How To Format Only C Drive In Windows 8.1

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Overview

Why do I want to format my C drive?

C drive is commonly system sectionalisation on most computers, and formatting C drive gives the gamble that estimator loses operating system and cannot kick. Why practice users withal want to format C drive? The reasons for formatting system partition vary from one to another and here are some mutual reasons:

• Retire computer: When you lot want to replace your computer with a new one, y'all might need to format computer to erase data before selling or giving away in the view of data security.
• Upgrade organization disk: Windows is installed on an SSD which is running out of gratuitous space and you program to upgrade the disk to a larger i.
• Erase data: It is advised to wipe hard drive earlier recycling or donating it, as the bulldoze might contain sensitive data.
• Remove virus and malware: Operating system infects virus or malware is dangerous to personal information, as files might be damaged, lost or even leaked to third-party. Formatting C bulldoze tin can wipe virus or malware safely and safeguard computer.
• System has crashed: Operating system on your computer cannot boot, and formatting C drive and reinstalling system might be ultimate solution.
• Reinstall OS: You demand to format arrangement division before reinstalling it or changing Windows version. In this case, you can format C partition with the organisation setup installer during reinstalling.

How practise I format my C drive?

On Windows reckoner, yous tin can format any partition except system partition in File Explorer or Deejay Management when operating system is running. Open File Explorer past double-clicking This PC icon from desktop and correct-click C drive and choose Format choice. Then yous volition receive an error bulletin "Microsoft Windows. Y'all cannot format this book It contains the version of Windows that you lot are using. Formatting this volume could cause your reckoner to stop working. Formatting disk and drives FAQ", as follows:

Windows sets this limitation out of security consideration so that users cannot delete system by error. System volume stores booting files like boot.ini, bootmgr, bcd, etc. that are necessary for arrangement booting. Besides, C bulldoze is set every bit active partition and in that location is but one active partition on a single disk. This partition cannot exist formatted or deleted within Windows.

Method #ane: Format C bulldoze with Windows Setup Disc

Since formatting removes all data on the partition, yous should create backup for of import files. Afterward formatting C drive, computer won't be able to boot, and you demand to because reinstalling operating system. Hither are steps to format C drive using Windows 10 Setup DVD/CD.

Step 1   Insert Windows setup disk and restart computer. Then enter BIOS to change boot sequence to let computer boot from the disc.

Step ii  Once your computer boot from the disc, you can encounter the installation interface. Then select linguistic communication language, time and currency format and input method, and click "Next".

Step four   Click the "Install Now" button. Next, read and accept the license and select "Custom: Install Windows only (advanced)".

Step 5  When you get to the page "Where exercise you want to install Windows?", you will see a list of disks and partition. Select the drive y'all want to format and click "Format". Once C drive gets formatted, you tin can either keep to reinstall Windows or exit.

Method #2: Format C drive /arrangement partitioning via organisation repair disc

Notation: If you exercise not have a system repair disc, you can follow steps in method three to complete formatting task.

Step 1   Boot to system repair disc.

After changing boot sequence in bios and restart estimator, after which calculator volition kick from the system repair disc.

Step 2   Click Command Prompt from Organisation Recovery Options. And so type command format c: /fs:ntfs and press Enter key.

Note: the organization is usually assigned drive letter C, but sometimes information technology might not be identified as drive C in command prompt of some arrangement repair disc. Then delight make certain y'all are formatting the correct drive.

Method #3: Format C drive using DiskGenius WinPE edition

DiskGenius Gratuitous is disk partition freeware and it is able to make deejay partition, recover lost data, dorsum upwards data, etc. for example, with this tool y'all tin increment C drive space, format Ext4 partition, sectionalisation hard drive, recover RAW drive, recover deleted files, backup arrangement drive, catechumen GPT/MBR, convert VMDK to VHD, etc. This department shows how to format C bulldoze via DiskGenius WinPE Edition.

Footstep 1   Create bootable disk for DiskGenius WinPE edition.

Connect a USB drive to your computer and launch DiskGenius, and yous tin can view the USB disk in the software. Select the USB flash drive and click Tools menu to select Create WinPE bootable USB drive of DiskGenius, as picture below:

Click OK push from the popular-upward window and wait for a couple of seconds to create the bootable deejay.

