How do I format my hard drive?

[Guest]

Im changing my computer and need to place my HDD inside another computer. I need to format it first to do this, how would I wipe it?

 

[weberdarren97]

Boot to the Windows install media and just wipe it when it asks to set up partitions, then quit the installer and shut down.

Please back up any important data before wiping your drive.

 

[firespasm]

What format do you want your drive in and what format is your disk currently? You can use diskpart or disk management on a windows PC, disk utility or terminal on a mac. You can use bash on a linux system or any of the countless third party disk utilities available online.

You may not necessarily need to format your disk depending on what system your moving it from and too. Create a backup of your old disk first using something like Acronis to an external HDD.

You should also run some pseudo-random data passes over your disk if your security conscious. (dependent on you) which is how i would wipe it.

If not that you could just click windows key/type 'cmd' (right click run as admin)/type 'diskpart' (press enter)/ in diskpart type 'rescan' (press enter), wait then type 'lis dis' (press enter) find your disk you want to wipe.. (be careful) type 'select disk x' (x=your disk number) (press enter) type 'clean' (press enter) type y (press enter)

that should wipe it, now you just have to initialize the disk, create a partition and format it in i.e NTFS or exFAT

 

[weberdarren97]

What format do you want your drive in and what format is your disk currently? You can use diskpart or disk management on a windows PC, disk utility or terminal on a mac. You can use bash on a linux system or any of the countless third party disk utilities available online.

You may not necessarily need to format your disk depending on what system your moving it from and too. Create a backup of your old disk first using something like Acronis to an external HDD.

You should also run some pseudo-random data passes over your disk if your security conscious. (dependent on you) which is how i would wipe it.

If not that you could just click windows key/type 'cmd' (right click run as admin)/type 'diskpart' (press enter)/ in diskpart type 'rescan' (press enter), wait then type 'lis dis' (press enter) find your disk you want to wipe.. (be careful) type 'select disk x' (x=your disk number) (press enter) type 'clean' (press enter) type y (press enter)

that should wipe it, now you just have to initialize the disk, create a partition and format it in i.e NTFS or exFAT

Um, he can't use commands off of that disk if it's the boot disk... And it sounds like it is.

 

[firespasm]

What format do you want your drive in and what format is your disk currently? You can use diskpart or disk management on a windows PC, disk utility or terminal on a mac. You can use bash on a linux system or any of the countless third party disk utilities available online.

You may not necessarily need to format your disk depending on what system your moving it from and too. Create a backup of your old disk first using something like Acronis to an external HDD.

You should also run some pseudo-random data passes over your disk if your security conscious. (dependent on you) which is how i would wipe it.

If not that you could just click windows key/type 'cmd' (right click run as admin)/type 'diskpart' (press enter)/ in diskpart type 'rescan' (press enter), wait then type 'lis dis' (press enter) find your disk you want to wipe.. (be careful) type 'select disk x' (x=your disk number) (press enter) type 'clean' (press enter) type y (press enter)

that should wipe it, now you just have to initialize the disk, create a partition and format it in i.e NTFS or exFAT

Um, he can't use commands off of that disk if it's the boot disk... And it sounds like it is.

Ah, my bad, i assumed it was a secondary disk. ty

 

[Guest]

What format do you want your drive in and what format is your disk currently? You can use diskpart or disk management on a windows PC, disk utility or terminal on a mac. You can use bash on a linux system or any of the countless third party disk utilities available online.

You may not necessarily need to format your disk depending on what system your moving it from and too. Create a backup of your old disk first using something like Acronis to an external HDD.

You should also run some pseudo-random data passes over your disk if your security conscious. (dependent on you) which is how i would wipe it.

If not that you could just click windows key/type 'cmd' (right click run as admin)/type 'diskpart' (press enter)/ in diskpart type 'rescan' (press enter), wait then type 'lis dis' (press enter) find your disk you want to wipe.. (be careful) type 'select disk x' (x=your disk number) (press enter) type 'clean' (press enter) type y (press enter)

that should wipe it, now you just have to initialize the disk, create a partition and format it in i.e NTFS or exFAT

It is my boot drive. I need to completely wipe it free of windows and everything so that I don't get errors

 

[weberdarren97]

It is my boot drive. I need to completely wipe it free of windows and everything so that I don't get errors

My first response will do just that.

 

[weberdarren97]

Ah, my bad, i assumed it was a secondary disk. ty

When it comes to technology, especially something like this where being the boot disk would change the possible ways of doing it, I would just suggest a method that would work whether it's the boot disk or not.

Booting from the install media will be able to wipe it whether it's the boot disk or a storage disk.

My father always told me that assumptions are the mother of all screw ups. However, he also said that thunder was God bowling and that lightning was angels falling from the sky, which happened when he would get a strike... I guess you can't trust everything a parent tells you.

 

[Guest]

It is my boot drive. I need to completely wipe it free of windows and everything so that I don't get errors

My first response will do just that.

How would I boot to the install media? What do you mean by that?

 

[weberdarren97]

You had to install Windows from either a disk or a USB flash drive.

If you no longer have the install media, you can create new USB installer here. https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/software-download/windows10/