Formatting a hard drive partition. How to format the system disk? File system selection

Hello Friends! Why formatting may be necessary hard drive or section? There are a lot of options, starting with the fact that you need to make a new hard drive usable and ending with the next reinstallation of the operating system. With partition formatting, of course. In this article we will understand what formatting is, how to format hard drive using built-in Windows tools and using the operating system installer.

While writing this article, I was lucky enough to expand my knowledge on this topic. For that, readers, thank you.

Formatting a hard drive is the process of marking out the data storage area. Includes several stages:

low level formatting
dividing the entire area into logical drives or partitions
high-level formatting of the latter

Low-level formatting everyone modern hard discs are carried out at the manufacturer using special equipment. This process cannot be done at home or in service center. At low level formatting Servo marks are applied to the surface of the disk, thanks to which the reading heads are positioned. The new, just purchased hard drive is formatted only at a low level.

Dividing the hard drive into partitions. The first step is to create partitions on the new hard drive. This is most likely done when installing the operating system or if the hard drive is the second one in the system, built-in using Windows. How to partition a hdd in Windows - .

High-level formatting. After the partition is created, it is formatted. This is high-level formatting. You decide on the file system (in most cases you can accept the default settings. Let's hope Microsoft doesn't give bad advice :-) and format required section. A file table appears in this section and is written system information. In this case, the entire section is divided into clusters given size. Default is 4KB. A cluster is the minimum amount of information that can be allocated for data storage. Those. if you have a 20 Byte file, then a whole cluster will still be allocated for it - 4,000 Bytes by default. You can learn more about clusters.

There are two types of high-level formatting:

fast
complete

At quick formatting The file table is updated and that's it. All files remain in their places. By updating the file table, the operating system sees the partition as empty and writes information over the old one. At full formatting section (how to do below), in addition to deleting the file table, the entire section is checked for professional suitability. (More about hdd diagnostics— ) If the scan reveals an unreadable cluster, it is marked as not working and the operating system will no longer write anything to it. This is done using software the hard drive itself.

It is precisely due to the fact that when formatting, even complete, information is not deleted, you can try to restore it. How to recover data from a flash drive - .

Quick formatting is called because the process itself is fast. Only clearing the table of contents. Full formatting may take several hours depending on the size of the partition or volume.

Format the partition using Windows.

You can format your hard drive using Windows by opening your Computer and selecting the desired drive or partition. Click on it right click mouse and select Format...

Click OK. Your partition is formatted. Close the window with formatting options.

Formatting from Disk Management

You can also format hard disk partitions from Disk Management. To get there you need to go to the Start menu, right-click on Computer and select Manage. In the window that opens, in the left field, in the Storage devices section, select Disk Management.

Here it is convenient to see what kind of disks are connected to your computer and how they are partitioned. To format, right-click on the desired partition and select Format...

Formatting using the command line

Hard disk partitions can just as easily be formatted using the command line. Open the Start menu, write CMD in the search bar and run the found utility. Running the command line with Administrator rights is not necessary.

Write the command:

Replace f with your drive letter. Press Enter. Then press Enter again and formatting will begin.

Carefully! There is no warning that all data will be deleted.

The default is full formatting. If you need something quick, use the command:

If you need more information about the parameters of this command, type:

At the end of the formatting process, you will have the opportunity to set a volume label. If you don't need it, just press Enter. Upon completion, you will see approximately the following picture.

Formatting is complete. Close the command line.

Formatting the system partition

The information from point 2 is good, but it cannot be formatted this way system disk. A message is displayed.

This is the system Windows security warns the user about incorrect actions. This will prevent accidental formatting. If our system is infected (In this section you will find everything you need to clean your computer from viruses, Trojans and other evil spirits), or is somehow damaged and restoring the system does not help, then you need to format system partition. A good way to do this is to use the installer's built-in disk management tools. Comfortable. You immediately format the partition and install a new operating system.

You can also format the system partition by connecting your hard drive to another computer. In this case, proceed as in the second point.

Formatting the system disk when Windows installation

For this you need installation disk or flash drive. How to make a disk, how to make a bootable USB flash drive.

Then you need to install boot from disk or flash drive. You can read how to do this in the article about installing Windows 7 from a flash drive.

Boot from the prepared drive and do everything as if you wanted to install Windows. When you select the installation partition, you click on the Disk setup link.

Appear additional links: Create Volume, Delete Volume and Format Volume. Select your system disk and click format. Will be produced quick formatting systemic hard section disk. Then, if you don’t need to install Windows, just close the Windows Installation window and the process will be interrupted.

Conclusion

In this article, we learned how to format a hard drive in the Windows operating system and how to format the system partition. As you can see, there is nothing complicated, everything is simple. If you have any questions, ask in the comments.

Video - how to format your hard drive in the Windows operating system and during its installation process
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Sometimes situations arise when you need to clean your hard drive, that is, format it. C, D, E or any other. But in most cases, Windows OS is installed on logical drive C. She won't let you clean it up just like that. Rest complete cleaning easily amenable.

There are three types of formatting:

We have nothing to do with low-level. After all, it is produced at a component manufacturing plant using special equipment. This cannot be done at a service center, let alone at home.
The second formatting method involves dividing the logical media into several smaller sizes. That is, instead of one we get two and more disks. This manipulation can only be done when installing the OS.
The third type is high-level formatting. It is divided into two subspecies. In the case of quick formatting, the files remain in their places, only the file table is updated, and the OS sees the disk as empty. This is very convenient when we do not want to completely lose data or have formatted it by mistake. When fully formatted, all information is erased without return, in addition, the system checks the device for serviceability. If a problem is detected, no data will be recorded.

