How to format external hard drives on Windows? If the external hard drive is initialized and you need to reformat it for reasons like disk corruption, you need to: 1. Find the external hard drive in Disk Management, right-click on it, and choose Format from the contextual menu. How to format a hard drive in Windows 10 Open the Windows search, type 'This PC' and press Enter. This will open a new window and show you some of your computer folders and drives that are connected to it. Right-click on the drive you want to wipe, and select Format. Install and run AOMEI Partition Assistant on your Windows 10/8/7 PC. You will see all disks on your computer in the main interface. You can see the unable to format external hard drive raw marked as Unformatted here.
Here you will find out:
- about defragging an external hard drive
- should you do it or shouldn't
- how DiskInternals can help you
Are you ready? Let's read!
About defragging an external hard drive
Until recently, defragmenting both internal and external hard drives was cumbersome, difficult, and unpredictable for most users. It was not always possible to defragment the disk regularly; this was partly due to lack of time since defragmentation is a lengthy process. But it is very effective for improving disk performance. Recently, much effort has been devoted to this issue and programs for defragmenting disks have become both much more advanced and simpler to use.
Therefore, anyone can optimize their disk without much effort.
Defragmentation and external HDD performance
To understand why you need to use defragmentation on external disks, you need to understand the essence of this procedure. When you save data to external media, it is automatically distributed across clusters. Naturally, during the operation of the disk, you will delete unnecessary files, and after removal of the external disk, there is empty space.
This leads to longer data processing since it is difficult to find the necessary information due to 'gaps'. To defrag an external HDD will speed up such a disk. In recent versions of Windows, this function is performed automatically, but not always. Therefore, for guaranteed improvement in the operation of your hard drive, it is recommended to periodically defragment it.
Defrag an external disk or not?
The answer to this question is: if you have an HDD, defragmentation is worthwhile, but if you have an SSD, it is not. The fact is that for SSDs, it is useless; moreover, the lifespan of such a disk will decrease a lot after defragmentation. Therefore, turn off the automatic defrag function and forget about this method of increasing productivity.
It is also worth noting that defragmentation is not always necessary if the external hard drive is rarely used; in such a case, you will not notice any difference before and after this procedure.
If the external hard drive is your indispensable assistant and it is at work every day, fragmentation is recommended.
What you need to do first
If there is any data that you want to save, save it before defragmenting using the DiskInternals Uneraser data recovery and export application. This program has been an unchallenged leader in the market for more than 15 years. Uneraser is equipped with many functions that will satisfy even the most demanding customers. You can restore all files of different types or filter searches by format. File size and recovery volume do not matter.
A recovery wizard will guide you through the process, as well as help you export files to external media. Also, previewing files before recovery is very convenient. All these functions and the recovery process itself are absolutely free; a small payment for a license will be needed only for data export. In addition, you will receive annual technical support from the best specialists at the company.
Steps to defrag an external HDD
To defrag a USB hard drive, you can use standard utilities from Windows, as well as special free defragmenting programs.
In the latter case, download the application of your choice, install and start the process, of course, using the Wizard.
You can also optimize the disk with a standard utility. It can be found in the following way: Start -> This computer. Select the drive to optimize and right-click on it and select Properties. Next, click on the Optimize button. Further, the work of the Wizard is under your supervision.
After optimization, restart your computer.
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How to use an external hard drive? In this article, you can know how to add an external drive to your computer. In addition, you are offered the way to manage, use and maintain an external hard drive. MiniTool Partition Wizard is a good tool to help you to manage the drive.
Quick Navigation :
What Is an External Hard Drive
An external hard drive is a portable storage device that can be attached to a computer wirelessly,or through a USB FireWire connection. It becomes more and more popular in computer users for the following benefits:
- It is portable. An external hard drive can be connected to almost all computers because they have a USB port. Therefore, you can easily pick up your external hard drive, take it out and connect it to another computer.
- It comes with a high storage capacity. An external hard drive can store much larger data than a USB flash drive. It helps a lot if you are found of videos or audios, whichtake up a large amount of disk space. In addition, you can use it to store lots of photos, entire programs, and more on it.
