Methods to format a hard drive using BIOS. What do you think are the ways to format a hard drive on a laptop via BIOS? Now I will enlighten you: Formatting a hard drive via bios

Whatever one may say, this is exactly what the user wants, when a “long lame” operating system literally forces the user to move to the decisive phase of “reinstalling Windows.” Of course, in connection with such, one might say, a hard-won event, a newcomer has a lot of questions. In particular, we will talk about resolving the problematic situation “How to format drive C via BIOS.”

Instead of introduction: a clear reason requires immediate action

For the sake of practicality, you should not resort to such drastic measures as “demolishing” the operating system without first trying to restore the functionality of the “fallen OS”. In most cases, a basic system restore helps. However, not always. Therefore, if the process of “electronic reincarnation” is unsuccessful, then you should completely install the operating system, and in this case it is advisable to format the system partition (C:\), which is what we will do in the framework of this article.

How to format drive C via BIOS using Windows distribution

First of all, you need to enter the BIOS of your computer - use the special service key when starting the PC. If you don’t know how to enter the BIOS, then use the recommendations from the article located .

Now set to boot from the required media (in our case, this is a bootable CD with the Windows 7 OS distribution). We’ll look at how to format a drive (C:\) on a V8 a little later, and we’ll also touch on a similar action using the XP distribution.

So, after the “Select language” service window appears on the screen, press the “CTRL+F10” key combination.

In the command console, enter “wmic logicaldisk get deviceid, volumename, size, description” (without quotes, of course). Afterwards, all partitions of your hard drive will be displayed on the screen. The letter designation C:\ does not always correspond to the actual location on the hard drive, especially when you use several operating systems located on the same physical drive. Be careful, focus on the capacitive indicators of the partitions.

Having decided and being convinced of the correctness of your choice, enter the command - “format C:”.

Depending on the size of your hard drive, the “formatting” operation may take some time.

We use Windows 8 distribution

When the initial installation stage reaches the “Select a language” item, activate the “Diagnostics” block, then “Advanced features”, and finally click on the “Command Line” shortcut. Next, enter the above commands.

How to format a partition (C:\) in good old XP

• Once you find yourself in the installer's work area, where you will be asked to select a specific partition to install the OS, select the drive (C:\).

• Then press the "D" button and confirm your actions by pressing the "L" key.

• Create a partition in an unallocated area of ​​the disk - press “ENTER” and select the option to format partition (NTFS or FAT32).

• Wait for the process to complete.

Format the partition (C:\) using a bootable USB flash drive

So, we know that the microsystem does not have standard BIOS formatting tools. However, to carry out the operation we are considering, you can boot from any removable drive, which must first be made bootable and equipped with a special software tool.

Today it does not seem difficult to download the special recovery package “EDR Commander”. However, do not forget that the flash drive must first be made bootable, so to use the mentioned program you need special software, for example, “MultiBoot USB”, which you can find out about .

So, having set the priority bootloader in the BIOS(e) and entering the “EDR Commander” menu - select “MicroSoft Diagnostic and Recovery Toolset”, we respond to subsequent requests by clicking the “Next” button until we find ourselves in the working window with the ambiguous “Disk Cleanup” item " You can figure out the rest on your own, as it doesn’t seem difficult.

In conclusion

Well, we hope that after you decide which of the above methods is most convenient for you, you will easily resolve the question: “How to format drive C via BIOS.”

It is worth noting that the absence of the necessary OS distribution and specialized software (EDR Commander) can be replaced with a recovery disk, which can be made using Windows tools, but this is only an effective method when the OS can be loaded. Happy formatting to you!

Often, before installing an operating system, users wonder how to format a hard drive via BIOS. This procedure must be resorted to in order to clear partitions that are inaccessible after Windows starts. However, it is worth remembering that it will not be possible to completely delete information from the hard drive itself in this way.

Description of the procedure

To perform this, you will need a boot device with a recorded OS (it is advisable to create it in advance). The sequence of steps to format a disk via BIOS is as follows:

1. Restart the computer with the connected media and immediately after startup enter the I/O system using the appropriate key. Usually this is F12, F8 or Escape, but if the version is very outdated, other combinations may be used.
2. In the window that appears, you need to open the Boot tab, then Boot Option Priorities. This section allows you to select where the OS will be loaded from (from a flash drive or other device), which is what you need to do. Depending on the removable media, mark the USB port or CD-ROM.
3. Exit, saving your changes, after which the computer will restart. Before you start formatting the disk, you will need to launch the OS from the selected device by pressing any key on the laptop.
4. Call the command line. If the procedure is carried out using Windows 7 media, press the combination Shift+F10. For version 8, this method does not work; it is replaced by the user interface.
5. Make sure the drive letter is correct before formatting the drive. After starting from the boot device, it may change, so in order not to delete important files, you need to enter “wmic logicaldisk get deviceid, volumename, size, description”.
6. Go directly to the cleaning procedure. To do this, you need to enter “format /FS:NTFS X: /q” in the window, instead of X entering the desired designation, for example, C (the drive that most often needs to delete data from the system partition).

