• Program for formatting microsd flash drives. Programs for formatting a memory card

    Any of the applications we have reviewed effectively deletes information completely and connects via USB to external devices, HDDs, SD memory cards, etc. The most popular ones are able to find bad sectors, resize volumes, and format flash drives for Unix systems. But each special program has its own audience, so we will select the best in several categories.

    We really liked the tools Flash Memory Toolkit. Using the utility is a pleasure. Its context menu provides access to all necessary functions. The developers even screwed up the benchmarks, which already deserves respect! However, it is not without its drawbacks - the latest version of the program dates back to the times of Windows XP, which means that the utility’s operating algorithms are outdated. Its high cost is also a deterrent.

    An alternative is the combination D-Soft Flash Doctor And MiniTool Partition Wizard Free. Both tools are free. You can download programs from the official website in the latest edition; updates are released regularly; functionally they complement each other.

    Suitable for home use JetFlash Recovery Tool– proprietary utility for flash drives and hard drives Transcend. Its interface is intuitive and simplified as much as possible. But again, the only limitation is that only branded devices and a number of compatible chips are supported.

    Has no such shortcomings USB Disk Storage Format Tool. It was developed by HP, but is compatible with any equipment. The program not only restores flash drives, but also at a low level erases all information from any HDD, which will be useful, for example, as part of the pre-sale preparation of a laptop.

    It's a pity, but the HP application does not always find damaged devices. For this there is a “one-button” EzRecover. The algorithm of its operation is simple - we find the device, click on it, reset it programmatically and overwrite it with default settings.

    Main features of the program Low Level Format Tool professionals will appreciate it. It most likely detects a damaged drive, meticulously formats and remaps sectors, but does not know how to do banal things - create partitions. The application will be able to add functionality MiniTool Partition Wizard or Acronis Disk Director.

    I would also like to draw attention to SD Formatter– this specialized service software was developed for memory cards of cameras and smartphones. He himself will select the best recovery algorithm and carry it out efficiently. Fine tuning is present.

    And if you are engaged not only in repairing flash drives, but also carry out testing, you cannot do without Flash Memory Toolkit. The utility is a little outdated, but its benchmarks and diagnostic methods are up to date.

    Good day.

    Questions regarding the operation of the hard drive ( or as they say HDD) - always a lot (probably one of the most numerous directions). Quite often, in order to solve this or that issue, the hard drive needs to be formatted. And here, some questions are superimposed on others: “And how? And with what? This program does not see the disk, which one should I replace it with?” etc.

    In this article I will present the best (in my opinion) programs that help cope with this task.

    Important! Before formatting the HDD with one of the presented programs, save all important information from the hard drive to other media. During the formatting process, all data from the media will be deleted and it is sometimes extremely difficult to restore something (and sometimes even impossible!).

    "Tools" for working with hard drives

    Acronis Disk Director

    In my opinion, this is one of the best programs for working with a hard drive. Firstly, there is support for the Russian language (for many users this is fundamental), secondly, it supports all Windows operating systems: XP, 7, 8, 10, thirdly, the program has excellent compatibility and “sees” all disks (unlike from other utilities of this kind).

    Judge for yourself, you can do “anything” with hard disk partitions:

    • format (in fact, for this reason the program was included in the article);
    • change the file system without data loss (for example, from Fat 32 to Ntfs);
    • resize partition: very convenient if, when installing Windows, you, say, allocated too little space for the system disk, and now you need to increase it from 50 GB to 100 GB. You can format the disk again - but you will lose all the information, and with the help of this function you can change the size and save all the data;
    • combining hard disk partitions: for example, we divided the hard drive into 3 partitions, and then thought, why? It’s better to have two: one system one for Windows, and the other for files - they took it and combined it and didn’t lose anything;
    • disk defragmentation: useful if you have a Fat 32 file system (with Ntfs - there is not much point, at least you will not benefit in performance);
    • change drive letter;
    • deleting partitions;
    • viewing files on disk: useful when you have a file on your disk that is not deleted;
    • ability to create bootable media: flash drives (the tool will simply save you if Windows refuses to boot).

    In general, it is probably unrealistic to describe all the functions in one article. The only drawback of the program is that it is paid, although there is time for a test...

    Paragon partition manager

    This program is quite well known, I think that experienced users have been familiar with it for a long time. Includes all the most necessary tools for working with media. By the way, the program supports not only real physical disks, but also virtual ones.