- It is a safe Backup Device. To avoid data loss, you can use an external hard drive to back up your files and programs. After system crashes, you can easily connect the external hard drive to another computer so that you can recover important data.
- It is easy to be upgraded. If your external hard drive is running out of storage space for your backup files, you can easily replace it with a bigger one.
- It can prevent your computer from getting clogged up with downloads and large files. You could transfer large files from your computer to an external hard driveto improve
How to Add an External Hard Drive to Your Computer
If you get a new external hard drive, you need to add it to your computer before you can use it. Here is how to do it.
How long does it take to download creative cloud. Step 1: Plug one end of the external hard drive's cable (usually the larger end) into the USB port on the housing to see whether it works.
Step 2: Plug the other end of the cable into your external hard drive.
Step 3: Now you need to format the external hard drive.
- Double click This PC.
- Right-click your external hard drive and choose Format..from menu.
- Uncheck Quick Formatand select a file system. Then click Start.
After formatting the external hard drive, you should partition the drive reasonably for better management. As for partitioning tool, you can choose freeware MiniTool Partition Wizard.
How to Use an External Hard Drive in Windows 10
Extra Storage Device
It has been mentioned that an external hard drive has many benefits. The basic one is to use it as an extra storage device, especially when you need to free up disk space.
You can transfer files to an external hard drive after you connect it to your computer. Here is a tutorial on how to use an external hard drive in Windows 10.
Step 1: Press Win + E to open File Explorer.
Step 2: Select the folders or files you want to move and press Ctrl + X to cut them.
Format External Hard Drive In Windows 10
Step 3: Click your external hard drive from the left action panel to access the external hard drive and press Ctrl + V to paste the folders and files.
Data Backup Device
Do you know your data is in danger? If you don't have more than one backup solution, plenty of critical information includes photos, music, videos, financial and official documents could be lost when your computer dies due to hardware failure, natural disaster, system crashes or viruses attacks.
Clearly, the more copies you have, the less risk of data loss you face. Thus, just create as many copies as you entail. In other words, you'd better protect the original data with two backups.
Usually, cloud backup can be a good choice,such as Google Cloud Storage, Microsoft Onedrive, etc.
However, they are not the best solutions.They may cost you much. Some cloud services such as iCloud and IDrive just offer you a storage capacity about 5 GB for free, and most cloud services need you to pay for month. What's more, it will be troublesome if you decide to shift among these services.
In addition, it may take much time to download everything from a cloud-based backup service if you want to manage large files or large quantities of files.
On the other hand, data stored in a cloud service is possible to be attacked by a hack. So, you can store your backup in an external hard drive, which is portable and safer. Some external devices come with security features like fingerprint recognition, which prevents other people from gaining access to the stored data.
To buy the right backup drive, here are some tips you need to know.
With MiniTool Partition Wizard,a free backup tool, you can easily back up your partitions or the whole disk to your external hard drive. Here is how to use an external hard drive for backup.
Data Backup Device
Do you know your data is in danger? If you don't have more than one backup solution, plenty of critical information includes photos, music, videos, financial and official documents could be lost when your computer dies due to hardware failure, natural disaster, system crashes or viruses attacks.
Clearly, the more copies you have, the less risk of data loss you face. Thus, just create as many copies as you entail. In other words, you'd better protect the original data with two backups.
Usually, cloud backup can be a good choice,such as Google Cloud Storage, Microsoft Onedrive, etc.
However, they are not the best solutions.They may cost you much. Some cloud services such as iCloud and IDrive just offer you a storage capacity about 5 GB for free, and most cloud services need you to pay for month. What's more, it will be troublesome if you decide to shift among these services.
In addition, it may take much time to download everything from a cloud-based backup service if you want to manage large files or large quantities of files.
On the other hand, data stored in a cloud service is possible to be attacked by a hack. So, you can store your backup in an external hard drive, which is portable and safer. Some external devices come with security features like fingerprint recognition, which prevents other people from gaining access to the stored data.
To buy the right backup drive, here are some tips you need to know.
With MiniTool Partition Wizard,a free backup tool, you can easily back up your partitions or the whole disk to your external hard drive. Here is how to use an external hard drive for backup.
