How to Read Hard Drive From Laptop

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This wikiHow teaches you lot how to format a hard drive in a Windows or macOS laptop. If you want to format the main hard drive (normally the Windows "C" drive or "Macintosh HD"), you lot will demand to reinstall your operating organization afterwards to continue using your laptop. If you lot installed a 2d hard drive in your laptop or connected an external hard drive, you tin easily format information technology from inside Windows or macOS. Since formatting a hard drive can take a while, make sure your laptop is plugged in to a reliable power source.

1. 1

   Support all of your of import data. When y'all format a difficult drive, you will lose all of the data on that drive. If in that location's anything on your difficult drive that you lot want to keep, you'll want to back information technology up earlier you go along.

   • Formatting your chief hard drive is helpful if you don't like the style the disk is partitioned. If you lot just want to get a fresh start with Windows, see How to Reset Your Computer instead.
   • If you are planning to dispose of the difficult drive, consider using DBAN to permanently delete the information rather than merely reformat the bulldoze.

2. 2

   Create Windows 10 installation media. Before y'all format your difficult drive, you'll demand to create a Windows install DVD or USB drive using special software. This ensures that you can reinstall Windows subsequently formatting your hard drive.

   • Go to https://www.microsoft.com/en-u.s./software-download/windows10.
   • Click Download tool now and save the tool to your PC.
   • Insert a bare USB flash drive (8 GB or more). If you don't have a flash drive, insert a blank DVD into your DVD burner.^[ane]
     • If anything is on your USB drive or rewritable DVD, it volition be deleted.
   • Double-click the downloaded tool and accept the license terms.
   • Select Create installation media for another PC and select Next.
   • Select your linguistic communication and version of Windows.
   • If you want to create a USB flash bulldoze, select USB wink bulldoze and follow the on-screen instructions. If you want to create a bootable DVD, select Open DVD burner and follow the on-screen instructions.

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3. iii

   Set up your PC to boot from USB or DVD. At present you'll need to enter your PC's BIOS/UEFI and make sure your PC will try to boot from your recovery media before booting into Windows normally. Here's how:

   • Press Windows key + S and type recovery into the search bar.
   • Click Recovery options in the search results.
   • Click Restart now under "Avant-garde startup."
   • Click Troubleshoot.
   • Click UEFI Firmware Settings so click Restart.
   • Select the Kicking menu. The options in the BIOS volition vary by PC. If you don't meet a Kicking carte, look for Startup, System > Boot sequence, or like. Apply the pointer keys to navigate, and the Enter cardinal to select.
   • If you created a USB drive, set up Removable Drives or USB (or similar) to the first position in the kick gild. If it's a DVD, set Optical Bulldoze or CD/DVD-ROM to the offset position.^[2] The keys required to move these items around should appear at the bottom of the screen.
   • Save and exit using the key noted at the bottom of the screen. This will reboot your PC.

4. iv

   Select the pick to boot from your USB drive or DVD. Depending on your figurer, it may boot immediately to the initial Windows setup screen. Yous may be prompted to press a key to boot from the drive instead.

5. 5

   Start the setup process and choose your linguistic communication. Select your language, fourth dimension, and keyboard preferences when prompted, and and then click Side by side to go on. Y'all'll also need to accept the license agreement.

6. 6

   Select the Custom: Install Windows merely (avant-garde) selection. This will open the difficult drive tool, which will display all of the partitions on your laptop's difficult bulldoze.

7. vii

   Select the partition that Windows is installed on. "Partitions" are segments of the hard drive which allow you lot to use your single hard drives as multiple drives. Laptops typically take ii or three partitions: a "Reserved" sectionalisation (ordinarily around 100 MB), a "Recovery" partition (usually a few GB), and your main "Main" segmentation. The "System" sectionalization contains Windows and your programs and files. Formatting your "System" partition will delete Windows and all of your files.

8. eight

   Click Format . It's at the bottom of the window. You will be prompted to confirm that you desire to format the sectionalisation—retrieve, this will delete everything on it. Once you confirm, the partition will be formatted. This may take several moments to consummate.

9. nine

   Delete whatsoever other partitions you don't desire (Optional). If there's a division you don't want to keep, select information technology and click Delete. This turns the partition into "Unallocated space." Deleting two neighboring partitions will combine them into a single block of unallocated infinite.

   • To combine the unallocated space with your main segmentation, select the chief partition that you just formatted and click "Delete." This will combine all of the unallocated space into a single block.

10. x

    Select your formatted partitioning and click Next . This volition begin the Windows installation process on the formatted partition. You'll need to reinstall Windows in club to use the estimator.