Step 2   Restart the computer for which you want to format C bulldoze and enter BIOS to modify boot order, so that this computer will kicking from the USB device.

If you do non know how to enter BIOS or alter boot sequence, yous can seek help from the motherboard tech support. Save changes and restart reckoner. And then your computer boots from the bootable disk and DiskGenius will be launched automatically.

Step 3   In the DiskGenius WinPE version, select C drive (system partitioning) to be formatted and click Format button from toolbar.

Gear up file system type, cluster size, book label, etc. and click Format button. Then DiskGenius volition formats the partition quickly.

Formatted partition data recovery

Recovering lost files from formatted partition is an like shooting fish in a barrel task as long as you employ effective difficult drive partition recovery software. DiskGenius is capable of recovering data from formatted volume or USB drives. The optimized scanning mechanism is designed to quickly and accurately search for lost files sector past sector. Autonomously from recovering formatted division, it is besides able to recover files from RAW and inaccessible volume equally well as deleted partitions. Unlike file systems are supported including NTFS, FAT16, FAT32, exFAT, Ext2, Ext3 and Ext4. The unregistered edition can browse formatted drive and preview lost data, so that y'all can brand sure whether files tin be recovered correctly prior to purchasing the licensed edition.

If you want to recover formatted C drive, y'all may need to perform the recovery process outside of Windows. On one hand, one time arrangement sectionalization gets formatted, computer won't kicking to Windows anymore. On the other hand, fifty-fifty if system works well, it is non secure to recover lost information from system bulldoze when Windows is running. That's considering Windows may generate writing action at whatever fourth dimension, and damage lost data. DiskGenius supports creating WinPE based bootable disk, and y'all can perform C bulldoze data recovery with DiskGenius WinPE edition.

Footstep 1   Launch DiskGenius and locate the partition to be recovered. Right-click on the partition you want to recover data and choose Recover Lost Files, as follows:

Step ii   Select Complete Recovery and click Start button to search for lost data from selected drive.

If you remember the file arrangement type of the partition before information technology got formatted, then click Avant-garde Options push button to select file system. "Search For Known File Types" choice should be selected if lost files are partly overwritten.

Step 3   Preview files.

File preview tin can be done during or after scanning. Double-click a file and you tin open it in preview window. The following screenshot shows the previewing of a JPG file. By way of previewing files, you can find out what you demand to recover and whether they can be recovered correctly.

Footstep four   Copy and save files you desire to recover. Select desired files and folders and right-click on them to cull Copy To.

Further Reading

Formatting refers to the procedure of preparing a new sectionalisation or remove existing information on a difficult drive or USB storage device. The formatting process tin can be applied to various storage media such as hard drive, memory sticks, virtual disk, SSD, USB flash drive, external HDD, etc. If the drive contains important information and information technology is the but re-create of your information, you'll face information loss issue once formatting performed to the disk.

A partition should be created and formatted starting time before you can store data on the device. Formatting is a very important step, which creates file arrangement to get partitioning prepare to store information. Equally to formatting there are two levels of formatting we can execute:

Quick format: Windows performs quick format by default. As the name suggest the formatting process is very quick. By way of quick formatting, yous can change file organization type as well as remove data off the unabridged partition. But the quick formatting does not erase data permanently, and you tin run data recovery as long as lost data is not overwritten.

Full format: A full format runs an additional step than quick format. When you run a full format on partition or book, data will be completely wiped from the partition being formatted and partition is scanned bad sectors. The formatting is very slow and bulk of time taken by the process is used to check bad sectors.

Though it is not allowed to format C drive in Windows similar you lot format other drives, y'all can format C drive outside of Windows. Sounds complicated? Really, information technology is quite easy to exercise the task. The following part will discuss iii methods to format organization partition on Windows ten/eight/seven.

Conclusion

Nosotros've talked about several ways to format C drive for Windows 7/8/x PCs, through which you can format organisation segmentation even though you lot do non accept a arrangement installation disc. Too, we also innovate how to practise formatted partition recovery, which helps to remember lost data from formatted drives. DiskGenius is a versatile tool that can help you format sectionalization, wipe hard drive, resize sectionalization, extend C drive, recover lost data, etc. Should yous accept any question or demand whatever assistance regarding formatting C drive or using the plan, please feel costless to contact our technical support team.

Source: https://www.diskgenius.com/how-to/how-to-format-c-drive.php

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