    Main features:

    • Using disks larger than 2 TB in Windows XP (with this software you can use larger capacity disks in the old OS);
    • Ability to control boot of multiple operating systems Windows (very important when you want to install another Windows OS in addition to your first one. For example, to test a new OS before finally switching to it);
    • Easy and intuitive work with sections: You can easily split or merge the required partition without losing data. In this sense, the program works without any complaints at all ( By the way, it is possible to convert a basic MBR to a GPT disk. Regarding this task, there have been a lot of questions lately. );
    • Support for a large number of file systems- this means that you can view and work with partitions of almost any hard drive;
    • Working with virtual disks: easily connects a disk to itself and allows you to work with it as with a real disk;
    • Huge number of backup functions and restoration (also very important), etc.

    EASEUS Partition Master Home Edition

    An excellent free (by the way, there is also a paid version - it has several additional functions) tool for working with hard drives. Supported OS Windows: 7, 8, 10 (32/64 bits), there is support for the Russian language.

    The number of functions is simply amazing, I will list some of them:

    • support for different types of media: HDD, SSD, USB flash drives, memory cards, etc.;
    • changing hard disk partitions: formatting, resizing, merging, deleting, etc.;
    • support for MBR and GPT disks, support for RAID arrays;
    • support for disks up to 8 TB;
    • the ability to migrate from HDD to SSD (however, not all versions of the program support);
    • the ability to create bootable media, etc.

    In general, a good alternative to the paid products presented above. Even the features of the free version are enough for most users.

    Aomei Partition Assistant

    Another worthy alternative to paid products. The standard version (and it is free) has a bunch of functions for working with hard drives, supports Windows 7, 8, 10, and has the Russian language (although it is not installed by default). By the way, according to the developers, they use special algorithms to work with “problem” disks - so there is a chance that your “invisible” disk in any software will suddenly be seen by Aomei Partition Assistant...

    Key Features:

    • One of the lowest system requirements (among software of this type): processor with a clock frequency of 500 MHz, 400 MB of hard disk space;
    • Supports traditional HDD hard drives, as well as newfangled solid-state SSDs and SSHDs;
    • Full support for RAID arrays;
    • Full support for working with HDD partitions: merging, splitting, formatting, changing the file system, etc.;
    • Support for MBR and GPT disks up to 16 TB in size;
    • Supports up to 128 disks in the system;
    • Support for flash drives, memory cards, etc.;
    • Support for virtual disks (for example, from programs such as VMware, Virtual Box, etc.);
    • Full support for all the most popular file systems: NTFS, FAT32/FAT16/FAT12, exFAT/ReFS, Ext2/Ext3/Ext4.

    MiniTool Partition Wizard

    MiniTool Partition Wizard is free software for working with hard drives. By the way, it’s not bad at all, which only shows that over 16 million users use this utility in the world!

    Peculiarities:

    • Full support for the following OS: Windows 10, Windows 8.1/7/Vista/XP 32-bit and 64-bit;
    • Ability to resize partitions, create new partitions, format them, clone, etc.;
    • Convert between MBR and GPT disks (without data loss);
    • Supports conversion from one file system to another: we are talking about FAT/FAT32 and NTFS (without data loss);
    • Backup and recovery of information on disk;
    • Optimizing Windows for optimal performance and migration to an SSD drive (relevant for those who are replacing their old HDD with a newfangled and fast SSD), etc.;

    HDD Low Level Format Tool

    This utility does not do much of what the programs listed above can do. In general, it can only do one thing - format the media (disk or flash drive). But it was impossible not to include it in this review...

    The fact is that the utility performs low-level formatting of the disk. In some cases, restoring the functionality of a hard drive without this operation is almost impossible! Therefore, if no program sees your disk, try HDD Low Level Format Tool. It also helps to delete ALL information from the disk without the possibility of recovery (for example, you do not want someone to be able to restore your files on a sold computer).

    In general, I have a separate article about this utility on my blog (which describes all these “subtleties”):

    PS

    About 10 years ago, by the way, one program was very popular - Partition Magic (it allowed you to format the HDD, split the disk into partitions, etc.). In principle, you can still use it today - only the developers have stopped supporting it and it is not suitable for Windows XP, Vista and higher. On the one hand, it’s a pity when they stop supporting such convenient software...

    That's all, good choice!

    Good day everyone!

    You can argue, but flash drives have become one of the most (if not the most) popular storage media. It is not surprising that there are quite a lot of questions regarding them: especially important among them are the issues of recovery, formatting and testing.