Then all that remains is to wait for the end of the process, confirming the command by pressing Enter.

Other methods

The Windows installer allows you to do without CMD, which some people are afraid to use for some reason. Only the familiar interface will be used here, but before you start formatting the hard drive via BIOS, you will have to carry out the first 3 points of the previous section.

After selecting a language, click on “Full installation”, call up a list of available disks and configure the installation. In the parameters that open, you need to mark the “Format” item with the cursor and follow further instructions. However, this method will not work if installing the Windows operating system is not required.

In addition, you can use the ERD Commander program by creating a bootable CD based on it. In the BIOS you will also need to select a priority device to start (in this case, the drive). When the program opens, go to the MicroSoft Diagnostic and Recovery Toolset section and click “Next” until the working window opens. In it you need to click on the “Cleaning” item, after which the hard drive will begin formatting (this is impossible through the BIOS without external means).

There is another program that allows you to do the same and burn an emergency flash drive - AOMEI Partition Assistant Standard Edition. It is a free analogue of utilities for working with various drives and has a friendly interface, so the user can understand how to format a hard drive without outside help.

In general, the algorithm of actions is almost the same for most operating systems, but the names of the items may differ significantly from each other. The same applies to the input/output system: the names of the sections may not be the same as those given above due to differences in versions. However, although it is easier to clean a Windows hard drive, it is important to remember that using third-party tools is mandatory. It is not possible to format via BIOS due to the lack of proper functionality, so you will have to stock up on a boot device.

27.03.2017

Owners of personal computers or laptops may sooner or later encounter such a problem when they urgently need to format their hard drive. The reason for this may be various factors, but the point is that in some cases formatting from an operating system, for example, Windows 7, is impossible. In this case, there is an option to format via BIOS.

Preparatory stage

First of all, you will need to create a bootable USB flash drive or disk with the same operating system.

Also, if you don't have a flash drive, you can use a CD/DVD instead.

BIOS entry options

So, having a bootable media with the operating system recorded on it, you first need to insert it into the USB port on your computer. After this you need to enter the BIOS. Unfortunately, there is no universal solution for this, and depending on the computer manufacturer, the login method is different, but now two ways will be presented on how you can get into it.

Method 1: Knowing the computer manufacturer

If you know which company made your computer, you can easily find out the key to enter the BIOS. To do this, use the hint below. Just look for the name of the manufacturer in the left column, and find out the same key in the right column. By the way, you need to press it when the PC starts, when the initial screen appears.

Method 2: Start screen prompt

If you still couldn’t find the right key using the table above, or you simply don’t know the name of the company that produced your device, then there is another option, although it does not work on all BIOS versions.

Its essence lies in the fact that when you start the computer, at the moment the initial screen appears, it displays the very name of the key that serves as a guide to the BIOS.

But at this stage, difficulties may arise, because, as you know, the loading time of this screen is quite fast, and not everyone will have time to find the hint among the mass of text, especially since its location is different on each computer. Here you can use a trick that few people know about. If you press the key on your keyboard during boot Pause, then it will stop, thereby providing time to discover the treasured inscription. You can see the location of the Pause button in the image below.

Formatting using BIOS

So, the first stage has been completed - we have entered the BIOS, but it is worth immediately making a reservation that such a concept as “formatting via BIOS” is incorrect, since this operation will not be possible. BIOS is just a tool for launching the operating system; of course, it performs some other functions, but all of them are in no way related to the task at hand. In any case, you will need to use some kind of media (Flash card or CD/DVD). Thus, there are three ways you can format your hard drive. It is they who will be discussed below in the text.

Method 1: Using a special program

The first method in turn does not involve using a boot device with a Windows image to format the hard drive, but is also used using a bootable USB flash drive or disk. It consists of using a special program called Acronis Disk Director Suite.

This utility is notable for the fact that it can be used to format your hard drive quite quickly, within a few minutes after launch. It should also be noted that even an inexperienced user can understand it. Its graphical interface is quite friendly. But there are still drawbacks, one of which is its price. The fact is that this software must be purchased. And the price is no longer as friendly as the interface. But you can order a demo version on the website.

