Hard Drive Format For Both Mac And Windows

Hard Drive Format For Both And Windows For Windows 10 Or Custom#

LetвЂ™s learn how to format SSD using Disk Utility -. Step 1 On your MacBook Pro, click Go Menu in the Finder. After that, choose the Utilities to open the Utility folder. Here, open the Disk Utility.

It used to occupy a lot of attention. But it still crops up whenever youвЂ™re trying to put files on a USB thumb drive to hand off to someone else. If youвЂ™re both Mac users, swell with Mac and Windows in the mix, you might be tempted to pick FAT32 when formatting that thumb drive.Because the file system on the WD Passport For Mac external hard drive is Mac OS Extended (Journaled). This file system is also called HFS+. A Windows PC canвЂ™t see, read, write to HFS+.

But people often use other terms like delete and format interchangeably, while theyвЂ™re actually quite different.Delete: Deleting data actually just moves it into a folder, out of sight, like the Recycle Bin in Windows or the Trash on Mac. First, hard disk and hard drive have the same meaning. Before jumping in, thereвЂ™s a bit of terminology you should know. Now you need to select the disk on which you want to install Mac OS X. 4.But FAT32 is distinctly out of date. Designed for an earlier time, it canвЂ™t handle files larger than 4GB.

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. Before they get overwritten, though, you can still recover the files using data recovery software. That means when your device needs to save new data, it can (and will) use the space occupied by the deleted files. If you empty the Recycle Bin or Trash, the files can then be overwritten by new data.

NTFS is also a good choice for external drives because itвЂ™s compatible with a wide range of devices. When you format a hard drive, youвЂ™ll be asked to choose your desired file system.If youвЂ™re using Windows, you can choose between NTFS, FAT32, and exFAT:NTFS: If you want to format your primary drive (which contains your OS), you must use NTFS (NT file system), which is the default Windows file system. 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.

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.

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.

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. That means you canвЂ™t format the primary drive while itвЂ™s running, for the same reason that you canвЂ™t repair a motorcycleвЂ™s engine while youвЂ™re riding it.

Hard Drive Format For Both And Windows For Windows 10 Or Custom

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. If you want to format this partition, any data stored on it will be lost.вЂќ So you want to make sure that youвЂ™ve correctly selected your primary (or C) drive and that youвЂ™re okay with deleting all the data on it. 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.

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. Select the drive you want to format (internal or external) by right-clicking and choosing FormatвЂ¦. 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.

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. ItвЂ™s a good option if you want to clean the drive, but also want to continue using it yourself. 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.

If youвЂ™d prefer to keep your disk clean without taking the nuclear option, you can perform some disk maintenance instead. From there, youвЂ™ll be able to select NTFS, FAT32, or exFAT.While formatting your disk will wipe it clean, it also deletes your files. 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.

Hard Drive Format For Both Mac And Windows