Insert the Windows 7 or Windows 10 DVD into the DVD drive and boot the PC. That’s why we’re using a bootable Windows 7/10 Installation DVD or USB drive which allows us to format the hard disk. You can’t format the hard disk on which Windows is stored while Windows is running, for the same reasons that you can’t work on a car’s engine while you’re driving it. To format the primary drive - the hard disk where the operating system resides, also called C drive or C: - you need to boot into the setup program on Windows 7 or Windows 10 and use it to format your drive.
The following steps show you how to format your primary drive when all applications and your files are gone. Then you can use the Windows setup program or macOS Recovery Environment to format primary hard drives. You may need to reinstall the operating system, but you don‘t want to lose your data! If it’s at all possible, begin by backing up and rescuing everything of importance, or clone your hard drive by using one of our guides: How to clone a hard drive.
From here you can eject a disc (useful if your computer has a slot-loading optical drive without a physical ejection button), burn discs, erase discs, and control AutoPlay settings.How to Format a Hard Drive on Windows or Mac | Avast Logo Ameba Icon Security Icon Security White Icon Privacy Icon Performance Icon Privacy Icon Security Icon Performance Icons/45/01 Security/Other-Threats Icons / 32 / Bloatware removal Icons / 32 / Registry Cleaner Icons / 32 / CleanUp Icons / Feature / 32 / Mac Icons / 32 / Browser cleanup Icons/32/01 Security/Malware Icons/32/01 Security/Viruses Icons/32/01 Security/Other-Threats Icons/32/01 Security/Passwords Icons/32/01 Security/Ransomware Icons/32/01 Security/Business Icons/32/02 Privacy/Browser Icons/32/02 Privacy/IP adress Icons/32/02 Privacy/VPN Icons/32/02 Privacy/Proxy Icons/32/02 Privacy/Streaming Icons/32/03 Performance/Celaning Icons/32/03 Performance/Drivers Icons/32/03 Performance/Gaming Icons/32/03 Performance/Hardware Icons/32/03 Performance/Speed Icons / 32 / Bloatware removal Icons / 32 / Registry Cleaner Win Icons / 32 / CleanUp Icons / Feature / 32 / Mac Icons / 32 / Browser cleanup Icons/60/02 Privacy/02_Privacy Icons/60/01 Security/01_Security Icons/60/03 Performance/03_Performance Icons/80/01 Security/IoT Icons/80/01 Security/Malware Icons/80/01 Security/Passwords Icons/80/01 Security/Ransomware Icons/80/01 Security/Viruses Icons/80/01 Security/Other-Threats Icons/80/03 Security/Business Icons/80/02 Privacy/Browser Icons/80/02 Privacy/IP adress Icons/80/02 Privacy/VPN Icons/80/02 Privacy/Proxy Icons/80/02 Privacy/Streaming Icons/80/03 Performance/Celaning Icons/80/03 Performance/Drivers Icons/80/03 Performance/Gaming Icons/80/03 Performance/Hardware Icons/80/03 Performance/Speed Icons/80/03 Performance/03_Performance Icons/80/02 Privacy/02_Privacy The last section of the Drive Tools tab deals with removable media. Format allows you to wipe the drive and write a new filesystem to the selected disk. Cleanup scans the drive for unused files that you can delete – temporary files, unused installers, cached Internet files, and so forth. Windows 10 automatically defragments itself on a regular basis, but if you delete a large quantity of files all at once, it might be a good idea to run the Optimize tool. The Optimize tool defragments your hard drive. (This requires a Trusted Platform Module on your computer’s motherboard, though most modern computers come with TPM chips.)
You can encrypt a flash drive and require a password, and depending upon your computer’s hardware, you can also set your hard drive to be seamlessly encrypted.
If you are running Windows 10 Professional or Windows 10 Enterprise, the first tool available will be the BitLocker tool, which allows you to encrypt the drive. Depending on the version of Windows 10 you are running, you will see several different tools. Once you have selected the drive, click or tap on the Drive Tools tab on the Ribbon. Once File Explorer launches, click or tap on the drive you wish to manage. To access the Drive Tools tab, launch File Explorer by pressing the WINDOWS+E keys simultaneously, or by pressing WINDOWS+X to summon the Administrative Menu, and then clicking on the File Explorer item. The various Drive Tools offer you ways to manage and maintain your computer’s physical drives.
In Windows 10, one of the more useful tabs on the File Explorer’s Ribbon interface is the Drive Tools tab.