Program for formatting a flash drive in ntfs. Formatting flash drives using programs

Introducing programs for reliable formatting of flash drives

In this article we will look at the following question: which program to choose for formatting flash drives. Nowadays, flash drives of various types are used everywhere.

ATTENTION! We highly recommend reading the note about cleaning laptops. This is one of the main problems of beech trees breaking as a result of overheating! If all the heated air does not escape from the beech, do you think the internal parts could burn out from the elevated temperature? Of course yes, that is why this issue needs to be known very well.

Let's get down to business...

Introduction

In terms of convenience and speed of operation (in moving information), you cannot find a device better than a flash drive. But like any device, a flash drive can fail, that is, break. Their breakdowns are different.

For example, if it is a mechanical malfunction, such as a flash drive fell on the floor and became unreadable, or the flash drive was in water, and so on. Such breakdowns usually cannot even be repaired, unless they undergo specialized repairs.

But since the prices for them are now very low, repairing them in a specialized service is not profitable, unless the flash drive contained very important data, which can often be recovered.

From this we can conclude that a flash drive is a fairly fragile device and careless use of it can lead to its breakdown and loss of all data on it.

Formatting a flash drive

But it also happens that a flash drive just needs to be formatted in order to improve its performance or change file system, install ntfs or fat32. This, of course, can be done in the standard way in the operating system ( go to my computer - right-click on the flash drive "properties" - format), but this doesn't always help.

But in this case, there are many different programs that help not only change the file system but also bring the flash drive back to “life” or improve its speed. We will analyze these programs in this article.

This advice is that if you decide to find a program for formatting a flash drive, then it is advisable to use the same one as the manufacturer of the flash drive. For example, if you have a Kingston company, then it is advisable to select a utility for Kingston flash drives, but this is only possible, if not or do not want to bother searching, then just use the ones presented below.

But this is not always possible to do, so you can completely use drives that are universal for all types of drives.

Let's move on to downloading programs for formatting a flash drive - we present below the 2 most effective and popular

The first program we will analyze will be HP USB Disk Storage Format Tool. A very good tool to fulfill our purpose.

You can also download it from the official website. The program can be downloaded from this link http://www.teryra.com/articl_comp/kak_otformatirovat_fleshky/HPUSBFW.ZIP (copy, paste into the browser and press enter). There is no need to install the program, just run it.

It is packaged in an archive; in order to run it, you may need an archiver; in general, this is a standard program; how and where you can download it, see the article on how to open a rar file.

And so, HP USB Disk Storage Format Tool is a very easy to use program. All you need is:

1. Launch it
2. Indicate your flash drive in the first line
3. Next, specify the file system, preferably NTFS, although FAT32 is also possible
4. And put a tick in the Quick Format line. There is a small nuance here. If you just need to change the file system, for example from FAT32 to NTFS, then check the box. A tick indicates that formatting will be quick. If we need to correct the incorrect operation of the flash drive or it is impossible to write files to it at all, then we do not check the box. This means that the formatting will be complete. With full formatting speaking in simple language, some errors that have accumulated on the flash drive are corrected and perhaps after this process it will work better.

Don't forget that formatting deletes all information from the flash drive, so copy it if there is anything important

If everything is specified, then click “Start”:

The following program is hdd low level format tool

To download it, click here:

Install hdd low level format tool

The installation process is standard, click next and next everywhere, only in the window license agreement click “Accept”.

The entire program is installed, the only thing is that it is paid and when you start it a window will appear asking you to pay or use it for a limited time. But it will be enough for us to perform several operations.

If you don't want to pay, then choose trial version, that is, click the bottom line “Continue for free”:

The program looks like the figure below. In our case, as we can see, the program has identified two devices, this is a 1.5 Tr hard drive. and a 16 GB flash drive:

How hdd low level format tool works

This program approaches the formatting process more thoroughly. It performs low-level formatting (as stated, although there is an opinion that this process can only be launched in factory conditions, but we still try).

During this formatting, sectors are edited and bad zones are eliminated. It can show the technical condition of the hard drive (only for hard drives), to do this, in the initial device selection window, select your hard drive and click “Continue”, and then go to the S.M.A.R.T tab. and click on the “Get Smart Data” button:

In order to format a flash drive, select it in the initial window ( ATTENTION! WE ARE VERY CAREFUL HERE, WE CHOOSE Slowly, Otherwise, you will format your hard drive and lose all the data accumulated over a long time), click “Continue”:

In the next window, go to the LOW-LEVEL FORMAT tab and click on “Format This Device” at the bottom. The low-level formatting process will begin and will take from 40 minutes to several hours:

This program often helps to cope with a problem such as a flash drive that has stopped being read or has started to work slowly. It is very important to do everything slowly and thoughtfully. If you doubt something, it is better to ask someone again than to later regret hasty actions.