    In this article I will present the best (in my opinion) utilities for working with drives - that is, those tools that I have used myself many times. The information in the article will be updated and expanded from time to time.

    The best programs for working with a flash drive

    Important! First of all, if you have problems with a flash drive, I recommend visiting the official website of its manufacturer. The fact is that the official website may have specialized utilities for data recovery (and not only!), which will cope with the task much better.

    For testing

    Let's start with testing drives. Let's look at programs that will help determine some of the parameters of a USB drive.

    H2testw

    A very useful utility for determining the actual volume of any media. In addition to the storage capacity, it can test the actual speed of its operation (which some manufacturers like to overestimate for marketing purposes).

    Check Flash

    A free utility that can quickly check your flash drive for functionality, measure its real read and write speed, and completely delete all information from it (so that no utility can recover a single file from it!).

    In addition, it is possible to edit information about partitions (if they are on it), make a backup copy and reanimate the image of an entire media partition!

    The speed of the utility is quite high and it is unlikely that at least one competing program will do this job faster!

    HD Speed

    This is a very simple, but very convenient program for testing flash drives for read/write speed (information transfer). In addition to USB drives, the utility supports hard drives and optical drives.

    The program does not require installation. Information is presented in a clear graphical representation. Supports Russian language. Works in all versions of Windows: XP, 7, 8, 10.

    CrystalDiskMark

    One of the best utilities for testing information transfer speed. Supports various media: HDD (hard drives), SSD (newfangled solid state drives), USB flash drives, memory cards, etc.

    The program supports the Russian language, although running a test in it is as easy as shelling pears - just select a carrier and press the start button (you can figure it out without knowledge of the great and mighty).

    An example of the results can be seen in the screenshot above.

    Flash Memory Toolkit

    Flash Memory Toolkit - this program is a whole set of utilities for servicing flash drives.

    Full set of functions:

    • a detailed list of properties and information about the drive and USB devices;
    • test to find errors when reading and writing information to the media;
    • quick data clearing from the drive;
    • search and recovery of information;
    • backup of all files to media and the ability to restore from a backup copy;
    • low-level testing of information transfer speed;
    • measuring performance when working with small/large files.

    FC-Test

    A benchmark for measuring the real read/write speed of hard drives, flash drives, memory cards, CD/DVD devices, etc. Its main feature and difference from all utilities of this kind is that it uses real data samples to work.

    Of the minuses: the utility has not been updated for quite some time (problems with newfangled media types are possible).

    Flashnul

    This utility allows you to diagnose and test USB Flash drives. By the way, during this operation, errors and bugs will be corrected. Supported media: US and Flash drives, SD, MMC, MS, XD, MD, CompactFlash, etc.

    List of operations performed:

    • reading test - an operation will be carried out to determine the availability of each sector on the media;
    • recording test - similar to the first function;
    • information integrity test - the utility checks the integrity of all data on the media;
    • saving a media image - saving everything that is on the media into a separate image file;
    • Loading the image into the device is similar to the previous operation.

    For formatting

    HDD Low Level Format Tool

    A program that has only one task - to format the media (by the way, HDD hard drives, SSDs, and USB flash drives are supported).

    Despite such a “meager” set of capabilities, it is not for nothing that this utility is in first place in this article. The fact is that it allows you to “return” to life even those media that are no longer visible in any other program. If this utility sees your drive, try low-level formatting it (attention! all data will be deleted!) - there is a good chance that after this format, your flash drive will work as before: without failures or errors.

    USB Disk Storage Format Tool

    A program for formatting and creating bootable flash drives. Supported file systems: FAT, FAT32, NTFS. The utility does not require installation, supports USB 2.0 port (USB 3.0 is not visible. Note: this port is marked in blue).

    Its main difference from the standard tool in Windows for formatting drives is the ability to “see” even those media that are not visible by standard OS tools. Otherwise, the program is quite simple and concise, I recommend using it to format all “problem” flash drives.

    Format USB Or Flash Drive Software

    The utility will help in cases where the standard formatting program in Windows refuses to “see” the media (or, for example, will generate errors during operation). Format USB Or Flash Drive Software can format media into the following file systems: NTFS, FAT32 and exFAT. There is a quick formatting option.

    I would also like to note the simple interface: it is designed in a minimalist style, it’s easy to understand (the screenshot is shown above). In general, I recommend it!

    SD Formatter

    A simple utility for formatting various flash cards: SD/SDHC/SDXC.

