user interface.
Make sure it's correct letter designation, before formatting the disk. After starting from the boot device, it may change, so in order not to delete important files, you need to enter “wmic logicaldisk get deviceid, volumename, size, description”.
Go directly to the cleaning procedure. To do this, you need to enter “format /FS:NTFS X: /q” in the window, instead of X entering the desired designation, for example, C (the drive that most often needs to delete data from the system partition).

Then all that remains is to wait for the end of the process, confirming the command by pressing Enter.

Other methods

The Windows installer allows you to do without CMD, which some people are afraid to use for some reason. Only the familiar interface will be used here, but before you start formatting the hard drive via BIOS, you will have to carry out the first 3 points of the previous section.

After the language selection step, click on “ Full installation", call up a list of available disks and configure the installation. In the parameters that open, you need to mark the “Format” item with the cursor and follow further instructions. However, this method will not work if the installation of the operating system windows systems not required.

In addition, you can use the ERD Commander program by creating a boot CD based on it. In the BIOS you will also need to select a priority device to start (in this case, the drive). When the program opens, go to the MicroSoft Diagnostic and Recovery Toolset section and click “Next” until the working window opens. In it you need to click on the “Cleaning” item, after which formatting of the hard drive will begin (via BIOS without software third party tools this is impossible).

There is another program that allows you to do the same thing and burn an emergency flash drive - AOMEI Partition Assistant Standard Edition. She happens to be free analogue utilities for working with various drives and has a friendly interface, so the user can understand how to format a hard drive without third-party tips.

In general, the algorithm of actions is almost the same for most operating systems, but the names of the items may differ significantly from each other. The same applies to the input/output system: the names of the sections may not be the same as those given above due to differences in versions. However, although it is easier to clean a Windows hard drive, it is important to remember that the use of third-party tools is mandatory. It is not possible to format via BIOS due to the lack of proper functionality, so you will have to stock up on a boot device.

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HDDiq.ru

How to format a hard drive via BIOS

Situation: you turn on the computer, and there “ blue screen of death". You urgently need to format your hard drive, but there is no specialist. In this article we will look at a way to format a hard drive yourself, without outside help.

We reboot the computer and immediately after turning it on, press the Del key to enter the BIOS. It happens that instead of the Del button you need to press Insert, F2, F5, F12. The exact data can be found when the computer boots; at the bottom of the screen a message appears like “to enter the BIOS, press DEL/Insert, etc.” Immediately after these steps, the BIOS window will appear, where you can navigate through bookmarks only through the keyboard, not with the mouse. Go to the “Boot” tab.

Now you need to configure it so that when you turn on the computer, booting occurs not from the hard drive, but from boot sector CD-Rjm. To do this, go to the “Boot Device Priority” item. Using the F5, F4 keys we set the CDROM value to the first position.

Exit the BIOS and save the changes by pressing the F10 key. Next, the computer will reboot and the command line will appear (a black screen for direct communication with the “brain” of the computer through commands). The easiest way to format a hard drive is to insert a windows installation disc. After the reboot, the OS installation will begin immediately and you will be asked if any partition needs to be formatted. Select drive C and the button format in the NTFS file system (Windows 7, Figure 1) or when windows installation XP, Figure 2.

After formatting is completed, the installation process of the Windows operating system will begin immediately. This is perhaps the fastest and most useful way to format a hard drive.

SovetClub.ru

How to format a hard drive via BIOS: the three most rational ways to format hard drives

Let's make a reservation right away: it is impossible to format a hard drive using microsystem BIOS tools alone. As, however, it is impossible to format the system partition of the hard drive while directly in the operating room windows environment. Based on all of the above, the question is: How to format a hard drive via BIOS, you should understand the user’s desire to fully mark out the disk space, without excluding individual areas of the drive. The most common and most correct formatting tools will be discussed in this article.

How can BIOS help you when you need to partition your hard drive?

In order to format disk drive you will need a boot disk or flash drive on which a special software tool, through which further operations are carried out for marking the HDD or a comprehensive software solution in the form of a software package, one of which is the tool of interest to us. In most cases, the user uses a regular boot disk with a Windows OS distribution, which initially contains a program capable of formatting both the entire hard drive as a whole and each individual area selectively.

However, without making some changes to the operation of the microsystem BIOS, using bootable storage media is quite difficult. Because the BIOS during the boot process uses a priority list of bootloaders, in which the computer’s hard drive is considered the main startup device. In case you need to boot from a flash drive or using optical drive boot from a CD/DVD disk, in the basic settings you need to specify a specific boot method, changing special parameters in one or more optionally assigned sections of the microsystem. But first you need to have knowledge of how to get into the BIOS environment?

