Question Can I switch users from Admin account to my work account while Admin account performs Full Format on 2TB external drive?

[jsize96]

So I didn't realize what I was signing up for when I started a Full Format on my 2TB external hard drive. I wasn't expecting that it would take hours, or up to a day, to complete. I have a separate user on my PC dedicated to Admin restricted operations, so that's what I used to reformat this drive. (I was reformatting from NTFS to exFAT, and this size drive could only be formatted to exFAT using Disk Manager, which was Admin restricted). But now that this process is running and I see how long it's going to take, I'm wondering if it's safe to switch back from Admin to my regular account without interrupting the format, or if I'm basically stuck here in Admin limbo until the process completes.

TLDR: Can I get any research done today or do I have to make today an "errands" day?

 

[Eximo]

You should be able to login as a different user without interrupting running processes on another account, yes.

 

[jsize96]

Thank you! I just needed that nudge that "it's fine!" because I was afraid of screwing the process up. I appreciate it!

 

[Alabalcho]

Just press <Win>-<L>, your Admin account will remain logged in, formatting will proceed, and log in as your other user.

OTOH - if your external drive was working fine under NTFS, why you need "Full format" when changing to exFAT?