    The main difference from the standard program built into Windows is that this utility formats the media according to the type of flash card: SD/SDHC/SDXC. It is also worth noting the presence of the Russian language, a simple and understandable interface (the main window of the program is shown in the screenshot above).

    Aomei Partition Assistant

    Aomei Partition Assistant is a large free (for home use) “combine” that provides a huge number of functions and capabilities for working with hard drives and USB media.

    The program supports the Russian language (but is still set to English by default), works in all popular Windows operating systems: XP, 7, 8, 10. The program, by the way, works according to its own unique algorithms (at least according to the developers of this software ), which allows it to “see” even “very problematic” media, be it a flash drive or HDD.

    In general, a whole article would not be enough to describe all its properties! I recommend you try it, especially since Aomei Partition Assistant will save you not only from problems with USB drives, but also with other media.

    Recovery programs

    Important! If the programs presented below are not enough, I recommend that you familiarize yourself with a large collection of programs for recovering information from various types of media (hard drives, flash drives, memory cards, etc.): .

    If, when connecting the drive, it reports an error and asks you to format it, do not do it (it is possible that after this operation, it will be much more difficult to return the data)! In this case, I recommend reading this article:.

    Recuva

    One of the best free file recovery programs. Moreover, it supports not only USB drives, but also hard drives. Distinctive features: fast scanning of media, a fairly high degree of search for “remains” of files (i.e., the chances of returning a deleted file are quite high), a simple interface, a step-by-step recovery wizard (even complete “beginners” can handle it).

    For those who will be scanning their flash drive for the first time, I recommend that you read the mini-instructions for recovering files in Recuva:

    R Saver

    Free* (for non-commercial use in the USSR) program for recovering information from hard drives, flash drives, memory cards and other media. The program supports all the most popular file systems: NTFS, FAT and exFAT.

    The program sets the media scanning parameters independently (which is also another plus for beginners).

    Program features:

    • recovery of accidentally deleted files;
    • the ability to reconstruct damaged file systems;
    • recovering files after formatting the media;
    • data recovery using signatures.

    EasyRecovery

    One of the best data recovery programs, supports a wide variety of media types. The program works in all versions of new Windows: 7, 8, 10 (32/64 bits), supports Russian language.

    One cannot fail to note one of the most important advantages of the program - the high degree of detection of deleted files. Everything that can be “pulled out” from a disk or flash drive will be presented to you and offered to be restored.

    Perhaps the only negative is that it is paid...

    Important! You can find out how to return deleted files in this program in this article (see part 2):

    R-STUDIO

    One of the most popular programs for data recovery, both in our country and abroad. A large number of different media are supported: hard drives (HDD), solid-state drives (SSD), memory cards, flash drives, etc. The list of supported file systems is also amazing: NTFS, NTFS5, ReFS, FAT12/16/32, exFAT, etc.

    The program will help in the following cases:

    • accidentally deleting a file from the trash (this happens sometimes...);
    • formatting the hard drive;
    • virus attack;
    • in the event of a computer power failure (especially important in Russia with its “reliable” power grids);
    • in case of errors on the hard drive, if there are a large number of bad sectors;
    • if the structure of the hard drive is damaged (or changed).

    In general, a universal harvester for all kinds of cases. The only negative is that the program is paid.

    Remark! Step-by-step data recovery in R-Studio:

    Popular USB flash drive manufacturers

    It is, of course, unrealistic to collect all manufacturers in one table. But all the most popular ones are definitely present here :). On the manufacturer’s website you can often find not only service utilities for resuscitating or formatting a USB drive, but also utilities that greatly facilitate the work: for example, programs for archival copying, assistants for preparing bootable media, etc.

    Note! If I have left anyone out, I suggest using the tips from the instructions for restoring the functionality of a USB drive: . The article describes in some detail how and what to do to “return” the flash drive to working condition.

    This concludes the report. Good work and good luck everyone!

    Now many modern PC users have no idea how often any program for formatting a hard drive previously helped out .

    After all, hard drives had to be formatted regularly.

    This is all due to the imperfection of software products - both those that were used for basic user purposes and those that were used to perform maintenance operations on installed systems.

    Background

    Another aspect of the need for the once frequent use of programs to format hard drives is problems with the hardware. Small media volume, frequent hardware errors and the like.

    But oddly enough, over time, the need to format disks still remained, even with the advent of modern solid-state drives. At the same time, the formatting operation has ceased to be an everyday norm, and if it is necessary to format a hard drive, many users are at a loss as to how and in what way it can be done.

