Format Command
Utilizing the Format Command in Command Prompt
The format command serves as a Command Prompt directive designed to format a designated partition on various storage devices, including internal or external hard drives, floppy disks, or flash drives, to a specified file system.
Availability of the Format Command
The format command is readily accessible from the Command Prompt interface across all iterations of Windows operating systems, encompassing Windows 10, Windows 8, Windows 7, Windows Vista, Windows XP, as well as preceding versions of the Windows ecosystem.
Instructions for Formatting a Hard Drive via Command Prompt
Step 1: Launch Command Prompt as Administrator
Initiate the formatting process by opening Command Prompt with administrative privileges. This can be accomplished by performing the following steps:
- Locate the Command Prompt application through the search function.
- Right-click on the Command Prompt icon and select “Run as Administrator” to ensure elevated privileges for executing commands.
STEP 2: Use Diskpart
Once command line is open, type ‘diskpart’ and press Enter.
STEP 3 : List disk
The above command will open a Diskpart window. In this window, type ‘list disk’ and press Enter. It will list all the available drives.
STEP 4: Select the Drive to Format
Now type ‘select disk (disk number)’ as shown above. Specify the drive number which needs to be formatted.
STEP 5: Clean the Disk
In this step, type ‘clean’. This command will permanent delete all files and folders, and successfully clean up the disk.
STEP 6: Create Partition Primary.
To make the drive again accessible, type ‘create partition primary’.
STEP 7: Format the Drive.
Now format the drive with FAT or NTFS file system. Type ‘format fs=ntfs’ and press Enter.
STEP 8: Assign a Drive Letter.
To assign a drive letter, you can type ‘assign’ as shown below.