TR Forums

I'm trying to format a 1TB hard drive, it is not my boot drive, using Disk Management in Windows 10, but when I right click on the drive, the format option is grayed out, and I can't figure out where to go from there in order to format the drive

If it is a brand new drive you will need to partition it first. I believe since Vista/7 when you plug in a truly blank drive it should ask if you want to partition with MBR or GPT schemes. Did any of that show up at all?

Flying Fox wrote:

If it is a brand new drive you will need to partition it first. I believe since Vista/7 when you plug in a truly blank drive it should ask if you want to partition with MBR or GPT schemes. Did any of that show up at all?

It's not, it's a drive I've been using for some time as storage for all of my media files, and now I'm trying to format it in order to sell it, but Disk Management won't let me

Delete the existing partitions, then create a new one? Maybe post a screenshot of the partitions?

Though in all honesty, I'd wipe the drive first. You could use CCleaner to fill it with random nonsense, then delete it, or you could boot off a DBAN disc and tell it to wipe the drive. (If you do this, be VERY careful about which drive you're wiping. I like to keep old machines around for random stuff like formatting SSDs, wiping drives, testing stuff, etc.) Then create a new format on the drive, just so that you don't confuse whoever buys it.

Edit: I should also add that if you're getting rid of an SSD, you want to run the "Secure Erase" command instead - otherwise you're creating lots of unnecessary writes, and the SSD's not doing what you think it's doing (on the actual NAND, as I understand it) anyway. Some SSD toolbox software has the option for this, and I've seen bootable linux distros that can issue the command as well. Usually doesn't take more than a few minutes.

It is possible that OS has mount the swap file or an active process tie to program on that HDD which is why "Computer Management" refuses to permit you from formatting the existing partition on the HDD.

Krogoth wrote:

It is possible that OS has mount the swap file or an active process tie to program on that HDD which is why "Computer Management" refuses to permit you from formatting the existing partition on the HDD.

I've seen XP dump temporary Windows Update files on any HDD it pleases (hey, do ya mind not tying up my external drive like that?), but that's about it.

If you have access to a W7 Box-Try that-W10 isn't quite ready/finished yet.........................

If you're selling (or otherwise disposing of) it you *really* need to do a wipe or secure erase on it first. Formatting in Windows does not remove pre-existing data, it only wipes the file system meta-data, which means data recovery tools can potentially still recover the files which were on the drive.

Wiping it will also have the effect of making it appear to be a new drive to Windows, which should un-gray the Format option.

just brew it! wrote:

If you're selling (or otherwise disposing of) it you *really* need to do a wipe or secure erase on it first. Formatting in Windows does not remove pre-existing data, it only wipes the file system meta-data, which means data recovery tools can potentially still recover the files which were on the drive.

Wiping it will also have the effect of making it appear to be a new drive to Windows, which should un-gray the Format option.

If you are disposing, just take a 1 lb hammer to it (or drill a hole through it). Even Drivesavers won't get crap from it.

Deanjo wrote:

just brew it! wrote:

If you're selling (or otherwise disposing of) it you *really* need to do a wipe or secure erase on it first. Formatting in Windows does not remove pre-existing data, it only wipes the file system meta-data, which means data recovery tools can potentially still recover the files which were on the drive.

Wiping it will also have the effect of making it appear to be a new drive to Windows, which should un-gray the Format option.

If you are disposing, just take a 1 lb hammer to it (or drill a hole through it). Even Drivesavers won't get crap from it.

If it is going to end up being scrapped then yeah that's a good option. It's also the only way to be sure the data is unrecoverable if the drive has issues that prevent you from doing a complete wipe.

If it is potentially going to be re-used by anyone other than yourself, wipe.

just brew it! wrote:

If it is going to end up being scrapped then yeah that's a good option. It's also the only way to be sure the data is unrecoverable if the drive has issues that prevent you from doing a complete wipe.

Take it out to the range and kill it by lead poisoning.

Captain Ned wrote:

just brew it! wrote:

If it is going to end up being scrapped then yeah that's a good option. It's also the only way to be sure the data is unrecoverable if the drive has issues that prevent you from doing a complete wipe.

Take it out to the range and kill it by lead poisoning.

I'd rather go out for a leisurely walk in a pair of Doc Martens or steel-toed work boots and kick it from one end of my neighborhood to the other, but different strokes for different folks.

Captain Ned wrote:

just brew it! wrote:

If it is going to end up being scrapped then yeah that's a good option. It's also the only way to be sure the data is unrecoverable if the drive has issues that prevent you from doing a complete wipe.