    Fortunately, over time, both the quality of software products designed for formatting hard drives and their number have increased noticeably. And now the user is not limited to built-in system utilities, but has access not just to third-party software products, but to entire sets of software tools that allow you to perform not only formatting, but also several other useful operations, in particular, improving the condition of the hard drive and the lifespan its operation.

    Some of these tools are classified as shareware, some come with a free license, and the rest are only available upon purchase. Each of them has its own advantages and we propose to consider several of the most commonly used and popular tools with sufficient functionality.

    Paragon Partition Manager Free Edition

    A program for formatting a hard drive called Paragon Partition Manager Free Edition stands out from other similar software products in its ability to perform operations on virtual storage media. In addition, for those who still cannot give up using Windows XP, it will provide the ability to support high-capacity disks of the order of 2 TB or more. But it also works on modern Windows 7 and 8 operating systems.

    An additional advantage of this complex is its support for multi-boot management functions. This option will be useful for those who use several operating systems in test mode or simply require their parallel use.

    The program interface is quite simple and understandable, and in some cases it is simply irreplaceable. An example of this is the function of merging partitions without losing data, which is especially important when formatting partitions. In this case, the user is given the opportunity to even convert partitions.

    As for file systems, the number of them supported is quite large. They can be converted from one to another using this program, in particular, NTFS to HFS.

    Among other functionality, there is copying and restoring disks, merging them, moving them and resizing them. And all this in the presence of a Russified shell.

    Some may find the defragmentation function superfluous, but absolutely everyone will like protection against system failures and detection of bad sectors.

    Rice. 1 – Paragon Partition Manager window fragment

    EASEUS Partition Master

    This program for formatting a hard drive has the advantage of having several versions with different functionality. Some of them are free, but the Home Edition and Master Free versions deserve special attention from ordinary users.

    The program has excellent functionality, accessible through the Russian-language software shell. It can run under the Windows operating system family, in particular, versions 7, 8 and 10, both 32-bit and 64-bit, and some versions allow you to work through Linux.

    The software product provides work with a wide range of heterogeneous drives, the most important of which are:

    • HDDs;
    • SSD solid state drives;
    • USB flash drives;
    • memory cards in various designs.

    You can not only format them, but also create or change sections, for example, merging, deleting, copying and resizing.

    The program has access to working with RAID arrays and provides user interaction with MBR and GPT. Some operations can be performed using built-in wizards, which greatly facilitates the user’s work.

    It is worth paying attention to the fact that each version of the product has its own restrictions, in particular, on the maximum storage size. For example, in the Home Edition it is 8 TB, and in Master Free it is only 4 TB. The user is also advised to pay attention to the installation process, since unnecessary utilities can be installed along the way.

    Rice. 2 – EASEUS Partition Master window fragment

    Aomei Partition Assistant

    A program for formatting a hard drive called Aomei Partition Assistant is a product that is distributed free of charge, but has decent functionality. It provides a number of functions that are not available in other free products and therefore belongs to a completely different class.

    This software package, like the previous product, has a Russian-language shell and supports modern operating systems of the Windows and Linux families and, accordingly, file systems running under their control: FAT 12/16/32, NTFS, Ext2/3/4, exFAT/ReFS.

    In parallel with work on physical media, the program also performs operations on virtual disks.

    As for the special functionality, it is implemented in the form of access to disks invisible to other software. The program allows you to check them, test them and a number of other useful operations. All this against the backdrop of minimum system requirements, ranging from the processor version to the amount of available disk memory.

    This software product is able to work even under such conditions when the device has 128 disks installed and the volume size is 16 TB. It is also one of the few products that can work with SSHD, flash drives and flash cards. Is it worth mentioning that it supports UEFI Boot, and all operations performed are performed without damaging user information, according to the creators?

    Rice. 3 – Aomei Partition Assistant Window

    MiniTool Partition Wizard

    This program for formatting a hard drive is more modest, but much more popular, not only in the domestic space, but throughout the world. It is free and provides interaction under operating systems of the Windows family, including the latest versions of various bits, while also processing EXT disk partitions, as well as Linux Swap.

    The software interface has a Russified shell and provides work with partitions with a capacity of more than 2 TB. It is quite simple and will be understandable even for a novice user. The functionality of the interface is quite wide and even includes the new-fangled migration from HDD to SSD.

