A guide to returning a bootable flash drive to its normal state. Program for formatting flash drives Format a flash drive as bootable

Sometimes, reading information, playing music and movies from a flash drive or external hard drive on all devices, namely: a computer, a household DVD player or TV, Xbox or PS3, as well as in a car radio, can cause some problems. Here we’ll talk about which file system is best to use so that the flash drive can be read everywhere and always without problems.

Currently, there are two most common file systems (for Russia) - NTFS (Windows), FAT32 (old Windows standard). Mac OS and Linux file systems can also be used.

It would be logical to assume that modern operating systems would work with each other's file systems by default, but in most cases this is not the case. Mac OS X cannot write data to a drive formatted with NTFS. Windows 7 does not recognize HFS+ and EXT drives and either ignores them or reports that the drive is not formatted.

Many Linux distributions, such as Ubuntu, support most file systems by default. Copying from one system to another is a common process on Linux. Most distributions support HFS+ and NTFS out of the box, or support for them is installed in one free component.

In addition, game consoles such as the Xbox 360 or Playstation 3 provide only limited access to certain file systems, and only allow data to be read from a USB drive. To see which file systems are supported on which devices, take a look at this table.

It is worth noting that the tables reflect the OS capabilities for working with file systems by default. On both Mac OS and Windows, you can download additional software that allows you to work with unsupported formats.

FAT32 is a long-standing format and, thanks to this, almost all devices and operating systems fully support it. Thus, if you format a flash drive in FAT32, it is almost guaranteed to be readable anywhere. However, there is one important problem with this format: the size limitation of an individual file and an individual volume. If you need to store, write and read huge files, FAT32 may not be suitable. Now more about size restrictions.

File size limits on file systems

The FAT32 file system was developed a long time ago and is based on previous versions of FAT, which was originally used in DOS. Disks with today's volumes did not exist at that time, and therefore there were no prerequisites for the file system to support files larger than 4GB. Today, many users have to face problems due to this. Below you can see a comparison of file systems based on the sizes of supported files and partitions.

Modern file systems have expanded file size limits to limits that are still difficult to imagine (we'll see what happens in 20 years).

Each new system outperforms FAT32 in terms of the size of individual files and a separate disk partition. Thus, the age of FAT32 affects its ability to be used for various purposes. One solution is to use the exFAT file system, support for which appears in many operating systems. But, one way or another, for a regular USB flash drive, if it does not store files larger than 4 GB, FAT32 will be the best choice, and the flash drive will be read almost anywhere.

The article describes how to format a flash drive for installing Windows 10 using the tools built into the operating system and using various third-party tools.

File system

There is a lot of debate online on the topic “What file system format of a flash drive is needed to unpack the image with Windows 10 installation files?” Let's consider the question.

Some recommend NTFS as a file system (FS) that can work with documents larger than 4 GB. Others, including Microsoft, say that you need to format your USB drive to FAT32. Who is right, because the OS has any markup?

On new computers that use modern GPT and UEFI disk partitions instead of an outdated BIOS, installing Windows 10 is only possible from USB drives with FAT32.

Old BIOSes “do not understand” GPT markup; they need MBR. And to obtain a master boot record on the hard drive with the OS installed, the flash drive must be partitioned in NTFS. If you have an NTFS flash drive, it is difficult to install Windows 10 on a GPT drive.

Standard method and third-party program

You can format a flash drive using both built-in Windows tools and third-party utilities.

Conductor

The method is only relevant for computers that support EFI booting (UEFI is used instead of BIOS), on which the OS is installed on a disk with GPT partitioning. Once modified, the contents of the installation image can be unpacked or copied to a USB drive without creating a boot record on it.

1. Connect a drive with a capacity of 4 GB or more (and if the image takes up more, 8 GB or more) and make sure that important data is copied from it.

2. Open the context menu of the media and call the “Format...” command.

3. Select the target file system, enter the volume label, check the “Fast…” option and click “Start”.

4. Confirm deleting the data and then changing the drive layout.

The flash drive is ready. All that remains is to write the contents of the ISO file onto it.

Rufus

1. Launch the program (the portable version does not require installation) and select the flash drive in the “Device” list.

