# portable hard drive re-format???



## soli_dave (Jan 22, 2008)

Before i start I'd like to warn you i know pretty much nothing about computers so be nice lol. Ive brought a portable 40gb hard drive for use in my car, however the hard drive has been set up to work ok a NTFS?? file system. The player in my car only recognises FAT32 or FAT16 file system??? (means nothing to me). 

is there a way of converting ym hard drive to the FAT file system? without spending money is possible?? 

any help is much appreciated people.

cheers,

Dave:wave:


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## nistleboy (Nov 12, 2007)

hi dave
just plug your hard drive into your pc.goto my comp then right click on your removable drive then click format. it llwi then ask you to format ntfs or fat 32 choose fat 32.makesure you right click on your removable drive then format.


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## soli_dave (Jan 22, 2008)

I've tried that but when i get to the format part i can only choose NTFS, there are no other options there for FAT. any other ideas??


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## nistleboy (Nov 12, 2007)

hi
what size of drive is it ie is it a labtop drive or or a desktop drive.If its desktop take out your hard drive from your pc and put in the external drive make sure you have it as master. Then put windows disk let it load then it will ask you to format ie ntfs or fat 32 and choose fat 32.is your pc with xp if so should work.


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## soli_dave (Jan 22, 2008)

its a laptop drive :normal: does that mean i cant do that?


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## nistleboy (Nov 12, 2007)

hi dave
you can put it in a labtop mate and do the same thing.it wont do anything to labtop as all drivers and info is still on original drive would only take 5 mins if you have a labtop.dont be detered it is quite easy and im here to help.


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## nistleboy (Nov 12, 2007)

Plug the device into a PC running windows, preferably XP.
2. Note the drive letter assigned to it by windows.
3. Right-Click "My Computer" and select "Manage".
4. Select "Disk Management".
5. Create the partitions you need ensure you create one as NTFS and one as FAT32.
6. Format the partitions.

All done


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## kingleo888 (Apr 11, 2009)

Hi Dave,

Hope Nistleboy's reply helped solve your problem. However it's a little cumbersome. And asking someone who has no idea what NTFS and FAT mean to open up the computer and unplug/plug hard drives may not be a good idea. Not to mention that some manufacturers may void warranty if the case is opened by non-authorized person. Here's an option without involving screwdrivers.

1. Click on *Start* menu then *Run*.
2. In the *Run* window that pops up, type _cmd_ in the *Open* field. This should bring up Command prompt, a black window.
3. Type: _format x: /fs:fat32_ then Enter. (*x* is the drive letter of the portable hard drive shown in *My Computer *(XP) or *Computer* (Vista). *Make sure you type the right letter to format the drive you wanted*.)
4. You may then be asked the label of the drive. It's the name of the drive as shown in *My Computer*. Type as it appears in *My Computer*.
5. You will then see a warning message about all data on the drive will be lost and asked for confirmation. Type _y _for yes then Enter.

All done. You should see the format starting with percent completed progressing. It may take a while.

If you don't see *Run *option in *Start *menu, do the following:

1. Right click *Start *menu, then *Properties*.
2. On the *Start Menu *tab, click on *Customize* button.
3. Click on *Advanced* tab, and in the *Start menu items:* section, scroll down to the *Run command *option and check the box.
4. Click on *OK* to close all windows.

Click on *Start* menu now, and you should see the *Run* command.

Good luck.


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