How to Reformat SSD After Installing Windows 10 on M.2
After I transferred my files and Windows 10 from the old SSD to my new 1TB SSD, I wanted to reformat my old drive and use it for all my programs. Also, I just want the M.2 to be used only to run the OS. But now my old drive has all the old partitions and doesn't allow me to reformat the whole drive. What should I do? Any help is greatly appreciated!
Best Answered by
Sherly· Answered on Mar 29, 2023
Many factors can ultimately cause this error. We recommend that you explore the specific reasons before performing any formatting procedures:
- File system error
- Viral infection
- The drive is offline, unallocated, or unknown
- Windows cannot format the system partition on the destination disk
- The drive has bad sectors
- The drive is physically damaged
However, apparently, your old SSD is still healthy, so the reason is that Disk Management cannot delete or format the partition containing the system. Therefore, I suggest you use third-party software or Diskpart commands for formatting.
First of all, I recommend EaseUS Partition Master Free because it is easy to use. After my tests, it is the most friendly formatting software for inexperienced users. What's more, this tool allows users to format an SSD/HDD without losing data.
Here is how:
Step 1. Run EaseUS Partition Master, right-click the partition on the SSD you want to format and select "Format."
Step 2. Here you set the partition label, file system (NTFS/FAT32/EXT2/3/4/exFAT), and cluster size for the partition to be formatted, and then click "OK."
Step 3. When you see a warning window, click "Yes." Finally, click on Execute Task to start formatting.
In addition, if you are a computer expert, you can also use the Diskpart command to format.
Note that this operation will erase all your data; if you have important data, please remember to back it up in time.
Here are the steps:
- Right-click the Start icon and select Command Prompt.
- In the command prompt, type: diskpart and press Enter.
- Type: list disk and press Enter.
- Type: select disk 0 and hit Enter. (Replace 0 with the disk number of the old SSD.)
- Type: clean and press Enter.
- Enter: exit to end the process.
After this, you will delete all partitions from the hard drive, and you can repartition the hard drive again by creating new partitions using the unallocated space.
This method is a quick fix if you are a professional in computing, but if you are a newbie, EaseUS Partition Master is a free alternative.
