How do I Initialize a Hard Drive?

[ThatPlace928]

I have a hard drive that tells me I need to initialize it but no option to do that. I have another drive that shows up in Disk Management that says "RAW" file format.

How do I get either of these to initialize when there's no option for it? Is there a certain tool I can get online that will help me get these 2 up and running? Suggestions?

 

[britechguy]

My usual way of initializing a drive that can be initialized (as it is possible to have a failed drive) is to use a combination of diskpart and Disk Management or just do everything in diskpart.

Just the other night I re-initialized an SSD using diskpart. Once you have diskpart open in either command prompt or Power Shell, and have done a "list disk," identified the disk you want to initialize, and done a select disk on it, this is the sequence I follow:

clean
convert gpt (note, this step is optional. If the drive is intended to be the system boot drive, it's required, if for just data, it's not)
create partition primary
format quick fs=ntfs
assign letter=E (pick your drive letter)
exit


After having done this, the drive should be showing up in File Explorer with the assigned letter.

If anything bombs out while using diskpart as noted above, the drive itself is probably dead.

 

[ThatPlace928]

My usual way of initializing a drive that can be initialized (as it is possible to have a failed drive) is to use a combination of diskpart and Disk Management or just do everything in diskpart.

Just the other night I re-initialized an SSD using diskpart. Once you have diskpart open in either command prompt or Power Shell, and have done a "list disk," identified the disk you want to initialize, and done a select disk on it, this is the sequence I follow:

clean
convert gpt (note, this step is optional. If the drive is intended to be the system boot drive, it's required, if for just data, it's not)
create partition primary
format quick fs=ntfs quick
assign letter=E (pick your drive letter)
exit


After having done this, the drive should be showing up in File Explorer with the assigned letter.

If anything bombs out while using diskpart as noted above, the drive itself is probably dead.

I'll try that and, if I have any questions, I'll be back to ask.

 

[fincoder]

if for just data, it's not

GPT is also required for larger partitions over 2TB from memory (e.g. large data drives).

 

[frase]

Once initialised though it will destroy all data, same as the "clean" command within CMD. If drives ever state RAW or need to be initialised it is usually a symptom of a dead/failing HDD. Am unusure of what the OP is wanting to achieve.

 

[ThatPlace928]

Once initialised though it will destroy all data, same as the "clean" command within CMD. If drives ever state RAW or need to be initialised it is usually a symptom of a dead/failing HDD. Am unusure of what the OP is wanting to achieve.

I'm not worried about the data. There's nothing on any of them. They are drives pulled from customer laptops and I wanted to see if they are usable at all. I've been so busy, though, I haven't even had time to get back to the project. They are probably all bad drives but I wanted to double-check before I round file them or have them shredded.

 

[frase]

I'm not worried about the data. There's nothing on any of them. They are drives pulled from customer laptops and I wanted to see if they are usable at all. I've been so busy, though, I haven't even had time to get back to the project. They are probably all bad drives but I wanted to double-check before I round file them or have them shredded.

Was just curious @ThatPlace928 thanks.

 

[ThatPlace928]

Was just curious @ThatPlace928 thanks.

It's all good.

 

[Markverhyden]

I used to use a Mac. But they've made the process worse not better over the years. So I went to diskpart 3-4 years ago and haven't looked back. I'll do the clean part on my bench rig which nukes the drive. Then install in the patient and go from there. Works every time.

 

[britechguy]

The clean command in diskpart should take no more than a minute (or a few, on spinners), even for huge drives, as it does not overwrite "old data" it just wipes all partitions leaving you with a "clean-ish slate" (and I say -ish because forensic methods could still recover data).

Now, the "clean all" command can take a long time, as it does overwrite (zero fill, I think, it could be one fill) every byte on the disk. I only use "clean all" when the drive is to be disposed of without being physically destroyed. Otherwise, I just use clean.

 

[YeOldeStonecat]

start...run...DSKMGMT.MSC

 

[Metanis]

start...run...DSKMGMT.MSC

I frequently seem to run into partitions that the gui won't delete, but

delete partition override

always gets rid of them.

 

[ThatPlace928]

I frequently seem to run into partitions that the gui won't delete, but

delete partition override

always gets rid of them.

Thank you. I appreciate the heads up.

 

[ThatPlace928]

start...run...DSKMGMT.MSC

Thank you. I appreciate it.