How to format an external hard drive?

A removable device on which data is stored,is called an external hard drive, it is necessary in order to increase the memory of the computer, or to exchange data between computers. For those who do not know how to format an external hard drive, it should be noted that this is done the same way as with the built-in hard drive using the standard Windows operating system service.

So, in order to format the externalhard disk, first you need to connect it to the computer and at the bottom of the screen on the left, click the "Start" button. After that, a window pops up in which you need to select "Control Panel" and then proceed to the section called "System and Maintenance" (or "System and Security") and finally go to the "Administration" section, you can configure all necessary parameters for computer management. Click the "Computer Management" icon to open the console in which you need to select "Disk Management", so you can see the list with all the hard disks that are installed on this computer. Now select the disk that you want to format and right-click on it, then select "Format". Specify the name of the disk and select the type of formatting that you need, it can be full or fast.

If you choose fast formatting, then eraseonly the file headers, the operating system simply will not see them, the disk will appear empty, but after carrying out such formatting, the data on the disk can be restored. In the case of full formatting, absolutely all the data from the disk is erased forever.

Well, the last thing you need to do is press the "Ok" button, the formatting process will be started. It will only wait until the end and the disk can be disconnected.

To format an external hard disk, there are also special programs - Acronis Disk Director Suite and Partition Magic.