So, in order to format a hard drive using the Acronis Disk Director Suite program, you first need to create a bootable USB flash drive with this program. This procedure is different from what you need to do with a Windows entry. Therefore, we will talk about it in more detail.

The first step is to format the Flash card. To do this, follow the instructions.

After a short time, the flash drive will be formatted and ready to be written to Acronis Disk Director Suite.

1. Open the program and select the previously formatted flash drive. In this example, its name "FLASH CARD".



2. Next, on the left toolbar, in the section "Means", click on "Acronis Bootable Media Builder".



3. After this, a window will open in which you can immediately press the button "Next".



4. Now you have a window in front of you in which you need to determine how disks, volumes and network shares are represented. Choose "Windows-like presentation". It is important that the type of bootable media be "Linux-based". After completing the steps, you need to press the button "Next".



5. Skip the next step by pressing the button "Next".



6. Now you need to select the bit size of your system. This example uses 64-bit, so put a checkmark next to it and click "Next".

Advice. You can find out the operating system bit depth by right-clicking on "My computer" and selecting the item "Properties".



7. At this stage, you need to select a previously formatted flash drive. In this case, it's "FLASH CARD (F:)". Select it and click "Next".



8. We also ignore the next step by pressing "Next".



9. Now all previously selected actions will be displayed in front of you. If there are no discrepancies, then you can press "Continue". Otherwise, go back a couple of steps and correct everything according to the instructions.

After all the manipulations have been completed, the creation of a bootable flash drive with the presented program will begin. This process takes a little time. After creating it, you can proceed directly to formatting the hard drive through the BIOS using the Acronis Disk Director Suite program.

• File system. This topic is quite extensive and there is no point in delving into it, but it is worth noting that if you decide to format your hard drive for subsequent installation of the Windows operating system on it, then it is better to choose NTFS. If you are going to install one of the many Linux distributions, then specify EXT3. If you are formatting a flash drive, then FAT32 will be the best choice.
• Cluster size. There can be no clear instructions here, it is only worth indicating that the cluster size must be selected based on the size of the files that will be stored on the formatted device. If you know that the disk will be filled with large files, then set the highest value; otherwise, set the lowest value. If you don’t know, then choose the option "Auto".
• Volume Label. Here you can enter the name of the formatted disk. This field is not required to be filled out.

Once you have decided on all the parameters, you can safely press the button "OK". But this is not the end.

After clicking "OK" formatting will not start, you must manually confirm this operation. To do this, click the button "Run", which is located on the top panel.

In the window that appears, you will be shown all the actions you have selected. If everything is correct, then click "Continue".

Now the screen will show you the process of performing the assigned operation. Please note that you will not be notified in any way about its end, and you will only be able to understand this by an inactive button "Run".

After formatting one disk, you can continue working with the program. And after completing all the steps, you can simply restart your computer.

Method 2: Using the Command Prompt to Install Windows

So, the first way is to use the command line, which can be opened during the first stages of Windows installation. All examples and images will be carried out on Windows 7, but they can also be used for newer versions, of course, with some nuances that will be discussed.

1. Having entered the BIOS, you must immediately go to the tab "Boot".

Clue! All manipulations within the BIOS are performed using the keyboard. A list of all active keys is on the screen. Their location may vary depending on the BIOS version.



2. After you get into it, you should turn your attention to the section "Hard Disk Drives". Enter it.



3. In it you need to select a device that will be detected by the system as a hard drive. If you have only one hard drive, and you use a flash drive as a boot device, then you will see approximately the same screen as shown in the image below, where "SATA: 3M-ST31000528"- this is a hard drive, and "USB: Kingston DataT"- bootable flash drive.



4. The image shows that the hard drive is selected "SATA: 3M-ST31000528", we need to change this value to the flash drive. To do this, choose "1st Driver" and press Enter.
5. A selection panel will appear in front of you, approximately the same as shown below. As you might guess, you need to highlight "USB: Kingston DataTraveler" and press Enter.



6. After this, all manipulations in this section will be completed and you can exit it using the key Escape. But this is not the end. Now you need to select a priority device that will boot when you turn on the computer. This is done in another section, called "Boot Device Priority". Enter it.



7. If you are installing using a flash drive, then everything in this section should be selected correctly - on the contrary "1st Boot Device" The name of the bootable flash drive is indicated. And all you need to do here is make sure of this. If for some reason the flash drive is not selected, then return to the second point of this instruction and do all the manipulations again. As a result, exit this section using the key Escape.



