Format A Thumb Drive For Mac And Windows

Format A Thumb Drive And Windows Download The Software#

Go to Applications > Utilities > Double click and open Disk Utility. Connect the USB flash drive to your Mac computer. To format the USB drive to FAT32, follow the next steps: Step 1.

A full format will also scan your disk for any bad sectors and remove them. The drive in question can be your hard drive, or a removable drive such as a USB. Generally, a quick format will simply delete the data on the drive, while a normal format will erase everything (wipe the drive). If you want to use the device again (or sell it), youвЂ™ll probably want to use the former method.Format: Depending on your operating system (OS), youвЂ™ll probably have a few options available. As with erasing, you can use data destruction software вЂ” or just break out a hammer. The more recently the files were deleted, the more likely it is that you can recover them.Erase: Erasing or scrubbing a file gets rid of it for good.Wipe: Wiping refers to erasing everything on a given storage device or hard drive.

File systems are rules that govern how an OS stores and reads files. Choose the right file systemNow that youвЂ™re clear on the differences between erasing and wiping, and between internal and external drives, itвЂ™s time to select a file system. An external hard drive is located outside of your computer, and it can take the form of a flash drive (also called thumb drive or USB) or a larger enclosure that can contain either a solid-state drive (SSD) or hard disk drive (HDD). This happens when your disk is partitioned (separated) between the primary drive and additional internal drives. You may also have additional internal drives to store more files on your computer. Identify which type of hard drive you haveThere are different types of hard drives you may be looking to reformat.Your primary hard drive or C drive (C:) is the internal hard disk where the operating system (OS) resides.

ItвЂ™ll work on all types of hard drives, but is optimized for flash-based storage, including SSDs.OS Extended (HFS+) was used from 1998 to 2017, but was replaced by APFS.If you want to move files between Windows and Mac, go for exFAT.ExFAT: This file system is intended for removable storage like USB drives, SD cards, and other external hard drives. ItвЂ™s compatible with the largest range of file types, but it canвЂ™t store anything over 4 GB.Both NTFS and FAT32 will eventually become fragmented, meaning youвЂ™ll need to occasionally defragment them.If youвЂ™re using a Mac, youвЂ™ll generally use the APFS (Apple File System).APFS became the default file system when macOS High Sierra was introduced. Also, NTFS allows you to set advanced permissions, which can come in handy.FAT32: FAT32 is an older file system dating back to Windows 95. So if, say, you want to put a movie on a USB drive to play it on your TV, you should use NTFS. With basic file security and support for files over 4 GB in size, NTFS is your best bet if you want to transfer a large file. NTFS is also a good choice for external drives because itвЂ™s compatible with a wide range of devices.

How to format a primary (C:) drive on WindowsRecall that the primary drive, or C drive, contains the operating system. A secondary internal drive or an external drive. But itвЂ™s a little different if youвЂ™re formatting the primary drive vs. How to format a hard drive on WindowsFormatting a hard drive on Windows is largely the same whether youвЂ™re using Windows 10, 8, or 7.

Format A Thumb Drive And Windows Download The Software

Do so, and you might see a message that says Windows is loading files.The Windows setup wizard will launch. Then, download the software you need:Windows 10: Download the Windows 10 Media Creation Tool.Windows 7: Download the Windows 7 OS and then the Windows 7 USB/DVD Download Tool.For either Windows 10 or 7, follow the instructions to create the bootable USB drive.Now that you have either the startup DVD or the USB, weвЂ™re ready to proceed.Insert the Windows 10 or Windows 7 startup DVD or make sure your bootable USB drive is plugged in.The Windows startup app should launch automatically if not, youвЂ™ll see a message that says Press any key to boot. Make sure you have an external USB (also called a thumb drive or flash drive) ready. That means your primary drive wonвЂ™t be in use, so weвЂ™re able to work on it.Note that this process will delete the OS and all files, but it wonвЂ™t permanently erase them.Got your Windows 10 or Windows 7 startup DVD on hand? Great, you can skip the next paragraph.If not, youвЂ™ll need to create a bootable Windows USB drive. So how can we get around this? WeвЂ™ll run Windows from an installation DVD or a USB drive.

Select the Primary drive and click Next.Click Format and Windows will warn you that this drive вЂњ might contain important files or applications from your computer manufacturer. It will ask you where you want to install Windows. When youвЂ™re 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.On the next screen, select Format. Note that Windows is not actually installing, so donвЂ™t worry if you donвЂ™t have a product key (and if necessary, select the box for no product key).Follow the next steps to choose your desired version of Windows and accept the terms.

Luckily, itвЂ™s much easier to reformat all of those drives, because they donвЂ™t contain the OS.HereвЂ™s how to format either an internal or external hard drive:Start up your computer as usual, but hold down the WINDOWS key and type in R to open the Run dialog box.When the box opens, type in diskmgmt.msc and then click OK.The Disk Management window will open. External drives are, again, hardware like USB drives or other external storage devices. Aside from your primary C drive, you may have smaller internal drives with names like D, E, F, etc. (ThatвЂ™s the only sign that the formatting has been completed.)At this point, your drive is formatted, and everything is gone! But now you donвЂ™t have an OS on your computer.Download Windows OS from your DVD or USB drive.How to format an internal or external drive on WindowsYour Windows hard drive may be partitioned into several different drives. Click OK if youвЂ™re sure.Your mouse will show a busy sign during the formatting process, and will then turn back into an arrow once itвЂ™s complete.

ItвЂ™ll do a basic delete of the hard drive in just a few seconds, but it doesnвЂ™t truly erase or wipe anything, meaning that itвЂ™s out of sight but not irretrievable. A quick format is вЂ” wait for it вЂ” quick. (See above for our guidance on file systems.) YouвЂ™ll also have the choice to do a вЂњquickвЂќ format or not. ThatвЂ™s where you'll choose the file system for your drive. You can also rename drives here if you wish.A Format box will pop up.

Just right-click on the drive and select Format. Click OK and youвЂ™re done!If you need to format a drive simply for the purpose of using a different file system, you can quickly do that from the Windows Explorer screen. It will also scan and remove any bad sectors, which prevents future corrupted files. This may take several hours, but will more thoroughly wipe your personal information. If youвЂ™re preparing your computer before giving it away or selling it, you should do a normal format by unchecking the Perform a quick format box.

If you donвЂ™t clear it out regularly, your machine will start to slow down, freeze, and serve up error messages. Why is this necessary? During the normal computing process, Windows accumulates a ton of junk that bogs it down: residual files, leftover installers, temporary files, cached data, and more. If youвЂ™d prefer to keep your disk clean without taking the nuclear option, you can perform some disk maintenance instead.

Format A Thumb Drive For Mac And Windows