Introduction:
Formatting a disk can be done via the command line on Windows, using a utility called Diskpart. Diskpart is a built-in Windows utility.
Requirements:
Access to the Windows command line.
Procedure:
From the TaskBar, search for:
cmd
From the command line, enter the command:
diskpart
Allow Diskpart to run, if prompted. Enter the command:
list volume
This will return volume information such as:
DISKPART> list volume
Volume ### Ltr Label Fs Type Size Status Info ---------- --- ----------- ----- ---------- ------- --------- -------- Volume 0 C NTFS Simple 119 GB Healthy Boot Volume 1 System Rese NTFS Simple 100 MB Healthy System Volume 2 D DVD-ROM 0 B No Media
Enter the command:
select volume 1
but replace the “1” with the number of the desired volume you would like to reformat. For the simplest reformatting, just enter the command:
format
If time is an issue, you may have it reformat quickly by entering the command
format quick
If you want to be specify the filesystem, such as NTFS, you may enter the command:
format fs=NTFS
More Information:
Type:
help format
within diskpart for more information.