8. If you have selected a disk as the boot device, you will need to make the disk drive a priority. This is done in the same way as described in the fourth and fifth sections. Choose "1st Boot Device", press Enter and identify your drive, in this case "CD/DVD: 4M-ASUS DRW-24B3ST". After this, exit to the main menu by clicking Escape.



9. Now all that remains is to save all the changes and restart the computer to boot from the drive on which the Windows Installer is located. To do this, first you need to go to the tab "Exit".



10. In this tab you need to select "Save Changes and Exit" and press Enter.

Clue! To exit the BIOS, saving all changed settings, you can use the key F10.

After completing all the steps in the instructions, your computer will reboot and begin its startup, using the drive you selected as the priority device.

After this, the first stage of Windows installation will appear - selecting the system language. To format your hard drive using the command line, follow these steps:

After the manipulations have been completed, formatting of the disk you have chosen will begin, you will be informed about its completion, after which you can safely restart the computer or continue to do work on it. This was the first way to format a hard drive through BIOS, using the command line for this purpose.

Method 3: Using Windows Installer

If the previous method did not suit you for some reason, a simpler one will now be presented. At a minimum, this is true, because the graphical interface that is provided by the Windows installer itself will be used.

So, using step-by-step instructions, you can easily format your hard drive in a few minutes. Since the instructions for starting a computer from a boot device were given above, the start will be from the moment you select the language.

As a result, after pressing the button "OK", the disk will be formatted after a while. Next, as last time, you can continue installing Windows, or restart your computer to do other work.

Conclusion

Above we discussed three ways to format a hard drive through BIOS. Of course, the BIOS itself takes little part in this, but it is a key link in performing all the tasks presented. It is also worth noting that, depending on the components of the personal computer themselves or due to differences in operating systems, there may be inconsistencies when working with a hard drive, but they are not significant and will consist mostly of small things.

If you are faced with the task for the first time, then it is advisable to practice on virtual machines, like

Situation: you turn on the computer, and there is a “blue screen of death”. You urgently need to format your hard drive, but there is no specialist. In this article, we will look at a way to format a hard drive yourself, without outside help.

We reboot the computer and immediately after turning it on, press the Del key to enter the BIOS. It happens that instead of the Del button you need to press Insert, F2, F5, F12. The exact data can be found when the computer boots; at the bottom of the screen a message appears like “to enter the BIOS, press DEL/Insert, etc.” Immediately after these steps, the BIOS window will appear, where bookmarks can be navigated only through the keyboard, not with the mouse. Go to the “Boot” tab. Now you need to configure it so that when you turn on the computer, it boots not from the hard drive, but from the CD-Rjm boot sector. To do this, go to the “Boot Device Priority” item. Using the F5, F4 keys we set the CDROM value to the first position.

Exit the BIOS and save the changes by pressing the F10 key. Next, the computer will reboot and the command line will appear (a black screen for direct communication with the “brain” of the computer through commands). The easiest way to format a hard drive is to insert the Windows installation disc. After the reboot, the OS installation will begin immediately and you will be asked if any partition needs to be formatted. Select drive C and the button format in the NTFS file system (Windows 7, Figure 1) or when installing Windows XP, Figure 2.

After formatting is completed, the installation process of the Windows operating system will begin immediately.
This is perhaps the fastest and most useful way to format a hard drive.

During the operation of a personal computer, a situation is possible when it is necessary to format hard drive partitions without loading the operating system. For example, the presence of critical errors and other malfunctions in the operation of the OS. The only possible option in this case is to format the hard drive through the BIOS. You need to understand that BIOS here acts only as an auxiliary tool and a link in a logical chain of actions. It is not yet possible to format the HDD in the firmware itself.

To complete this task, we will need a DVD or USB drive with the Windows distribution, which any wise PC user has in stock. Let's also try to create emergency bootable media ourselves.

Method 1: Using third-party software

To format a hard drive via BIOS, you can use one of many disk managers from various developers. For example, the freely available AOMEI Partition Assistant Standard Edition.

Method 2: Using the Command Line

Let's remember the good old MS-DOS and long-known commands that many users undeservedly ignore. But in vain, because it is very simple and convenient. The command line provides extensive functionality for managing your PC. Let's figure out how to apply it in this case.

Method 3: Using Windows Installer

Any Windows installer has a built-in ability to format the desired hard drive partition before installing the operating system. The interface here is simply understandable for the user. There shouldn't be any difficulties.

We looked at several ways to format a hard drive through BIOS. And we will look forward to when developers of firmware for motherboards create a built-in tool for this process.