Formatting external hard drive for both mac and pc how to#
Formatting external hard drive for both mac and pc install#
Formatting external hard drive for both mac and pc full#
Formatting external hard drive for both mac and pc for windows 10#

Formatting external hard drive for both mac and pc full#

(See below for our guidance on file systems.) Decide if you want a quick format vs full format. If you want, you can also rename your drives here.ДЄ Format box will pop up where you can choose the file system for your drive. Select the drive you want to format (internal or external) by right-clicking and choosing FormatвЂ¦. When the box opens, type in diskmgmt.msc and then click OK. Start up your computer as usual, but hold down the WINDOWS key and type in R to open the Run dialog box.

Formatting external hard drive for both mac and pc how to#

HereвЂ™s how to format either an internal or external hard drive: The process is the same for internal (non-C) drives and external drives. ItвЂ™s much easier to reformat all of those drives, because they donвЂ™t have an operating system. An external drive is hardware like a USB drive or another external storage device.

Smaller internal drives with names like D, E, F, etc. Your Windows hard drive may be partitioned into several different drives. How to format an internal or external drive on WindowsДЄside from the primary C drive (C:), you can also format an internal drive or an external hard drive.

Formatting external hard drive for both mac and pc install#

But now you donвЂ™t have an OS on your computer, so you need to install one.Дownload Windows OS from your DVD or USB drive. Now your drive is formatted, and everything is gone. ( ThatвЂ™s the only sign that the formatting is complete.) Your mouse will show a busy sign during the formatting process, and will turn back into an arrow once itвЂ™s complete. If you want to format this partition, any data stored on it will be lost.вЂќ Click OK if you know you want to proceed. Select the Primary drive and click Next.Д¬lick Format and youвЂ™ll see a warning that this drive вЂњ might contain important files or applications from your computer manufacturer. Choose where you want to install Windows.

Formatting external hard drive for both mac and pc for windows 10#

When prompted with a choice of Types of Installation, choose Custom: Install Windows only (advanced) for Windows 10 or Custom (advanced) and then Drive options (advanced) for Windows 7. Note that Windows is not actually being installed, so donвЂ™t worry if you donвЂ™t have a product key (if prompted, select the box for no product key).ДЇollow the next steps to choose your desired version of Windows and accept the terms. Select your desired language and time, and click Next.Д¬lick Install now and wait while Windows completes the setup procedures. Do so - you may see a message that says Windows is loading files. If not, youвЂ™ll see a message that says Press any key to boot. The Windows startup app should launch automatically. Insert the Windows 10 or Windows 7 startup DVD or make sure your bootable USB drive is plugged in. HereвЂ™s how to format your primary hard drive on Windows 10 or 7: Now that you have either the startup DVD or the USB, youвЂ™re ready to format your drive. Windows 7: Download the Windows 7 OS and then the Windows 7 USB/DVD Download Tool here.ДЇor either Windows 10 or 7, follow the instructions to create the bootable USB drive. Windows 10: Download the Windows 10 Media Creation Tool here. Make sure you have an external USB (also called a thumb drive or flash drive) ready. If not, youвЂ™ll need to create a bootable Windows USB drive. If you have a Windows 10 or Windows 7 startup DVD, you can skip the next paragraph. Note that this process will delete the OS and all files, but it wonвЂ™t permanently erase them. That means your primary drive wonвЂ™t be in use, so weвЂ™re able to work on it. To get around that, weвЂ™ll run Windows from an installation DVD or a USB drive.

You canвЂ™t format the primary drive while itвЂ™s running, for the same reason that you canвЂ™t repair a car engine while driving.

Your C drive (C:) is your primary drive where the operating system (OS) is located.

How to format a primary drive (C:) on Windows But itвЂ™s a little different if youвЂ™re formatting the primary drive, a secondary internal drive, or an external hard drive. Formatting a hard drive on Windows is largely the same whether youвЂ™re using Windows 10 or 7.