Be sure to download the program from the developer’s official website https://rufus.ie.

2. In the Boot method field, select Non-boot image.

3. Select the target system and computer drive partition scheme.

4. Depending on them, specify the file system.

5. Activate the “Quick Format” option (the rest of the data is not so important) and click “Start”.

Working with other utilities for creating a new file system on flash drives is no different. The main thing is to choose the right type of file system.

On our website there are many instructions on how to make a bootable flash drive from a regular flash drive (for example, for installing Windows). But what if you need to return the flash drive to its previous state? We will try to answer this question today.

The first thing to note is that banal formatting will not be enough. The fact is that when a flash drive is converted into a boot drive, a special service file is written to a memory sector that is inaccessible to the user and cannot be erased using conventional methods. This file forces the system to recognize not the actual volume of the flash drive, but the occupied system image: for example, only 4 GB (Windows 7 image) out of, say, 16 GB (actual capacity). As a result, only these 4 gigabytes can be formatted, which, of course, is not suitable.

There are several solutions to this problem. The first is to use specialized software designed to work with drive layout. The second is to use the built-in Windows tools. Each option is good in its own way, so let's look at them.

Pay attention! Each of the methods described below involves formatting the flash drive, which will delete all data on it!

Method 1: HP USB Disk Storage Format Tool

Despite its cumbersomeness, this method is good with an almost one hundred percent guarantee of a positive result in most cases.

The methods described above are the most convenient for the end user. If you know alternatives, please share them in the comments.

The process of formatting a flash drive is not much different from formatting an HDD or SSD drive. Next, we will look at the best ones (such as USB Disk Storage Format Tool). We also mention a USB drive, available in any Windows operating system.

Content:

The guide will help you understand the many formatting options. I will explain what each individual parameter does and which one is best suited for your USB flash drive. And if the standard method does not help, we will select an alternative utility for formatting the flash drive.

What is formatting?

Formatting refers to the processing of a storage medium associated with organizing the structure of this storage medium. The source can be a hard drive (HDD), SSD, flash drive (usb flash drive), SD card or other solid-state device. Formatting changes the structure of access to digital information.

How to format an SD memory card? SD cards have special formatting features. We have written instructions on how to format a memory card. We are talking about the SDFormatter tool (download), specially designed for formatting flash drives and SD cards in Windows and Mac OS.

Two facts need to be kept in mind:

1. When formatting a flash drive, all data stored on it is destroyed. Files can only be restored using special recovery utilities, but a successful result cannot be guaranteed.
2. when you format a flash drive or HDD, the system checks for structural errors and, in some cases, corrects them.

Low-level formatting of a flash drive is a type of formatting in which the surface of a USB drive is laid out into sectors used for further recording of service information. Low-level formatting is performed using special utilities, which we will discuss later in the article. We will also tell you how to format a flash drive using their tools.

As a rule, users do not want to understand the formatting options of the program. But in vain: after all, the settings are responsible for the performance of the flash drive and the read/write speed. The optimal parameters depend on the model of the device that will be formatted and on what you plan to do with the flash drive, what tasks to perform: launch applications, use it as an OS boot, to store all kinds of data, etc.

How to quickly format a flash drive in Windows 7 - Windows 10

Tip of the day. Sometimes formatting allows you to restore the functionality of a flash drive, mark it up correctly, copy files to it - as a result, it becomes writable even after Windows has stopped detecting it or has stopped reading data. This is especially important to consider if Windows cannot format the flash drive and the user has to look for third-party tools.

Windows OS has a standard utility for this case, so you don’t need to look for third-party formatting tools. Whether you are using Windows XP, Windows 7, 8 or Windows 10, the steps described are essentially the same.