    The software product also performs a number of basic operations with disks and their partitions, including their cloning, creation and modification. An additional operation can be considered the conversion of FAT/FAT32 file systems to NTFS while maintaining the integrity of user data, which is complemented by the functionality of backing up stored information and a data recovery utility after failures. If desired, the user can test their disks by testing their performance.

    Like some of the programs described above, this one can convert disks from MBR to GPT, and this is important when a frequently used system partition is worn out. In parallel with this, it is possible to assign active sections and interact with them.

    Rice. 4 – MiniTool Partition Wizard Window

    HDD Low Level Format Tool

    This hard drive formatting program falls into a different category than the software tools discussed above. Therefore, it deserves special attention. This is not a large software package with wide functionality, but a small program that only has the ability to low-level formatting in its set of functions.

    This option provides, with the given settings, the ability to restore the functionality of storage media. Moreover, this functionality applies to both hard drives and flash drives. The only problem for the user in this case is the complete destruction of the data on the media without the possibility of further recovery.

    Unfortunately, there are no other operations that this product can perform with media.

    Rice. 5 – HDD Low Level Format Tool window

    Acronis Disk Director

    This program for formatting a hard drive is also quite interesting. Its peculiarity is that it can be launched from any media. So, you can install it on a boot disk or flash drive and even without a full-fledged operating system be able to work with disk partitions.

    This functionality is especially important in emergency situations, when it is more important for the user to restore the system’s functionality, and not just create an additional partition for more convenient storage of data or installation of a game. The program's functionality is suitable for working with disks running both Windows and Linux. However, this product has one significant drawback, which is noticeable when compared with the above programs - its cost.

    In fact, this application belongs to the category of shareware products. After the specified trial period has expired, the user is offered two options - purchase a license or delete the software product. Therefore, it can be safely used and compared with other programs on a free basis, but for a limited period.

    Otherwise, this is a full-fledged tool for working with disks and their partitions with wide functionality. It includes all the basic operations for working with partitions, including formatting, and also allows the PC owner to view the information stored on these partitions in a general way.

    Rice. 6 – Acronis Disk Director window

    Standard Windows OS Tools

    When describing programs for formatting disks, one cannot fail to mention standard operating system tools that are available to users without downloading third-party software products. This can be done using the example of operating systems of the Windows family. A special feature of these systems is that they have several tools for working with hard drives and their partitions.

    The first tool is quite simple and this utility is available to the user from the Explorer program. In order to use it, you can call up the context menu for the logical partition of the hard drive, and select “Format” from it. After this, a form will become available in which you can specify the desired parameters of the formatting operation.

    This functionality will be available for all logical disk partitions, with the exception of the active system disk. In this case, you need to use a slightly different tool, accessible exclusively from the command line. Working with it requires special skills that are only available to experienced users.


    Important! To have access to them, you need to have a boot disk, as well as settings in the BIOS that force the PC to boot from removable media, and not from the hard drive, in order to provide the functionality the system needs. This is provided by a small utility called diskpart. But its main problem is that the user does not receive high-quality visualization of the actions being performed, and any error in their execution can cost the functionality of the system.

    This state of affairs forces users to resort to using third-party software products.

    Rice. 7 – Formatting utility window

    Formatting your hard drive before installing Windows

    In the video I will show you how to format a hard drive. This may come in handy when you reinstall the Windows operating system.

    A fast and safe utility for formatting SD, SDHC and SDXC memory cards. The program also supports working with other types of external storage media (external HDDs, USB flash drives, digital cameras, etc.)

    Description of the program

    The SD Card Formatter tool is simple and intuitive enough for users of any skill level. After a simple installation procedure, the utility is immediately ready to work and does not require any settings.

    After launching SD Card Formatter in the main program window, you need to select the desired memory card to format from the drop-down list. After selecting a storage device, technical information about the media will be displayed.

    When formatting an SD card, two modes are available:

    • Quickformat(Quick Format)
      • In this mode, the data on the SD physically remains, but the space on the memory card is marked as unused. The advantages of this type of formatting are the fast execution process, and the disadvantages are the ability to restore confidential information after losing a memory card.
    • Overwriteformat(Full format/overwrite)
      • During the formatting process, this mode writes zero values ​​over the entire available space of the external storage medium. The procedure may take a long time depending on the capacity of the SD card, but data recovery is subsequently impossible.

    Before formatting, you can also specify a new “label” for the SD card. Once the memory card is formatted, SD Card Formatter will display a detailed report on the status of the storage device (available capacity, file system type, cluster size).

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