How to Format an External Hard-Disk on Windows XP

External hard disks are a great way to back up data, store pictures and video or to move data from one computer to another. An external hard disk must be formatted before it can be used. All you need is to connect the external hard disk to the computer, and Windows XP takes care of most of the work. A few clicks later and the disk will be formatted.

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• External hard disk Connecting cable Windows XP

1. Connect the external hard disk to your computer. Attach one end of the connecting cable to the disk housing and the other end to either the USB port or the serial port on your computer. Most external hard disk housings come with the proper cable.

2. Click on "My Computer" on the desktop. On the screen that pops up, look for the new drive under either "Hard Disk Drives" or "Devices with Removable Storage." Your main hard drive will have the drive designation "C" while your CD or DVD drive is most often "D." The new hard disk will be the letter "E" or higher in the alphabet.

3. Position your mouse over the new drive. Right click and scroll down the text box that pops-up. Click on "Format" from the list.

4. Click on "Start" in the new window that pops up. Once the process is complete, the hard disk will be formatted.

Tips & Warnings

• Formatting a hard disk will remove any data on the drive. Be sure that this is what you want to do before formatting the disk. Depending on the hard disk being installed, Windows XP will often have options in the drop-down lists on the format window. These options include whether to format as a NTSF disk, like Windows XP or 32-bit file structure. For best compatibility, use the options that Windows XP suggests. Some external hard disk manufacturers include a driver disk for their hard drives. The files on this disk have to be installed before Windows XP will recognize the drive.