1. Insert the flash drive into the USB port
2. Go to Explorer (Start > My Computer)
3. Right-click on the USB drive, select “Format” from the context menu
4. Determine the file system type - FAT or NTFS
5. To format the drive, make a selection and click the "Start" button
6. Confirm that you really want to erase all data on the drive
7. Flash drive is formatted

You need to understand what each of these options is responsible for. Flash drive formatting options that can be changed in the standard "Format" utility:

• Capacity: flash drive size in GB. Every time you format a drive, check the capacity: this will help you avoid mistakes.
• File system. The type of file system, in many situations, is not important. However, if you specify FAT rather than NTFS, you will not be able to write files larger than 4 GB to the flash drive. If you choose a rare type of file system, be prepared for the fact that your flash drive will not be detected on other operating systems and computers. However, in Windows OS the choice is limited only to NTFS and (ex)FAT.
• Cluster size. Read about what a cluster is and what size you need to specify here.
• Volume label: conventional name of the flash drive. It does not affect anything, but it is advisable to assign a memorable label in order to navigate in Explorer and the operating system.

What is the best format to format a USB flash drive?

In Windows 7, you can choose from four main file systems: NTFS, FAT, FAT32 and exFAT. You will not see FAT and FAT32 file systems in the list of available files if the total capacity of the flash drive or disk is more than 32 GB.

Advantages of a file system NTFS:

• writing and reading data larger than 4 gigabytes and up to the maximum allowed partition size.
• ability to create large partitions on a USB flash drive - more than 32 GB
• formatting a flash drive in NTFS is easier than in FAT
• effective compression of information and, accordingly, saving occupied space on a flash drive.
• Better use of available space = less need for fragmentation.
• support for on-the-fly file encryption thanks to the EFS encrypted file system (Windows Professional OS).

Advantages of file systems FAT and FAT32:

• FAT is compatible with Windows, Linux, Mac OS X operating systems
• files take up less space on a USB drive than NTFS.
• FAT formatting is available in any OS
• Fewer disk writes/rewrites = more efficient use of available memory.

Pros of the file system exFAT:

• Read/write large files > 4 gigabytes in size to a USB flash drive.
• partitioning > 32 GB.
• rational use of space = optimization of fragmentation.

So, let's draw conclusions. FAT and FAT32 are suitable for drives smaller than 32 GB and if you do not need to store files larger than 2 and 4 GB.

Due to the nature of the file system, NTFS is not recommended for flash drives, even if their capacity is > 32 GB. A compromise solution would be the exFAT file system. It combines the significant advantages of FAT and NTFS (large file sizes are supported). Thus, the exFAT file system is optimal for formatting flash drives.

FAT and FAT32 are the only file systems that guarantee cross-platform compatibility. NTFS is not supported on Linux and requires third-party applications to work on Mac. exFAT, on the other hand, is supported on Snow Leopard and later versions of Mac OS, but requires drivers on Linux as well.

If you have to choose between FAT and FAT32, choose the latter - especially if you are dealing with a 2 GB flash drive or less. This is useful for improving compatibility and speed.

What cluster size should I specify in the settings?

The "Cluster Size" option in the formatting settings sets the appropriate size. The file system records the status of each cluster: free or busy. Once a file or part of a file is written to the cluster, it enters the "busy" state - regardless of whether there is space available.

Consequently, large clusters are impractical in terms of using space on a flash drive (disk).

With smaller clusters, however, the flash drive slows down as each file is broken into smaller pieces. Copying files takes much longer.

Fortunately, the situation can be corrected using a flash drive formatting program. Additionally, the optimal cluster size depends on the purpose of the USB drive.

Cluster size in NTFS

If you store small files on a flash drive or run programs from a flash drive, a smaller cluster size will help save space. On a 1 TB external hard drive, it is advisable to select a cluster of 64 kilobytes in size.

Cluster size when formatting a flash drive in fat32

If you store large files on disk, a large cluster size is preferable: a flash drive will work faster. For flash drives less than 500 MB, select a 512 byte (FAT32) or 32 KB (FAT) cluster.

What label should I choose for the name of the flash drive?

A volume label is just a name. It's not required, so anything will do. However, there are several rules that you need to follow, depending on the file system in which you intend to format the flash drive.

• maximum 32 characters
• will be displayed in UPPERCASE and LOWERcase letters as you entered.

• maximum 11 characters
• the label will be displayed in capital letters

Quick or Full Format?

In typical formatting cases, files are deleted from the disk, and the disk is checked for bad sectors. Full formatting will be useful for diagnosing recording errors.

Quick formatting only deletes files and does not search. Therefore, use the quick option if you do not have time to check flash drive errors.