There are four ways to do it high level formatting: cleaning a partition using Windows, through the command line, when installing the operating system, using a system utility.

When formatting using OS tools, no third-party scripts or programs are required. Let's go to "My Computer", click on the desired disk right-click and select “Format”. IN open window with formatting options, select the cluster size or file system. But in practice, only the volume label is set. If you uncheck the Quick box, the cleanup will take significantly longer. Then click “Start”. On at this stage A warning will appear that all data will be deleted, so you need to click “Cancel” if you did not make a copy. If the information is saved, click “OK”. When formatting is complete, a message will appear asking you to click “OK.” You can close the window with parameters - the disk is cleaned.

Another formatting option is performed using the command line. Open “Start” – “Run”. Alternatively, press the combination “Win” + “R”. In the new window, enter “cmd” and click “OK”. A command line will open, in which we write “format f”, where f is the name of the disk. Afterwards the OS will ask you to confirm the action: Y – yes, N – no. Please note that there will be no warning message regarding data deletion. In addition, formatting will be performed by default, namely full. To do a quick one, enter “format f: /Q”. Finally, you will be able to set a volume label. Just click “Enter”.

If you want to format the disk while installing Windows, you will need a flash drive or installation disk. We start loading the OS from physical media, carry out similar actions, as if installing Windows. When given the option to select an installation partition, click Disk Setup. The following options will open: “Delete volume”, “Create volume”. You will also see a “Format volume” link there. Click “Format”, select which partition to clear, including the one where the OS was located. IN in this case a quick format will be performed. If you do not need to install Windows, you should close the window to interrupt the process.

Owners of Windows 7 OS can use the built-in system utility. Just follow the path “Start” - “Control Panel”, then “System and Security”, then “Administration”. Then click “Create and format hard disk partitions.” In this menu it is convenient to view which disks are connected to your PC and their breakdown. In it, right-click on the desired partition and select “Format”.

Thus, from this article you learned how the process works hard formatting disk in Windows OS. There is nothing complicated about this, as you can see, consolidate your knowledge by watching a thematic video.

On any home computer there is a “C” drive, and sometimes also a “D” and an “E” and a few more. Why do we need so many? Let’s take and format one, for example, “C”. Just for the sake of experience, to see what happens. Let's begin by praying... But first we need to know what formatting is. Still, it’s stupid to do something you don’t know.

A computer's hard drive is simply a device with magnetic medium information. In order for a computer to accurately find old files and write new ones, the disk must have some structure. Formatting creates exactly this - the entire disk is divided into certain areas - sectors and clusters, of a strictly defined size, into which all information is recorded. In addition, service information is created and also written to disk. This also includes a table of files. Simply put, it stores information about which file is in which sector - by reading this table, the computer quickly finds necessary files. Formatting just creates a new partition on the disk. The so-called “quick format” only clears the table, but the files are still lost, since their addresses are erased. Although it is possible to restore them using some programs.

So, right-click on the “C” drive shortcut and select “format”. Here we will see a somewhat unexpected reaction from the computer if we have an operating system installed Windows system XP, Vista or Windows 7. Usually they are located just on the “C” drive, and the system is not a kamikaze to destroy itself, even with our divine permission. That's why we won't succeed, we will only receive a warning window, which says that by formatting we will damage service files.

However, we are more cunning, so we take out some kind of disk from which we can boot bypassing Windows. We insert it into the drive, select boot from it in the BIOS, and wait. On the disk we will certainly find many programs to satisfy our destructive needs. The most common program that is now available on almost any boot disk– Acronis Disk Director. It is quite suitable for us, especially since everything is clear and in Russian. Let’s select the unfortunate “C” drive and try to format it. Surprisingly, this time everything will go smoothly, without any warnings. If we wish, we can even completely delete the entire “C” drive, but this is completely perverted... We have achieved our goal, we remove the drive and restart the computer...

Yeah, all the LEDs blinked, as during a normal boot, the monitor turned on and behold... We are sitting in front of a black screen, looking at him blankly. What did we expect, that he would dance, or what? Here we sit in front of the virgin clean computer, which no longer has an operating system, and without it it is just a pile of hardware. She now grazes on the heavenly hard drives, taking with her “My Documents”, viruses and antiviruses, the desktop and much more... Now the operating system needs to be installed again, so take the installation disk and go! Or we call someone who knows how to do it...

However, if our system was not on the “C” drive, but, say, on the “D” drive, nothing bad will happen. We will simply lose all the files in “C”, but this is safe for the system - it was in a different place at that moment...

It is worth noting that basically operating system They still install it on the “C” drive, and not just because it is first on the list. It’s just that usually all disks are not separate hard drives, but one, but of large capacity. It’s just divided into several so-called “logical” disks. The computer perceives them as different, but there are differences. Disk “C” in this case is not just the first in the list, but also the first from the real axis magnetic disk- they say that it is “at the beginning of the disk.” This means that it is easier for the hard drive’s reading head to search for information in this place; it has to move less due to the smaller radius of this area. Less unnecessary movements - more speed reading/writing files. And the overall speed of the system depends on this, which is why the operating system is placed on the “C” drive. Although it is possible for any other, of course, but this is no longer professional. Usually among not very understanding “home hackers” system folder can be found in the most unexpected places.

But we already understand everything, so we will install our system on the “C” drive, and we will format it only before installing it, and even then we will first copy all the necessary files from it to other drives. And such experiments... Well, keep them away, it won’t take long to lose a six-month job. It’s a pity for the daytime...