    • If you program on installing another operating organisation, such equally Linux, you can finish the procedure here before installing Windows. Insert your Linux installation disc and kicking from it to begin the Linux installation process.

11. xi

    Follow the on-screen instructions to install Windows. After Window installs the system files, you'll be taken through a few prompts to consummate the installation. This includes signing in to your Microsoft business relationship (or creating a local user) and setting upward your preferences.

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1. 1

   Support anything yous want to keep. Formatting your hard drive will delete everything on information technology. If you lot have anything yous want to go along, brand sure you dorsum it up before you proceed.

   • If you're formatting an external hard drive, brand sure yous connect it to your laptop before you continue.

2. 2

   Press ⊞ Win+Due east . Pressing the Windows central + Eastward on the keyboard opens the File Manager.

3. 3

   Double-click This PC . It's toward the bottom of the left panel. All drives and external devices continued to your PC will appear.

4. four

   Right-click the drive and select Format . This opens the "Format" dialog window.^[3]

5. five

   Select a file arrangement blazon. The default is NTFS, which will by and large piece of work fine for near people. However, if you desire to be able to use this drive on a Mac or with another operating system, change it to exFAT.

   • exFAT works with macOS x.half-dozen.5 and later on, also as all versions of Windows beginning with Windows XP SP3.

6. half-dozen

   Enter a name for the drive. You lot can blazon the drive proper name into the "Book label" field. This is how the bulldoze volition be identified in This PC on your PC.

7. 7

   Bank check the box next to "Quick Format." This option formats the drive without scanning it outset for bad sectors.^[4] If the option isn't available, that means the drive has never been formatted—in this case, you'll accept to do a full format, which can take a long time.

8. eight

   Click Start . The drive volition now be erased and formatted. If you aren't doing a Quick Format, expect the procedure to take a long fourth dimension, and make sure yous've plugged your laptop into a power source.

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1. 1

   Back up your important data. Formatting your MacBook volition erase all of your documents and data. Dorsum upwards whatsoever files y'all want to keep using Time Machine or iCloud earlier you continue.

2. two

   Decide whether your Mac has an Intel or Apple silicon processor. This is because in that location are certain recovery steps that are different depending on your processor. To check, click the Apple bill of fare and select About This Mac.^[v]

   • If you lot see a line that starts with "Chip" and ends with the proper name of the chip (e.g., Apple M1), you lot are using an Apple tree silicon processor.
   • If you see a line that says "Processor" followed by the name of an Intel processor, you'll use the Intel instructions.

3. 3

   Close down your Mac. Click the Apple menu at the top-left corner and select Shut Down.^[6]

4. 4

   Reboot your Mac into Disk Utility. The steps are different depending on your processor:

   • Apple silicon-based Macs: Press and agree the Power button to turn on your Mac—don't remove your finger until you encounter a hard drive and gear icon. Click Options (the gear), click Continue, and and then log in as an administrator if prompted. You may as well exist asked to log in with your Apple ID. Finally, select Disk Utility and click Go along.
   • Intel-based Macs: Plow on your Mac, and then press and hold Command + R until you lot see the Apple logo or are prompted to log in (and then log in equally an administrator prompted). Click Disk Utility and select Continue.

5. 5

   Select Macintosh Hd in the sidebar. If you have an Apple tree silicon-based Mac and previously used Deejay Utility to add together internal volumes to your drive, delete those volumes earlier selecting the drive. To do this, select each volume and click the minus button.

6. 6

   Click the Erase button in the toolbar. Now you'll be prompted to select your formatting preferences.

7. 7

   Cull how to format your drive. The bulldoze volition be called Macintosh HD by default, although you can change it. The recommended file system type volition already exist selected in the "Format" menu (usually APFS), merely you tin select something different if y'all have other requirements.

8. eight

   Click the blue Erase Book Grouping push. It'southward at the bottom-left corner of the window. You may be prompted to enter your Apple tree ID and countersign to continue.

   • If you take an Apple silicon-based flake, click Erase Mac and Restart to confirm.

9. 9

   Erase any internal volumes (Intel-based Macs only). Apple tree silicon-based Macs performed this step before. If you see any internal volumes listed in the sidebar (other than Macintosh HD), select them and click the minus sign to delete them.