So we looked at such an interesting and popular question as a program for formatting flash drives. This is very helpful information. Thanks to it, in many cases you can save a flash drive from emerging problems.

Good time!

Not at all rare with SD cards and USB flash drives All sorts of troubles happen: sometimes they can’t be read, sometimes copying takes too long, sometimes various kinds of errors appear (what, what formatting is required, etc.). Moreover, this sometimes happens out of the blue... 👀

In this article, I want to recommend a dozen utilities that have helped me out more than once or twice. With their help, you can work with flash drives and drives from different manufacturers (Silicon Power, Kingston, Transcend, etc.), i.e. This is a universal software.

I think the material will be very helpful to everyone who periodically faces similar problems.

Programs and utilities for repairing flash drives and SD cards

For testing and diagnostics

CrystalDiskMark

A very useful little utility. Allows you to quickly obtain read/write speed data. Supports not only USB flash drives, but also classic HDDs, SSDs, external hard disks and other drives (which Windows sees).

Note: in most cases, they are guided by the first line “Sec” (sequential read record speed). Read - reading, Write - writing.

USB Flash Benchmark

Developer's website: http://usbflashspeed.com/

Another utility for testing the speed of flash drives. Allows you to get not only some numbers, but also compare them with other drives (i.e. evaluate your flash drive with other device models). This can be done due to the fact that the test results are saved on the website of the same name (along with flash drive models).

By the way! If you are thinking of buying a fast flash drive, just go to the website http://usbflashspeed.com/ and look at the top 10. This way you can acquire what other people have already experienced in practice!

H2testw

A small utility from German programmers. Designed to scan USB drives for their actual capacity (approx. : some flash drives, for example, from Chinese manufacturers, come with a “fake” inflated volume) . In these cases, it is enough to run the flash drive using H2testw, and then format it correctly.

👉 Help!

Flash Memory Toolkit is a good service package USB devices. Allows you to perform a whole range of the most necessary actions:

1. testing drives for errors when reading and writing;
2. data recovery from flash drives;
3. viewing properties and characteristics;
4. the ability to create a backup flash drive;
5. low-level drive speed test.

Flashnul

Developer's website: http://shounen.ru/

This program can diagnose and correct many software errors (especially when it is unclear what is happening with the flash drive: that is, no errors are displayed). In addition, it supports almost all flash memory media: USB flash drives, CompactFlash, SD, MMC, MS, XD, etc.

Possibilities:

1. reading and writing testing: the availability of each sector of the media will be checked;
2. checking the integrity of files located on a USB drive;
3. the ability to make an image of the contents on a flash drive (may be useful for data recovery);
4. possibility of sector-by-sector recording of an image to a USB device;
5. Some operations can be performed for other types of media: HDD, CD, Floppy disk, etc.

ChipEasy

A free and very simple utility for obtaining complete information about a flash drive. It is very useful in cases where the markings on the flash drive itself have been erased (or there were none at all).

What data does ChipEasy provide:

1. VID
2. manufacturer;
3. controller model;
4. serial number;
5. firmware information;
6. memory model;
7. Max. current consumption, etc.

Flash Drive Information

The utility is similar to the previous one. Allows you to find out all the information about the drive (flash drive, memory card) in 2 clicks: model, controller, memory, etc.

For formatting and repair

HDD Low Level Format Tool

Low-level* formatting program hard drives, SD cards, flash drives and other storage devices. I would note its “unpretentiousness”: even if other utilities freeze when trying to access a flash drive (or don’t see it), the HDD Low Level Format Tool can help in most cases...

Peculiarities:

1. Most manufacturers (Hitachi, Seagate, Samsung, Toshiba, etc.) and interfaces (SATA, IDE, USB, SCSI, Firewire) are supported;
2. formatting clears absolutely all information from the disk (partition table, MBR);
3. Recovering information from a disk after formatting using HDD Low Level Format Tool is almost impossible!

MyDiskFix

A free small utility designed for low-level formatting of failed flash drives. It is useful in cases where your flash drive cannot be formatted using standard Windows tools, when the flash drive shows the wrong volume, or a recording error occurs.

