How to Format A Hard Drive Using Command Prompt

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Aug 17, 2018
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Or use Computer Management -> Disk Management if you want to remove all partitions on a drive then format it...
 


While I cannot guarantee this article does exactly what it claims it does (I haven't tried it, let alone heard about this way before) I can speak for the way format works now days.

Drives come pretty much preformatted now days as to its sectors and such. Format just basically wipes the file data/directory/folder content, not the data elsewhere on the drive. It's possible to recover the data with a little work, primarily on the "folders."

I would hope that this utility, DiskPart, issuing its "clean" command actually does more than clear the data partition info.
 


It doesn't. The only way to truly erase a disk is to have it do a 0 write pass. The more the better too. A single pass wont cover everything up. The DoD has a 7 pass minimum. I prefer the 35 pass called Gutmann method.
 


Sure you can say: format e: /fs:NTFS However you would need to use diskpart to create the partition in the first place to already have an "e" drive to format.

The title really should be how to partition and format a drive.
 


That's what I thought. Its faster to just erase/invalidate the partition, create a new partition, and MAYBE verify sectors instead of doing a real format and then verifying.
 

jpe1701

Honorable
I agree with USAFRET. I've had disk management just not let me format a drive and I had to use diskpart to get it done. Heck I've even used Ubuntu on a bootable drive to do disk management many years ago just because I knew the Linux commands and not the windows.
 

gaaah

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Sep 13, 2013
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In my day we didn't even have the format command. You had to deposit individual 0's and 1's with tweezers and a microscope, you bunch of pansies.
 

mrmez

Splendid
I must be be getting old, or maybe I don't understand the enthusiast segment anymore, but I thought computers were supposed to be getting easier to use.

It's a tool after all. A tool to play games, a tool to work, but a tool nonetheless.
I hoped technology had advanced sufficiently so I don't need to be a master tool builder before I can use my tools.
 

Marlin Schwanke

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The “clean” command only clears MBR and partition information. “clean all” would zero all the sectors.
 

popatim

Titan
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Boy talk about old info and possible incorrect as well. This will only work for drives 2TB in size or LESS.

For larger drives you cannot use fat, fat32, or ntf.

BoM, you really need to rethink this low budget writers strategy you're on. Just look at the quality of this one. Do you really think this is going to attract people to this site or drive them elsewhere?
 

stdragon

Admirable
@popatim

The 2TB limit is only if the drive is formatted in MBR mode. If it's a GPT volume, the partition formatted in NTFS can reach up to 256TB. By then, MS will be pushing the ReFS which can support a volume size up to 1 Yobibyte.

The CLEAN command is applicable to any volume regardless if it's MBR or GPT based. Meaning, the entire definitions will be cleared out ready to be partitioned however you want.
 
Aug 19, 2018
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Dumb people ask dumb questions. It is more complicated than type format. Maybe u r the one who formats over your operating system.........HA
 



The instructions to put a new partition and "format" it for use are there in the article too. It starts with step six. If you're talking about recovering what you got rid of... you'll probably need to spend money for a data recovery service.
 
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