Selecting a program to format a flash drive

Windows cannot always format a flash drive correctly. Standard formatting is not a panacea for a flash drive if the service information on the storage device has been damaged. Unfortunately, it is more difficult to recover data on a flash drive if it is damaged in this way. One solution to the problem is to download to your computer a proprietary program for formatting a flash drive (if available) on the memory manufacturer’s website. We recommend contacting support and asking the manufacturer how to clean a flash drive and whether they have programs for full formatting.

So, how to format a flash drive? Let's look at the best programs for formatting flash drives, more or less universal tools. If desired, you can easily find other alternatives, free and proprietary utilities offered by suppliers.

Tip of the day. When formatting a flash drive, save important files on your computer. All data on the formatted media will be permanently deleted.

JetFlash Recovery Tool

JetFlash Recovery Tool is a universal solution. This program for formatting flash drives will be useful if:

• Errors and failures detected on the USB flash drive
• the information on the flash drive is not readable
• need to format the flash drive

Install JetFlash Recovery Tool and try to force format the USB drive using it. The flash drive application works with A-DATA and Transcend media, but other options are possible. We warn you: the utility is not “omnivorous” and can easily reject your USB device.

JetFlash Recovery Tool can be downloaded from the official website. Install it on your computer according to the instructions included with the program.

Utility for formatting a USB flash drive Disk Storage Format Tool

The free USB Disk Storage Format Tool allows you to quickly and correctly format a USB flash drive for Windows. In this case, you can specify the media file system: FAT, FAT32, exFAT or NTFS.

Main functions of the utility:

• Allows you not only to format a flash drive, but also to erase all data on a flash drive that cannot be formatted in the traditional (system) way.
• USB Disk Storage Format Tool removes any traces of malware and viruses that may have infected the flash drive.
• Finding and correcting reading errors and bad blocks on a flash drive.
• Create a volume label (name) for USB drives.
• Create a partition in FAT32 with a capacity of more than 32 GB.
• Low-level formatting of a flash drive of the required model (Kingston, HP, Sony, Lexar, Imation, Transcend, Corsair, etc.)
• It’s easy to monitor the formatting process: just check the Verbose option.

USB Disk Storage Format Tool has been successfully tested on thousands of storage devices (Compact Flash, CF Card II, Memory Stick Duo Pro, Thumb Drive, Pen Drive). USB Disk Storage Format supports drive brands such as SanDisk, Kingston, Transcend, Corsair, HP, Sony, Lexar, Imation, Toshiba, PNY, Verbatim, LaCie, Panda, Seatech, SDKSK9, Silicon Power, IronKey and HDE.

There is also a Pro version of the USB Disk Storage Format Tool. With its help, you can create bootable flash drives, perform low-level formatting, and change the cluster size.

Formatting a flash drive using the HDD Low Level Format Tool

HDD Low Level Format Tool is a utility for low-level formatting of hard drives running Windows. Allows you to read SMART data and retrieve service information about Data storage devices.

However, HDD Low Level Format Tool supports not only hard drives, but also memory cards and flash drives (SD, MMC, MemoryStick and CompactFlash) - you may need a card reader to connect them.

HDD Low Level Format Tool will erase data from SATA, IDE, SAS, SCSI or SSD at a low access level. The utility also works with any USB and FIREWIRE external drive, as well as SD, MMC, MemoryStick and CompactFlash flash drives.

Supported brands: Maxtor, Hitachi, Seagate, Samsung, Toshiba, Fujitsu, IBM, Quantum, Western Digital and others not listed here.

Program for formatting a flash drive HP USB Disk Storage Format Tool

A very simple utility for correctly formatting a flash drive in FAT32 and NTFS format. The main function is to help the user quickly select options and format the flash drive on the computer by pressing one button.

The utility for a USB flash drive is distributed free of charge, the installer can be downloaded for Windows OS.

In addition, through the HP USB Disk Storage Format Tool you can create a bootable Windows USB flash drive (which other similar formatters cannot do).