Note: before formatting in MyDiskFix, you need to find out how many actual working sectors are on your flash drive. This can be done, for example, using the H2Test utility (which I cited above).

USB Disk Storage Format Tool

A small utility for formatting HDD/USB Flash drive (file systems supported: NTFS, FAT, FAT32).

By the way, the USB Disk Storage Format Tool does not require installation, and does not freeze if it works with faulty flash drives, from which you need to wait minutes for a response (like the standard formatting utility in Windows).

Peculiarities:

• fast and safe formatting of the drive;
• When fully formatted through the utility, all data from the flash drive is deleted (later, not a single file from it will be recoverable);
• scanning the drive for errors;
• creating partitions with the FAT 32 file system larger than 32 GB;
• tested with 1000 different flash drives (Compact Flash, CF Card II, Memory Stick Duo Pro, SDHC, SDXC, Thumb Drive, etc.), and various manufacturers (HP, Sony, Lexar, Imation, Toshiba, PNY, ADATA, etc. ).

Format USB Or Flash Drive Software

A specialized utility for working with faulty USB drives. Allows you to format and restore the flash drive. I would also note its very simple interface (see screenshot above), and the ability to work without installation.

Peculiarities:

• file system support: FAT, FAT32, eXFAT, NTFS;
• simple and convenient interface;
• possibility of full and quick formatting;
• the ability to “see” drives that the explorer refuses to “show”;
• possibility of integration into the Windows menu;
• Compatible with Windows 7, 8, 10.

Transcend RecoveRx

Multifunctional program: allows you to recover files from flash drives, format them, and protect them with a password.

In general, this program is intended for flash drives from the manufacturer Transcend, but I can’t help but note that the formatting option also works for flash drives from other manufacturers.

RecoveRx is quite an “omnivorous” program: it supports USB flash drives, memory cards, MP3 players, external hard disks (HDD) and solid state drives (SSD).

JetFlash Recovery Tool

This utility will help in cases where standard Windows tools They just don’t see the flash drive. Officially supported USB flash drives are only from Transcend, JetFlash and A-DATA (unofficially - much more).

Important! Keep in mind that during the process of repairing (restoring) a flash drive, the program produces complete removal all the data from it! If you have the opportunity to save something from a faulty flash drive, do it.

Peculiarities:

1. simple and free utility(only 2 buttons!);
2. compatible with Windows 7, 8, 10 (also works with older OS Windows XP, 2000 (other OS - operation is not guaranteed));
3. Only 3 manufacturers are officially supported: Transcend, A-DATA and JetFlash;
4. automatic recovery of the drive (the user only needs to press 1 button);
5. low system requirements;
6. no utility installation required.

SD Formatter

Formatting SD Canon cards in SD Formatter

This utility is designed to repair and restore memory cards: SD, SDHC, SDXC, microSD. The developers specifically targeted their product to the needs of photographers, videographers, and service specialists for such equipment.

The drive is restored in auto mode. Suitable for most different cases: in case of software errors, virus infection, failures, due to improper use, etc.

Note: while working with a flash drive, SD Formatter will delete all data from it!

D-Soft Flash Doctor

A small portable program for diagnosing and repairing broken flash drives (low-level formatting, soft reset). In addition, it can create images from flash drives/memory cards and write them to other storage media.

The program supports the Russian language (since the developer is from Kazakhstan), and is compatible with all modern Windows 7, 8, 10 operating systems.

To recover files from a flash drive

R.Saver

Easy to use recovery software deleted files With various types media: hard drives, memory cards, flash drives, etc. Can be used for various errors, file system failures, after formatting, viral infection etc.

Supports NTFS, FAT and ExFAT file systems. For residents of Russia (when used for non-commercial purposes) the program is free.

👉 Help!

You can learn more about working with R.Saver in the article about memory or USB flash drive.

Recuva

A file recovery program from the developers of CCleaner (the famous utility for cleaning Windows from junk files).

Recuva allows you to work not only with HDD, but also with USB flash drives, external drives, SSD, memory cards. The program is aimed at the novice user, so its use is very simple.

Peculiarities:

1. all actions in the program are performed step by step;
2. 2 modes for scanning drives;
3. sorting files by their name, size, status, etc.;
4. The utility is free;
5. Russian is supported;
6. Compatible with Windows XP, 7, 8, 10 (32/64 bits).

