You can not select more than 25 topics
Topics must start with a letter or number, can include dashes ('-') and can be up to 35 characters long.
137 lines
3.5 KiB
137 lines
3.5 KiB
Here is the USB drive reformatting guide converted to Markdown:
|
|
|
|
# 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.
|
|
|