# Guide for Reformatting USB Drives This guide provides instructions for reformatting USB drives on Linux and Windows platforms. ## Table of Contents - [Linux](#linux) - [Identify the USB Drive](#identify-the-usb-drive) - [Unmount the USB Drive](#unmount-the-usb-drive) - [Format the USB Drive](#format-the-usb-drive) - [Create a File System](#create-a-file-system) - [Mount the USB Drive](#mount-the-usb-drive) - [Windows diskpart](#windows-diskpart) ## Linux ### Identify the USB Drive First, you need to identify the drive you want to reformat. You can list all the storage devices in your computer with the following command: \`\`\`bash lsblk \`\`\` This will give you a list of devices along with their mount points. Your USB drive will usually be something like `/dev/sdb` or `/dev/sdc`. ### Unmount the USB Drive Before reformatting, you should unmount the drive. This can be done with the following command: \`\`\`bash sudo umount /dev/sdX \`\`\` ### Format the USB Drive Now you can start the process of reformatting. You can use `fdisk` to manage the partitions on your USB drive. Use the following command to start `fdisk` for your drive: \`\`\`bash sudo fdisk /dev/sdX \`\`\` Once you're in the `fdisk` utility, you can use the following commands: - `p` - Display the partition table to confirm you're working with the correct drive. - `d` - Delete a partition. If there are multiple partitions, it will ask you which one you want to delete. Repeat this step until all partitions are deleted. - `n` - Create a new partition. Follow the prompts to accept the defaults. - `t` - Change the partition type. If asked for a code, use `b` for FAT32 or `83` for Linux. - `w` - Write changes and exit. ### Create a File System Now that you have a new partition, you can format it with a file system. If you want a FAT32 file system, you can use the following command: \`\`\`bash sudo mkfs.vfat /dev/sdX1 \`\`\` Or if you want an ext4 file system, use this command instead: \`\`\`bash sudo mkfs.ext4 /dev/sdX1 \`\`\` ### Mount the USB Drive Now you can mount the drive again: \`\`\`bash sudo mount /dev/sdX1 /mnt \`\`\` Now your USB drive is reformatted and ready to use! > **IMPORTANT:** Be very careful when using these commands, as choosing the wrong drive can result in data loss. Always double-check the drive name (`/dev/sdX`) before running these commands. ## Windows diskpart 1. Open Windows PowerShell as an administrator. \`\`\`powershell diskpart \`\`\` 2. List all the connected storage devices. \`\`\`powershell list disk \`\`\` 3. Identify your USB drive by its size and replace X with its disk number. \`\`\`powershell select disk X \`\`\` 4. Delete all data and partitions on the drive. \`\`\`powershell clean \`\`\` 5. Create a new primary partition. \`\`\`powershell create partition primary \`\`\` 6. Select the newly created partition. \`\`\`powershell select partition 1 \`\`\` 7. Format the partition to FAT32 or NTFS (replace "fs=fat32" with "fs=ntfs" if you want NTFS file system). \`\`\`powershell format fs=fat32 quick \`\`\` 8. Assign a drive letter to the partition (replace "Y" with your desired drive letter). \`\`\`powershell assign letter=Y \`\`\` 9. Exit DiskPart. \`\`\`powershell exit \`\`\` > This guide will completely erase all the data on your USB drive and prepare it for fresh use. Be sure to replace X with your disk number and Y with the desired letter for your drive.