MiniTool Power Data Recovery

A very powerful program (with unique scanning algorithms) that will allow you to recover data from damaged flash drives, memory cards, external drives, CDs and other drives. Popular file systems are supported: FAT 12/16/32, NTFS.

I would like to note on my own that, in my humble opinion, the program’s algorithms are actually different from other programs of a similar kind, because several times with its help it was possible to recover information when other software simply did not find anything...

Note: in free version MiniTool programs Power Data Recovery can only recover 1 GB of information.

Addition!

In general, there are quite a lot of similar programs ( approx. : which can scan the drive and recover some of the deleted files). In one of my previous articles, I already cited ten of the most successful free products(most of them work not only with classic HDDs, but also with flash drives). I am posting a link to the article below.

10 free programs to recover deleted data: files, documents, photos -

That's all for now. useful and interesting utilities are always welcome.

While working with a computer, almost every user is faced with the task of formatting disks and flash drives. At first glance, there is nothing complicated about this, but the standard formatting tool built into the system does not always help. In this case, you have to resort to the services third party programs. We will tell you about the best of them today.

Despite its simple interface, this program allows you to bring a flash drive that standard means Windows is “not seen”, in working condition. Thanks to a special troubleshooting algorithm, it will be able to bring the flash drive back to life in most cases. Suitable for formatting flash drives and SD/microSD cards. Unlike other solutions discussed in this article, JetFlash Recovery Tool does everything automatically, that is, without user intervention.

HDD Low Level Format Tool

The HDD Low Level Format Tool is simple program for low-level formatting of disks, both internal and external, but it can also be used for flash drives. Thanks to low-level formatting, the drive is re-allocated and a new file table is created. Such a procedure can not only restore the information storage device, but can also completely destroy the data, which is what you want to achieve as a result of formatting. Unlike other programs we are considering, HDD Low Level Format Tool can only perform low-level formatting. Therefore, if you just need to format a disk or flash drive, it is better to use other tools.

HPUSBFW

This is a program for formatting flash drives with the NTFS and FAT32 file system format, that is, the absolute majority of them. Generally this decision designed for routine formatting of both flash drives and disks. The advantage of HPUSBFW over the standard formatting method is the ability to restore the correct volume of a data storage device if it is reduced (for example, after creating a bootable drive with an OS image).

HP USB Disk Storage Format Tool

HP USB Disk Storage Format Tool is another program for formatting a flash drive to FAT32 and NTS, which is an alternative to the standard tool. Like HPUSBFW, it allows you to create file tables on designated file systems. There are also tools for formatting microSD cards.

MiniTool Partition Wizard

This application is a solution for professionals that allows you to perform various operations with partitions on hard drives and flash drives, including formatting. On the positive side of this application, there is extensive functionality and a free version for non-commercial use, and among the disadvantages we only note English language interface.

The process of completely cleaning a flash drive is not much different from Many users do not even think that there is any program for formatting flash drives, or that some parameters can be used. Next we will look at how standard way cleaning the drive from under the operating system, and using utilities.

What is formatting?

Before you find out what program you need to format flash drives, you need to consider what the process is. Formatting refers to the processing of information media, which is associated with the ordering of its structure. The source could be either HDD, and flash card, SD card, solid state drive. During the formatting process, the structure of access to information changes.

It is important to note that different ones have their own formatting features. So, all stored data on a flash drive is destroyed. Restoration can only be carried out using special recovery utilities, but there are no guarantees. That is why formatting can be called a rather unsafe procedure. What’s more pleasant is that when cleaning a flash drive, the system checks the structure and sometimes corrects errors.

Method for formatting a drive in the operating system

Those users who don’t even think that there is a program for formatting flash drives use exactly this method. You need to go through Explorer to “My Computer”, select the drive and right-click on it. A context menu will appear containing the desired item. Here you will need to select the file system type. Often users leave everything as default. At the bottom there is a “Start” button, when you click on it, the flash drive will be cleared.

Which file system should I choose?

What are the differences between file systems?

The NTFS system can store files larger than 4 gigabytes. The formatting process is easier. Information is compressed better, saving space.

FAT and FAT32 file systems work on all popular operating systems. When recording information in these systems, a much smaller number of disk operations are performed.

Thus, FAT or FAT32 systems are better suited for drives with a capacity of up to 32 gigabytes and in the case when the stored files weigh no more than 2 and 4 gigabytes, respectively. For all other drives, it is better to choose the NTFS file system.