How to format a flash drive on Mac OS

The HP USB Format Tool application allows you to format a flash drive in the Mac operating system. However, to do this you need to perform a number of intricate steps:

1. Install the Parallels Desktop emulator on your computer
2. Install Windows on Mac OS
3. Format a flash drive for Mac OS X via emulated Windows

Kingston USB Format Tool – format a flash drive without settings

This program does not contain any settings at all. To format, you need to specify the device (USB flash drive) and file system.

The developers on the site indicate that the FAT file system will avoid conflicts with other operating systems and will not affect the performance of the flash drive.

The program works under Windows 7 and Windows 10 and earlier versions of the OS.

Therefore, if you have a Kingston flash drive and for some reason it has become slow, try this program: perhaps it will solve the problem.

Answers to questions

I'm having problems with my flash drive. SmartBuy 64 gig. At first, the flash drive occasionally “disappeared”, then disappeared completely.... after lying around for 3 weeks, it appeared and allowed itself to be formatted (from fat32 to NTFS). It worked for 2 weeks and disappeared again..... SmartBuy technical support specialists “don’t know and can’t help with the problem”... The utility for formatting a flash drive Low Level Format Tool works as it should, the usual one (both Windows and special utilities) - some goes to the end and writes that Windows cannot complete the formatting (this is usually in NTFS), and some immediately refuse (and this is in exFAT).

So: I have thoughts that the flash drive has been “shortened” due to bad blocks, and therefore programs for formatting the flash drive do not reach the very end - so they refuse to make the final recording on the media.

Please recommend a program for correct low-level formatting of a flash drive that does not check for errors at the end. Something like that program that the Chinese use to “make” LARGE flash drives out of small ones.

Answer. Try the following programs: JetFlash Recovery Tool, USB Disk Storage Format Tool, HDD Low Level Format Tool. Pay attention to utilities that perform low-level formatting. The name may indicate that these programs are designed for hard drives - however, some of them work similarly with flash drives, allowing you to format them.

There is such a flash drive Name: DT 101 II (USB2.0)

VID&PID: Vid_0951&Pid_1625
Speed: high speed

Vendor Description: Kingston
Product Description: DT 101 II
Serial Number: 000AEB91EBF5F97155120907

The capacity of the flash drive is determined by the system as 16 GB. It is formatted, but when writing a file larger than 4 GB it says that there is no space.

Answer. You need to format the flash drive to NTFS. You can record files larger than 4 GB on it. However, as we have already noted, exFat (Extended File Allocation Table) is the best option for a flash drive.

How to format a flash drive to ntfs? Use USB Disk Storage Format Tool or HDD Low Level Format Tool. Built-in Windows tools will also help you format the drive to ntfs.

Good day. I have a Transend flash drive, the problem is that it either works or doesn’t, formatting it doesn’t help. You dump the files on the computer from which you dumped it, it opens, you insert it into another and there is only a “shortcut” and it weighs 1 kb. Today I formatted it in fat32, reset the movie, watched half of the movie on TV, I thought everything was going to work out, but I was happy too early, the video stopped and that’s it, it doesn’t play anymore. I just don’t know what problem this is related to in your article. Please help, thanks in advance!!

A friend brought Micro Sd Jeef 64GB. The flash drive worked properly. After some time, the error “The disk is write protected” appeared. I tried all the treatment methods, the formatting does not work and gives the same error. On his phone the flash drive is displayed on mine, no. All files can be pulled out, but not uploaded. How to format a flash drive so that files can be copied to it?

I bought an SD card a month ago. When I put it in the slot, I went into the settings and it was shown that the memory capacity was only 128 MB, although in reality there was 14.7 GB of memory. I tried to format it several times in different ways (using programs for formatting a flash drive, described in the article), but it still couldn’t be fixed. Everything is fine with the device because... the remaining capacities of the SD cards were displayed normally.

I have a problem with the micro SD card of the 4 GB transend phone. photos and videos are no longer recorded on it, the information is not deleted. I tried to reformat it to the desired format (fat 32), but it doesn’t format. only in ex fat, but after that the information on the card does not disappear, and the format remains the same fat 32. I tried all the options, formatting with the command line, various utilities, scanned for viruses, also corrected errors and bad sectors through Windows, everything remains the same as before. The formatting program from the company of the same name also did not help. Tell me, can anything be done in this case, or is the card completely dead?