Step 1: Click the following button to download and install the tool.
Step 2: Make a backup.
- To copy disk, just right-click the disk you want to back up and choose Copy from menu.
- To copy partition, you can click the Copy Partition Wizard from action panel and choose the partition you want to back up.
- Then follow the instructions to finish the copy
Create a Windows To Go Workplace
Windows To Go is a feature in Windows 10 that allows you to boot and run Windows from USB flash drives or external hard disk drives so that you can take it to anywhere.
To create a portable Windows, you need to prepare a device with requirements as follows:
- With 32 GB capacity at least
- With USB 2.0 and faster USB connections.
With an external hard drive, you can easily achieve it. Here is how to do it.
Step 1: Connect your external hard drive to the computer.
Step 2: Search for Windows To Go in Windows and click it from the results.
Step 3: Choose your external hard drive to create a Windows To Go workplace and follow the guide to complete the process.
Then you can connect the external hard drive to another computer and boot Windows from the external drive when you go out.
How to Use an External Hard Drive for Longer
You may be aware that an external hard drive is necessary for you. However, it is easy to be broken if you don't maintain it in the right way. To avoid decreasing the life of it, you can read these tips on how to use an external hard drive for longer.
- To protect your external hard drive, you'd better place it on a stable, flat and hard surface. Considering that the hard disk is a mechanical device, it can be damaged by vibrations. And you should also be careful to prevent it from falling off the table.
- You need to make sure that it will not be banged around or treated roughly. Since the external hard drive is a portable device, you should treat it carelessly when you take it out.
- You have to avoid getting your hard drive wet or exposing it to liquid.
- Do not place your external hard drive in a restrictive area where there is no air flow. Similar to the internal hard disk in your computer, the external hard drive also gets hot when it works too long. To avoid overheating, which can damage the disk, you need to place it in an open area to dissipate the buildup of heat.
- Check error before you transfer files to an external hard drive. It can fix disk errors and ensure that you are starting with a well-functioning drive.To do that, you can use the error checking tool in Windows.
- Always eject the drive before you unplug it from your computer. It ensures data still stored in the cache memory will be removed, which prevents existing data on the disk from being damaged.
- The best way to protect your data in the external hard drive is to back up it as much as possible. Hard drive failure may happen to your external hard drive.To ensure the security of your files, you'd better prepare a second external drive to back up it.
Save Lost Data from an External Hard Drive
Similar to internal hard drivers, an external hard drive may also lose data due to various reasons, such as mistaken deletion or hard drive failure when you manage it.
If you have a backup for the data in the external hard drive, you can restore your data with the backup.
If you unfortunately find that your files or programs stored in the external hard drive is lost and you have no backup for the drive, you need to stop using it right now and try to recover files from the external drive with a third-party software as soon as possible.
MiniTool Partition Wizard is powerful in recovering deleted files and data from formatted or virus attacked disk. It is worth trying.
Step 1: Launch MiniTool Partition Wizard.
Step 2: Click Data Recovery from the tool bar and select your external hard drive in This PC. And then click Scan.
Step 3: Now you just need to check the files you want to recover and then click Save to place the recovered files into a safe position.
If it is the first time to recover files from an external drive, you may be a little confused. To know more details, you can read the following article: The Full Guide to SSD File Recovery on Windows 10/8/7/XP.
Bottom Line
You can benefit a lot from an external hard drive. With the high storage capacity, you can store a huge number of videos, photos and programs, and it is a proper device for data backup.
This article helps you to know how to add an external hard drive to your computer, how to use an external hard drive in Windows 10, and how to maintain it to use it longer.
If you still have any questions about the external hard drive, you can contact [email protected] or post it in the comment section below.
Do you want to try it now?
How to Use an External Hard Drive FAQ
- It has large storage capacity.
- It's portable so that you can take it anywhere.
- It's a safe backup device.
- It can be used for a long time.
Reformat External Hard Drive Windows 10
- Plug the external hard drive into the computer.
- Press Win + E to open File Explorer.
- Navigate to your program setup file and double-click it.
- Follow the onscreen instructions to install the program, and when you are asked where you want to save the program, choose on location on your external hard drive.