Choosing a Cluster Size

Clusters are components of a storage device. The larger their size, the less efficiently the space is used. Small size slows down the drive because files are split into small pieces and take longer to read.

If you need to store large files on a flash drive, then you need to choose a larger size. Accordingly, when storing small files, the cluster size should be small.

Selecting a formatting utility

The standard formatting method is not a panacea for a drive if service information is damaged. It is worth saying that with this type of damage, data recovery becomes much more difficult.

The operating system does not always format the disk correctly. Therefore it is necessary proprietary program for recovery and formatting of flash drives, which you need to look for on the manufacturer’s website. But not every manufacturer has such utilities. Therefore, universal programs will be considered below.

JetFlash Recovery

This is a universal program for formatting a flash drive in NTFS, FAT and other systems. It will be useful in the following situations:

• The drive has detected failures or errors.
• The information on the drive cannot be read.
• The user does not know how to format the media correctly.

This program for formatting flash drives is very easy to install. It works with most drive models, but some may not be accepted. The advantage is that it is free.

USB Disc Storage Format Tool

This exFAT program makes it possible to correctly and quickly clear the storage media. The main functions are:

• Removing any traces of malware software, which could infect the drive.
• It makes it possible not only to clean the flash drive, but also deletes all service information and frees up space that cannot be freed using the standard method.
• Creates a volume label.
• Finds errors if they exist;
• Can create a FAT32 volume larger than 32 gigabytes.
• Scan the drive for errors before formatting.

HDD Low Level Format Tool

This is a program for a flash drive. Despite the name, it cleans not only hard drives, but also memory cards. It has free version. Supports a huge number of manufacturers. The utility is capable of erasing absolutely all information from a flash drive at the system level.

HP formatting software

Disc Storage Format Tool is a simple program that does not have many settings. It simply formats the disk in different file systems. Its advantage lies in the speed of operation, since the user can process the storage medium in a matter of seconds without going into details. This utility has interesting feature: You can use it to create a bootable drive. Other programs cannot do this. What is this function for? With help bootable flash drive can be installed on a computer OS without use disk drive, and also check the system for errors in recovery mode, when such a check is impossible under normal conditions.

If you have a large flash drive and sometimes you need to write a file larger than 4GB onto it (HDTV video or a game image, for example), but it is not recorded, although there is enough space! The problem here is the outdated file system. Flash drives are formatted by default in the FAT32 file system, which is obsolete...

The FAT32 file system appeared with Windows release 95 OSR2 and was a good choice at the time. However, at that time the average volume hard drive computer was about 1 GB. Therefore, no one was going to put capabilities into the file system that were redundant for their time.

NTFS is more modern, although there is also a lot of criticism against it, but there is still no choice, because With NTFS, the flash drive will work correctly on all computers. To format into a new format we need a special utility:

The utility does not require installation and when we launch it, we immediately see the program window.

Before you click on Start, remember that all files on the flash drive will be destroyed!

In the Device section you need to select your flash drive. It is important, since on some systems hard drives are defined as “removable devices” and are also included in this list. There was a case in my memory when a hard drive was formatted instead of a flash drive... let's leave this case without comment. I do not recommend turning on compression - this is ordinary NTFS compression that brings little benefit.

In the File system section, select NTFS itself - this is what we started everything for.

You can also check the Quick Format box, although this doesn’t matter for a flash drive. The formatting time without a checkmark is exactly the same.

Now about the pitfalls that you may encounter:

1. It happens that the program gives a formatting error - this means, unfortunately, that your flash drive will continue to work under FAT32 until the end of days. I am the owner of such a “good” flash drive. Using various tricks, I managed to format it for NTFS, but the read/write speed was lower than that of a floppy disk. Although, apart from my ill-fated flash drive, I have not encountered anyone else with such a problem. And this is not a defect of a specific instance, but rather a defect of the series, because due to circumstances I had 3 flash drives of this model during the year.

2. You will only have to remove a flash drive with NTFS using safe removal, because... Compared to FAT32, it is more capricious, and even if the window with writing files to the flash drive has already disappeared. Files may continue to be recorded for some time (5-10 seconds). True, as practice shows, as long as the flash drive indicator is not active, you can safely pull it. The only thing that will bother you is the desire for such OS as Windows Vista and Windows 7 will definitely check your flash drive for errors.

With that, I bow out. I wish you huge flash drives and large interesting files on them!