Take it out to the range and kill it by lead poisoning.

Amen to that, I know if it was mine it would have 5 holes in it 4 corners would be from my Savage Model 99 250-3000 lever action in 250 Savage caliber of course and center punched with my Savage 110 bolt action in 30-06 from 100yrds....or maybe a 25yrd single punch with my rifled 12 gauge slug gun with 3.5" magnum slug shell.

But if the drive worked I could find use for it and shoot something to eat instead but I would have to use my bow or crossbow now since rifle deer season is over.

Concupiscence wrote:

Captain Ned wrote:

just brew it! wrote:

If it is going to end up being scrapped then yeah that's a good option. It's also the only way to be sure the data is unrecoverable if the drive has issues that prevent you from doing a complete wipe.

Take it out to the range and kill it by lead poisoning.

I'd rather go out for a leisurely walk in a pair of Doc Martens or steel-toed work boots and kick it from one end of my neighborhood to the other, but different strokes for different folks.

That would thwart casual attempts at data recovery, but the platters may still be intact, and if so the data's still there.

For hard drives, I do like having a DBAN CD around, and with SATA it's usually simple enough to unplug all other drives in the system to make sure that one, and only one, is targeted. Some PCs (e.g. some Dells) may issue a BIOS-level complaint about missing drives at startup, but that can normally be bypassed.

When I need to wipe old laptop drives that I'm tossing out (particularly if they're failing), I put them on the floor and give 'en a good whack or two with the heel of my shoe. Shatters the glass platters quite well. I've also taken the platters out and quite easily broken them by hand. This doesn't work nearly as well with desktop drives though.

localhostrulez wrote:

Though in all honesty, I'd wipe the drive first. You could use CCleaner to fill it with random nonsense, then delete it, or you could boot off a DBAN disc and tell it to wipe the drive.

DBAN is the better option of the two. I've also used the free version of Active@ KillDisk.

localhostrulez wrote:

I've seen XP dump temporary Windows Update files on any HDD it pleases (hey, do ya mind not tying up my external drive like that?), but that's about it.

It dumps them on whichever local drive has the most available space at the time the updates are run. It's at least smart enough not to dump them on network shares, and it generally does a good job of cleaning up those files once the update is processed completely (after the reboot, if necessary).

localhostrulez wrote:

When I need to wipe old laptop drives that I'm tossing out (particularly if they're failing), I put them on the floor and give 'en a good whack or two with the heel of my shoe. Shatters the glass platters quite well. I've also taken the platters out and quite easily broken them by hand. This doesn't work nearly as well with desktop drives though.

Those platters aren't glass. That would be waaaaaay too fragile for mobile use. Your best bet for destroying them easily is either a drill press or a shotgun/rifle/handgun. If you have access to a degausser those work really well too.

curtisb wrote:

Those platters aren't glass. That would be waaaaaay too fragile for mobile use. Your best bet for destroying them easily is either a drill press or a shotgun/rifle/handgun. If you have access to a degausser those work really well too.

Ehh... You'd be surprised how fine things can be when the user can't directly mess with them. Really fine tolerances with the read/write heads, for one. (For that matter, I managed to break a part in my car's fuel pump - you'd be surprised at how fine those things are - easy to break when you're touching it - yet how they rarely fail in normal use.) And yes, they are actually glass in a lot of cases - I've shattered 2.5" HDD platters several times now. Very thin things. Once by playing with the platter and oops, shattered it. Another when I purposely rammed the heel of my shoe into the assembled drive (done that more than once to destroy old drives) - I heard the glass floating around in the drive afterwards. Smashing the platter of a desktop drives usually proves far harder though - thicker aluminium at the least. Usually takes a hammer to even dent the thing much.

curtisb wrote:

Those platters aren't glass. That would be waaaaaay too fragile for mobile use.

The substrates are indeed glass or ceramic compounds in many cases. "Glass" does not automatically imply fragility.

You're right, I did some research and some do in fact use a glass substrate. I never really noticed it as every drive I've ever taken apart just so happened to use an aluminum substrate. Go figure...


EDIT: I was going to let it ride, but I just had to fix the typo...even though it'll live on in the quote below.

curtisb wrote:

You're right, I did some research and some due in fact use a glass substrate. I never really noticed it as every drive I've ever taken apart just so happened to use an aluminum substrate. Go figure...

Nothing like taking apart a drive after a head crash and discovering that parts of the glass platter(s) have been scraped until they are *clear*!