How to enter the BIOS microsystem?

Due to some differences among those on the market BIOS systems, in each individual case (meaning different versions of the basic microsystems) its own scheme for entering the BIOS environment is used. At the same time, access to the basic settings of the computer can be obtained if, during the initial boot process of the system, the corresponding service key is pressed several times.

The most common scheme for gaining access to the BSVV is considered to be the option of using one of the keys: “Delete” or “F2”. Otherwise, you can get acquainted with the information you are interested in from the technical documentation for the device, or use this link to an article that details recommendations for logging into basic settings well-known computer modifications.

Method No. 1: formatting the hard drive using the installation disk

This method formatting can be considered the simplest. All you need to do is install the optical storage medium into the drive, assign the reader as the priority bootloader equipment and carry out a few simple manipulations in the installer software shell.

Let's say you are using a Windows 7 distribution:

Once in the window for selecting the operating environment installation directory, select the required section from the list.

Click on the "Disk Setup" button.

After that, activate the next button - “Format”, which will appear nearby in the lower area of the window, on the left.

Method #2: Using a Recovery Disk

In the Windows operating environment, you can always create a recovery disk, which can later be used to format the system partition (C:\). You can read how to do this here, but we follow according to the schedule...

Use the “Command Line” item, which will ultimately take you to the service console of the same name.

It is worth noting that the letters of the sections that you certain time observed in the Windows environment and consider them to be fixed unifiers of drive partitions, they may differ in command line mode. Therefore, it is most expedient to “recognize” disks by their storage capacity, that is, by size.

Enter the command: wmic logicaldisk get deviceid, volumename, size, description.

Carefully study the list presented and make the right decision.

After you enter the command: format /FS:NTFS X: /q (where X: is the drive letter) and press the “Enter” key, the immediate process of quick formatting will begin.

If you need to format a disk or partition using the FAT32 file system using a similar method, then instead of the NTFS parameter present in the command, set the required FAT value

Method No. 3: formatting the hard drive using third-party software

Today, there are many different programs and utilities that cope with disk space layout tasks with great ease. However, two, let's call them, especially interesting programs, are still worthy of special mention.

So, to your attention, dear reader:

ERD Commander

So to speak, a lightweight software tool that has a separately presented “Disk Cleanup” option, with the help of which the process of formatting a certain disk space is carried out. Moreover, selecting and managing editable HDD areas is a very simple action in a few clicks.

Acronis Disk Manager

Very convenient and, in its class, undoubtedly the leading specialized program for managing hard disk partitions. However, despite its versatility and a number of wide possibilities for editing HDD partitions, Acronic is as easy to manage as the ascetic “ERD Comander” presented above. However, more detailed information about the program you can find here.

Correctly carried out the formatting process for you and Have a good mood!

chopen.net

How to format a hard drive through BIOS

Standard tools do not provide a direct option to format a hard drive through the BIOS. Once upon a time, when using DOS, which was itself an operating system but booted just like BIOS, you could type DEL plus the drive name at the Command Prompt and perform that action. Today's PCs do not provide this option. Therefore, to perform this operation you must use either the operating system or special programs. The first option is not suitable if the OS does not start. In addition, Windows protects itself. If you try to format a volume, usually the “C” drive on which the OS is recorded, this action will be prohibited. Therefore, a different approach is needed. But exiting to the BIOS is mainly necessary as an intermediate stage of performing an action. Therefore, we will figure out how to format a hard drive through BIOS, taking these features into account.

What is formatting

The hard drive is structurally a plate on which a coating with special magnetic properties is applied. Initially there are no reference points for the hard drive heads on it. In order for each bit of information to be stored in a specific place and to provide quick access to it, the disk needs to be partitioned. This process is called formatting. Tracks, sectors are applied to it, and information is also recorded to identify the hard drive and control it. During this operation, the physical condition of the surface is also checked; those areas that have defects that preclude reliable recording and storage are marked as inaccessible.

Formatting Types

Quick formatting takes minimal time. When executed, the list of saved files is simply erased.

Standard regular formatting is a longer operation, it erases all information and checks the disk. In this case, all service information is completely rewritten, taking into account detected inoperative tracks and sectors.

When performing quick formatting, it is necessary to take into account that information previously recorded on the disk becomes inaccessible using standard methods. True, most of it can be restored using special utilities. With full formatting, everything is lost forever.