How Do I Format a Hard Drive?

Disk is the most commonly used memory for computers. The disk formats under Windows mainly include FAT16, FAT32, NTFS, etc. The latest format is exFAT, and different disk formats have different characteristics. The FAT format is basically no longer used. The format under linux is ext series, ext4, ext3, etc. ^[1]

More than 4GB USB stick

1. What is NTFS-New Technology File System?

To understand NTFS, we should first know FAT. FAT (File Allocation Table) means "File Allocation Table". For us, its significance lies in the management of hard disk partitions. FAT16, FAT32, NTFS are the three most common file systems.

FAT16: The DOS and Windows 95 we used previously used the FAT16 file system. The commonly used Windows 98/2000 / XP and other systems support the FAT16 file system. It can manage partitions up to 2GB in size, but each partition can only have a maximum of 65525 clusters (a cluster is a unit of disk space configuration). As the capacity of the hard disk or partition increases, the space occupied by each cluster will become larger and larger, resulting in a waste of hard disk space.

FAT32: With the advent of large-capacity hard drives, starting with Windows 98, FAT32 has become popular. It is an enhanced version of FAT16 and can support partitions up to 2TB (2048G). FAT32 uses smaller clusters than FAT16, which effectively saves hard disk space.

NTFS: A disk format supported by Microsoft Windows NT kernel series operating systems, specially designed for network and disk quota, file encryption and other management security features. With the popularity of Windows 2000 / XP with NT as the kernel, many individual users have started to use NTFS. NTFS also stores data files in clusters, but the size of clusters in NTFS does not depend on the size of the disk or partition. The reduction in cluster size not only reduces the waste of disk space, but also reduces the possibility of disk fragmentation. NTFS supports file encryption management functions, which can provide users with a higher level of security assurance. ^[4]

2. What system can support NTFS file system?

Only Windows NT / 2000 / XP / Vista / 7/8/10 can recognize the NTFS system. Windows 9x / Me and DOS and other operating systems cannot support and recognize NTFS format disks. Because the DOS system does not support the NTFS system, it is best not to make the C: drive as an NTFS system, so that it is easy to repair under the DOS system after a system crash. ^{[5] [6]}

NTFS and operating system support are as follows:

FAT16 windows 95/98 / me / nt / 2000 / xp unix, linux, dos

FAT32 windows 95/98 / me / 2000 / xp / Vista / 7/8/10

NTFS windows nt / 2000 / xp / Vista / 7/8/10

3. Do we need NTFS?

Windows 2000 / XP is backward compatible on the file system, it can support FAT16 / FAT32 and NTFS very well, of which NTFS is a Windows NT / 2000 / XP / Vista / 7/8/10 special format, it can be more fully Efficient use of disk space, support for file-level compression, and better file security. If you only install Windows 2000 / XP / Vista / 7/8/10, it is recommended to choose NTFS file system. If the system is multi-booted, the system disk (C drive) must be FAT16 or FAT32, otherwise multi-booting is not supported. Of course, the file system of other partitions can be NTFS.

4. How to convert FAT partition to NTFS? ^[7]

Windows 2000 / XP provides the partition format conversion tool "Convert.exe". Convert.exe is a DOS command line program included with Windows 2000. With this tool, you can directly convert FAT to NTFS without destroying the FAT file system. Its usage is very simple, first switch to the DOS command line window in the Windows 2000 environment, type at the prompt: convert the drive letter / FS: NTFS to be converted. If the system E disk is originally FAT16 / 32 and needs to be converted to NTFS, you can use the following format: convert e: / FS: NTFS. All conversions will be completed after the system restarts.

In addition, you can also use a special conversion tool, such as the famous hard disk non-destructive partitioning tool Powerquest Partition Magic 7.0, select the "Convert Partition" button, or select the "Convert" command from the "Operations" drop-down menu on the interface menu bar. Activate the function interface.

Select the conversion output as "NTFS" in the interface, and then click the "OK" button to return to the main interface of the program. "Apply" adds settings. After that, the system will reboot and complete the conversion operation of the partition format.

5. How to retrieve accidentally deleted lost files under NTFS format partition?

You can use specialized software, such as Final Data for NTFS, or Get Data Back for NTFS 1.04. The file recovery effect of both software is good. I recommend using Get Data Back for FAT 1.05 / NTFS 1.04 (2 software), it is very easy to use it to complete the conversion of the disk file format.

6. What if Windows 2000 / XP / Vista / 7/8/10 is installed on the C drive (NTFS format), and I cannot enter the C drive under DOS state when Windows crashes?

You can use the Windows 2000 / XP / Vista / 7/8/10 installation CD to boot to repair Windows, or make a Windows 2000 / XP / Vista / 7 installation boot rescue disk. Note: The Windows 2000 installation disk creation program is on the program installation CD, while the Windows XP emergency disk creation is provided separately and needs to be downloaded from Microsoft's website.

7. Can Final Data for NTFS or Get Data Back for NTFS repair accidentally formatted hard disks?

Both software can recover formatted deleted data (except low-level formatting). Conventional formatting deletes only data information, and low-level formatting deletes all data areas. When hard disk technology is not as developed as it is now, the disk surface is easily worn. Hard disk users often use low-level formatting for frequent read errors. To repair a formatted hard disk, you can only remove the hard disk, install it in another computer, and then perform file repair operations. Final Data can even repair hard disks damaged by CIH virus.

8. How to directly read and write NTFS file system under Windows 98 (FAT system)

When the computer is installed with Windows 98 and Windows 2000 / XP operating systems, how to directly read and write NTFS file system under FAT system? Although the FAT system can be converted to the NTFS system, sometimes we need to install both Windows 98 and Windows 2000 / XP in the machine. Trouble comes at this time, because Windows 98 cannot read Windows 2000 NTFS, so how to exchange data? In fact, we only need to use a small software NTFS for Windows 98 to allow Windows 98 to easily read and even write to NTFS partitions. First, download NTFS for Windows 98 version 1.07 (can read and write!). After the installation is complete, a configuration interface will appear. In the "NTFS System Files" item of this interface, you need to set the relevant file save path of the Windows 2000 / XP system that the program can borrow. Because some system files of Windows 2000 / XP must be used to read the NTFS file system, the following 9 files need to be copied to any folder in the FAT partition under Windows 2000 / XP in advance.

9.How to directly read and write NTFS file system under DOS system?

Winternals Software LP provides tools to solve this problem. With an MS-DOS boot disk, you can do things that were not possible before, modify, delete, and update files on NTFS. Actually NTFSDOS pro is a repair tool when there is a problem with Windows NT.

10. How to protect your files and folders under NTFS?

Because the NTFS file partition format has good security, if you do not want your files on the hard disk to be called or viewed by others, using permission control encryption is a very effective method. The setting method is very simple: log in as the system administrator, right-click the folder to be encrypted, select "Properties", and switch to the "Security" tab. In the "Group of user names" item, the only users allowed to access are Administrator and themselves. Delete all other users. Just save the settings and exit. After that, other users will not be able to access the folder. Note that when using this function, you must ensure that only you know the Administrator password, and that other users cannot belong to the Administrator. In addition, you can set permissions for each user in detail, including setting read permissions, write permissions, delete permissions, etc., so that it is more flexible to use. You can also set permissions, control a disk, or partition the disk for your own use only, so that no one else can see anything from you. ^[5]