The flash drive was fully working, I tried to write Windows 10 onto it via ultraISO, formatted it before that, after which it is now empty (there are no files at all), there is nothing left from the old 32 GB: occupied, free, capacity is now 0 bytes. When checking for errors through properties/information, the message: The disk cannot be checked because it is inaccessible. How to reformat a flash drive to return it to 32 GB of capacity?

The problem is that even after completely formatting the flash drive, the files remain. There is a second protected partition on the flash drive - how to remove it? Standard Windows tools and formatting utilities do not see it. Flash drive 16 GB, visible 14 GB. This partition was seen by the AOMEI Partition Assistant 6.6.0 program, but there was no option to delete it.

There is an Apacer AH223 flash drive. The owner encrypted it with some kind of program. Which one he doesn’t know. As a result, all the information can be easily read and copied, but it cannot be formatted. HDD Low Level Format Tool, Diskpart did not help.

MicroSD 32gb - I can view the contents, but I cannot delete or format. I used different programs for formatting. What is the best way to format the flash drive (if possible) to fix it?

My Xiaomi formatted the flash drive in my phone, now it can’t be read on my phone or on my computer. I tried to format it through the computer, now it doesn’t show anything at all, it says insert card. What to do????

My Xiaomi formatted the SD card in the phone, now it can’t be read on the phone or on the computer. I tried to format it through the computer, but now it doesn’t show anything at all, it says “insert card.” What to do?

In short, I have a 32GB flash drive, and one of my friends formatted it from ntfs to fat, and plus, write protection appeared from somewhere. I have no idea how to format it back to ntfs (possible data loss) and remove write protection.

A double-sided flash drive (USB-micro USB) was no longer detected both on the computer and on the phone: the chipset program was considered to be: 090C and pid: 1000, I tried to format it with the flash doctor program and the process lasted 2 days, upon completion it was not even detected by the chipset program, please tell me the solution.

Today I want to tell you about such a wonderful program as. What's so wonderful about it? – you ask. And the fact that with its help you can (data from a flash drive after formatting) or a disk, and the most interesting thing is that this program is available to any Windows user via the command line, in other words, it does not require installation. And don’t let the phrase “command line” scare you – using it is much more convenient and simpler than it seems at first glance.

So, after we inserted the flash drive into the USB connector, we launch the command line. To do this, click Start and in the search bar we write cmd, and press Enter.

In the command line that appears, write , thereby launching the disk management program. Click Enter.

In the list of devices we find our flash drive - it can be recognized by its size. In my case it's Disc 6. Therefore, next we write the command. If your flash drive is number 4, then you need to enter the command. If the number is 2, then , accordingly. Click Enter.

Then enter the command clean, which will delete all files from a flash drive or disk. Click Enter.

Then we enter the command. Thus, select the specified section and move the focus to it. Click Enter.

Then we execute the command. The system marks the partition as active. Click Enter.

Now it is necessary. It can be quick or complete. Full formatting is done with the command format fs=NTFS. If you don’t want to wait and time is running out, then we do quick formatting with the command format fs=NTFS QUICK. Click Enter.

We are waiting for the formatting to finish.

Now you need to assign a letter to the flash drive. We do this using the command assign. Click Enter.

The flash drive is automatically assigned a letter, and then the media automatically starts.

Now you can shut down the program. Enter the command exit and press Enter.

The last thing to do is to copy the distribution files of the operating system (the one for which we made a bootable flash drive) to, in fact, our flash drive. After this, our flash drive will be bootable and will boot absolutely everywhere, on any device. With its help, you can install your operating system anywhere.

I would like to note that with the help of the program you can carry out many manipulations with both hard drives () and flash drives. The example discussed today is only a small part of all the possibilities. I will consider other commands and examples of working with this program in the following articles.

Also read on this topic:

Formatting a flash drive to NTFS
How to recover data from a flash drive after deleting or formatting? How to change disk size in Windows 2000/XP/Vista/7/8. Free program EaseUS Partition Master Free How to create a bootable UEFI USB flash drive to install Windows 8.1 and 10?
How to freeze a row in Excel? How to create a disk image using Daemon Tools?