To format a disk

1. If the disk you want to format is a floppy disk, insert it into its drive. Otherwise, skip to step 2.
2. Open My Computer, and then click the disk you want to format.
3. On the File menu, point to the name of the floppy drive, and then click Format.
4. Specify the following options:
• Capacity
• File system
• Allocation unit size
• Volume label
• Quick Format
• Enable Compression (NTFS only)
• Create an MS-DOS startup disk
5. Click Start.

Important

• Formatting a disk erases all information on that disk.

Notes

• To open My Computer, click Start, and then click My Computer.
• Quick Format removes files from the disk without scanning the disk for bad sectors. Use this option only if the disk has been previously formatted, and you are sure the disk is not damaged. For information about any of the options, click the question mark in the upper-right corner of the Format dialog box, and then click the option.
• You cannot format a disk if files are open on the disk, the contents of the disk are displayed, or the disk contains the system or boot partition.
• You can also format a disk by using Disk Management. For more information, click Related Topics.