How to Format a WD External Hard drive for Xbox 360 Elite?

[SHAK007]

How do you format a 1TB WD My Passport Hard Drive for an Xbox 360 Elite?

And can it be formatted from a Windows 10 pc?

 

[SuperSoph_WD]

Hey there, SHAK007!

In order to be able to use the WD Passport on your Xbox 360 Elite, you'd need to format it in FAT32 file system. It offers the best compatibility for your gaming console and also allows you to use it with other operating systems (Windows OS and Mac OS). However, there are some limitations that come with this particular file system, you can read through this article from our knowledge base that explains them in detail: http://products.wdc.com/support/kb.ashx?id=LAUXp1

As for the formatting procedure itself, yes, you can do it through Windows 10's Disk Management as well. Here is a tutorial that can walk you through it:
How to partition and format your HDD: http://products.wdc.com/support/kb.ashx?id=kB3iMy
Just make sure you select the FAT32 File System from the Wizard, instead of the default NTFS.

Hope this helps you. Let me know if you need further assistance!
SuperSoph_WD

 

[SHAK007]

Thanks for the response SuperSoph_WD.It was very helpful.

Could I just ask,
this WD hard drive I've just bought is solely for the purpose of storing gaming content from my Xbox 360.I haven't put any content on it yet. Do I still back it up?

Will the content which came with the hard drive get deleted after reformatting?

 

[SuperSoph_WD]

Hey there again, SHAK007!

Well, it's recommended to always have a backup of your data stored somewhere else. It would definitely save you from the headaches of data loss. Reformatting does erase all the data on your storage drive. However, the software tools that come with the WD My Passport like the backup tool and WD Drive utilities will be on your Windows OS or Mac OS. Although you won't be able to remove the Virtual CD, you can still disable it, which will block your access to WD SmartWare installer. I'd recommend you to check this tutorial from our knowledge base for more information on how to disable the Virtual CD: http://products.wdc.com/support/kb.ashx?id=JQsl8h

Either way, you can always re-enable it again and re-download the software utilities from our website: http://products.wdc.com/support/kb.ashx?id=8vRBAE

I'm glad I was able to assist you, though! Best of luck and have fun with your new external gaming storage drive!
SuperSoph_WD