Not formatted USB flash drive in NTFS: possible causes and solutions to the problem

Probably, many users noticed that when using the standard FAT32 file system for USB drives with volumes of more than 4 GB, it is impossible to write files on them larger than this size. All because it has a limit on the amount of data transferred at a time. Therefore, you need to reformat the media in NTFS. But it is not always possible to do it. It happens that the flash drive is not formatted in NTFS. What to do in this situation? The problem can be eliminated in several simple ways.

Do not format the USB flash drive in NTFS: what should I do first?

Typically, even when using the standard method provided in Windows systems, when trying to format a USB drive in NTFS, either the process lasts indefinitely and eventually hangs or a message is displayed that Windows can not finish formatting.

The reasons for this phenomenon should be found in the incompatibility of the device with the system, and in the imperfection of Windows tools, and in drive failures, and even in the mistakes of the file system itself, which is currently on the flash drive. In the simplest case, the question of why the flash drive is not formatted in NTFS, you can give the most banal answer: the media has errors and software failures. We do not speak about physical damages, because they will be much more difficult to correct. As for software failures, you should first check the removable device for errors in the way that it is done for hard drives.

In the "Explorer" we use the right click on the device and select the property line, then go to the service tab, where we select the disk check. In this case, you need to check the boxes for automatic error correction and recovery of bad sectors. However, a more effective method of verification for situations where, for example, the flash drive exFAT is not formatted in NTFS, can be the use of the command console. It prescribes the chkdsk command e: / f / r, where e is the letter of the USB device. Many admit that such a technique works much better.

The flash drive is not formatted in NTFS: fixing the problem with Windows tools

Next, you can proceed directly to the formatting, using the standard right-click menu with NTFS selection in the corresponding menu.

If the flash drive is not formatted in NTFS, one of the solutions may be to remove the volume label or change the media letter. In principle, you can try to format from the disk management section. When performing this operation, it is recommended to use not full, but fast formatting. For the version of Windows XP, to avoid problems and errors, it is better to use the command line. It specifies the command format / fs: ntfs e: / q, where e is again, the letter of the USB device.

Setting optimization for operations with USB-drive

Another method that allows to solve the problem of the fact that the USB flash drive is not formatted in NTFS is the installation of special settings for the drive.

To set the parameters, enter the "Device Manager". For quick access, you can use devmgmt.msc in the Run console. Here you need to find your flash drive. Then double click on the properties menu and in the policy section set the optimization for a quick removal. In theory, after that, formatting can be done without problems. Again, at first it's better to use fast formatting, and only then go to the full one.

Using conversion instead of formatting

If the USB flash drive is not formatted again in NTFS, Windows can offer another tool that allows you to change the type of the file system, but without formatting, which few people know about. As stated, while data on the drive will be saved. But it's better not to take risks and immediately transfer them to another place.

For this operation, use the command console (cmd in the "Run" menu). In it, for example, for a device with the letter "e", the line convert e: / fs: ntfs / nosecurity / x is prescribed, after which the input key is pressed. To exit after the operation is completed, use the exit command.

Third-Party Programs

Finally, if the above methods do not give a positive effect for some reason, and the flash drive is not formatted again, NTFS can be translated using special utilities like HP USB Storage Format Tool, Acronis Disk Director, HDD Low Level Format Tool, etc.

If you look at the first program, its interface is an almost exact copy of the standard Windows tool. However, as practice shows, this application works much better and more efficiently.

Conclusion

Above, we described the basic methods that allow us to format the USB drive in such a way that after the completion of this process, the NTFS file system was present on it. Naturally, any user is interested in the choice of the most effective means. You can advise here using a command line with formatting or converting, as well as using third-party programs that are more functional than Windows tools.

On the other hand, if none of these tools yields the desired result, you can try to perform all the described operations in a system loaded in safe mode. For starters, you can simply use the command console with the string format e: (e - the required flash drive). Perhaps this will work.

In any other case, you will have to think about re-flashing the device controller. It will be quite difficult to do this to an inexperienced user. Have to dig a little on the Internet to find the software controller on the official website of the manufacturer. But for this, in the "Device Manager" you will need to know the identifiers DEV and VEN. And only these codes can be found exactly the firmware that corresponds to this model of flash drive.

In some cases, you can try to restore the drive using special utilities. Some programs for data recovery can simultaneously perform operations to restore bad sectors. But you yourself understand that under conditions of physical damage, there is very little hope of a favorable outcome.