10. 10

    Reinstall macOS. Now that the drive is formatted, y'all'll need to reinstall macOS. Here's how:

    • Apple silicon-based Macs: Once your Mac reboots, follow the on-screen instructions to select your preferences, connect to Wi-Fi, and activate your Mac. Then, click Go out to Recover Utilities, select the hard drive yous just formatted, click Reinstall macOS, and so click Continue. Follow the on-screen instructions to fix your Mac like new.
    • Intel-based Macs: Close the Disk Utility window to return to the previous screen. Then, select the drive you but reformatted and click Reinstall macOS. Click Go along, and then follow the on-screen instructions to set upwards macOS.

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1. i

   Back up any information that's currently on the drive. Formatting your hard drive will erase the data that's on information technology. If in that location's existing data on the drive, make sure you save what you desire to keep to your principal hard drive (or your cloud bulldoze) before you continue.

   • If yous're formatting an external hard drive, connect it to your Mac at present.

2. 2

   Open up Disk Utility. A quick way to do this is to printing the Control central and the Spacebar at the same time and then blazon disk utility into the search bar. Click Deejay Utility when information technology appears in the search results.^[vii]

3. 3

   Click the drive y'all want to format. It'll be in the left panel. If it's an external drive, it'll announced under "External."

4. 4

   Click Erase . It's in the row of buttons at the elevation of the window. Disk Utility will brandish some default formatting options.

5. 5

   Choose how to format your drive. You can enter a different proper name for the bulldoze into the "Name" field if you lot'd like. The recommended file system type will already exist selected in the "Format" menu (commonly APFS), merely you can select something dissimilar if you have other requirements.

6. vi

   Select your security options. If yous are planning on getting rid of the drive, you'll want to use the virtually secure formatting method to make sure no files remain hidden after formatting. Otherwise, a fast format will do the trick—it'll nonetheless delete your files from view, but they can technically be recovered by someone with advanced information restoration software. To adjust your preferences:

   • Click the Security Options button.
   • Drag the slider to "Most Secure" if yous actually need to destroy the existing data. You'll simply demand this option if you lot're planning on selling the drive or throwing it away. This will take a significant corporeality of time, and then make sure you lot've plugged your Macbook into a ability source.
   • Drag the slider to Fastest (or a few notches upward) for a speedier format. The second or 3rd notch are safe options for deeply deleting your files in a relatively quick amount of time.
   • Click OK to relieve your changes.

7. 7

   Click the Erase button. Your Mac volition now brainstorm to format your difficult drive. Once the format is consummate, you can start copying files to the drive.

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Add together New Question

• Question

  Can I format my laptop by myself?

  

  Yaffet Meshesha is a Computer Specialist and the Founder of Techy, a total-service computer pickup, repair, and delivery service. With over eight years of experience, Yaffet specializes in computer repairs and technical back up. Techy has been featured on TechCrunch and Time.

  

  Reckoner Specialist

  Skillful Respond

  Yeah, information technology's not hard to do it. I actually accidentally formatted a family fellow member's phone when I was a child, and so information technology tin can't be that tricky!

• Question

  Why would y'all want to format a drive?

  

  Yaffet Meshesha is a Reckoner Specialist and the Founder of Techy, a total-service computer pickup, repair, and delivery service. With over eight years of experience, Yaffet specializes in computer repairs and technical support. Techy has been featured on TechCrunch and Fourth dimension.

  

  Computer Specialist

  Expert Respond

  It's i of the easiest means to erase everything on a bulldoze, although information technology'll proceed some of the really small files that are required for the drive to part.

• Question

  Will formatting my hard drive delete everything on it?

  

  Aye, part of the formatting process involves deleting all of the information on the drive. This occurs because a new file system is beingness applied to the bulldoze.

• Question

  Without backup, tin can I format the laptop?

  

  You can, just all data will be deleted later format, and you lot can never get information technology back. If yous don't need that data, you tin can format without backing up.

• Question

  Why does information technology have so long to kickoff upwards my laptop when I turn information technology on?

  

  If your laptop is old, it may be considering your laptop has an older model hard drive. If this is the case, purchase an SSD. Your laptop should kicking up within a minute or less.

• Question

  What formatting does the Windows installer do? Does information technology do a full format, or does it just delete the files and write new data?

  

  Adam Hendi

  Community Answer

  Windows unremarkably does a quick format, so your installation doesn't take as long.

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About This Article

Commodity Summary X

i. Support your information.
2. Create Windows x installation media.
3. Kick from the installation media.
4. Outset the setup process.
5. Select Custom: Install Windows simply (avant-garde).
6. Select the partitioning.
7. Click Format.
8. Delete any other partitions.
9. Select the partition and click Next.
10. Follow the on-screen instructions.

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Source: https://www.wikihow.com/Format-a-Laptop-Hard-Drive

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