Back up anything you want to keep, such as photos, software product keys, etc. When the hard drive. Right-click on the external hard drive and click Format. Choose a format under File System. By default, Windows computers will choose NTFS (New Technology File System) for you because that's the native Microsoft filing system. But if you want the external hard drive to also work on a Mac, you should choose exFAT.
Summary :
How to use an external hard drive? In this article, you can know how to add an external drive to your computer. In addition, you are offered the way to manage, use and maintain an external hard drive. MiniTool Partition Wizard is a good tool to help you to manage the drive.
Quick Navigation :
What Is an External Hard Drive
An external hard drive is a portable storage device that can be attached to a computer wirelessly,or through a USB FireWire connection. It becomes more and more popular in computer users for the following benefits:
- It is portable. An external hard drive can be connected to almost all computers because they have a USB port. Therefore, you can easily pick up your external hard drive, take it out and connect it to another computer.
- It comes with a high storage capacity. An external hard drive can store much larger data than a USB flash drive. It helps a lot if you are found of videos or audios, whichtake up a large amount of disk space. In addition, you can use it to store lots of photos, entire programs, and more on it.
- It is a safe Backup Device. To avoid data loss, you can use an external hard drive to back up your files and programs. After system crashes, you can easily connect the external hard drive to another computer so that you can recover important data.
- It is easy to be upgraded. If your external hard drive is running out of storage space for your backup files, you can easily replace it with a bigger one.
- It can prevent your computer from getting clogged up with downloads and large files. You could transfer large files from your computer to an external hard driveto improve
How to Add an External Hard Drive to Your Computer
If you get a new external hard drive, you need to add it to your computer before you can use it. Here is how to do it.
Step 1: Plug one end of the external hard drive's cable (usually the larger end) into the USB port on the housing to see whether it works.
Step 2: Plug the other end of the cable into your external hard drive.
Step 3: Now you need to format the external hard drive.
- Double click This PC.
- Right-click your external hard drive and choose Format...from menu.
- Uncheck Quick Formatand select a file system. Then click Start.
After formatting the external hard drive, you should partition the drive reasonably for better management. As for partitioning tool, you can choose freeware MiniTool Partition Wizard.
How to Use an External Hard Drive in Windows 10
Extra Storage Device
It has been mentioned that an external hard drive has many benefits. The basic one is to use it as an extra storage device, especially when you need to free up disk space.
You can transfer files to an external hard drive after you connect it to your computer. Here is a tutorial on how to use an external hard drive in Windows 10.
Step 1: Press Win + E to open File Explorer.
Step 2: Select the folders or files you want to move and press Ctrl + X to cut them.
Step 3: Click your external hard drive from the left action panel to access the external hard drive and press Ctrl + V to paste the folders and files.
Data Backup Device
Do you know your data is in danger? If you don't have more than one backup solution, plenty of critical information includes photos, music, videos, financial and official documents could be lost when your computer dies due to hardware failure, natural disaster, system crashes or viruses attacks.
Clearly, the more copies you have, the less risk of data loss you face. Thus, just create as many copies as you entail. In other words, you'd better protect the original data with two backups.
Usually, cloud backup can be a good choice,such as Google Cloud Storage, Microsoft Onedrive, etc.
However, they are not the best solutions.They may cost you much. Some cloud services such as iCloud and IDrive just offer you a storage capacity about 5 GB for free, and most cloud services need you to pay for month. What's more, it will be troublesome if you decide to shift among these services.
In addition, it may take much time to download everything from a cloud-based backup service if you want to manage large files or large quantities of files.
On the other hand, data stored in a cloud service is possible to be attacked by a hack. So, you can store your backup in an external hard drive, which is portable and safer. Some external devices come with security features like fingerprint recognition, which prevents other people from gaining access to the stored data.
To buy the right backup drive, here are some tips you need to know.
With MiniTool Partition Wizard,a free backup tool, you can easily back up your partitions or the whole disk to your external hard drive. Here is how to use an external hard drive for backup.
Step 1: Click the following button to download and install the tool.
Step 2: Make a backup.
- To copy disk, just right-click the disk you want to back up and choose Copy from menu.
- To copy partition, you can click the Copy Partition Wizard from action panel and choose the partition you want to back up.
- Then follow the instructions to finish the copy
Create a Windows To Go Workplace
Windows To Go is a feature in Windows 10 that allows you to boot and run Windows from USB flash drives or external hard disk drives so that you can take it to anywhere.
To create a portable Windows, you need to prepare a device with requirements as follows:
- With 32 GB capacity at least
- With USB 2.0 and faster USB connections.
With an external hard drive, you can easily achieve it. Here is how to do it.
Step 1: Connect your external hard drive to the computer.
Step 2: Search for Windows To Go in Windows and click it from the results.
Step 3: Choose your external hard drive to create a Windows To Go workplace and follow the guide to complete the process.
Then you can connect the external hard drive to another computer and boot Windows from the external drive when you go out.
How to Use an External Hard Drive for Longer
You may be aware that an external hard drive is necessary for you. However, it is easy to be broken if you don't maintain it in the right way. To avoid decreasing the life of it, you can read these tips on how to use an external hard drive for longer.
- To protect your external hard drive, you'd better place it on a stable, flat and hard surface. Considering that the hard disk is a mechanical device, it can be damaged by vibrations. And you should also be careful to prevent it from falling off the table.
- You need to make sure that it will not be banged around or treated roughly. Since the external hard drive is a portable device, you should treat it carelessly when you take it out.
- You have to avoid getting your hard drive wet or exposing it to liquid.
- Do not place your external hard drive in a restrictive area where there is no air flow. Similar to the internal hard disk in your computer, the external hard drive also gets hot when it works too long. To avoid overheating, which can damage the disk, you need to place it in an open area to dissipate the buildup of heat.
- Check error before you transfer files to an external hard drive. It can fix disk errors and ensure that you are starting with a well-functioning drive.To do that, you can use the error checking tool in Windows.
- Always eject the drive before you unplug it from your computer. It ensures data still stored in the cache memory will be removed, which prevents existing data on the disk from being damaged.
- The best way to protect your data in the external hard drive is to back up it as much as possible. Hard drive failure may happen to your external hard drive.To ensure the security of your files, you'd better prepare a second external drive to back up it.
Save Lost Data from an External Hard Drive
Similar to internal hard drivers, an external hard drive may also lose data due to various reasons, such as mistaken deletion or hard drive failure when you manage it.
If you have a backup for the data in the external hard drive, you can restore your data with the backup.
If you unfortunately find that your files or programs stored in the external hard drive is lost and you have no backup for the drive, you need to stop using it right now and try to recover files from the external drive with a third-party software as soon as possible.
MiniTool Partition Wizard is powerful in recovering deleted files and data from formatted or virus attacked disk. It is worth trying.
Step 1: Launch MiniTool Partition Wizard.
Step 2: Click Data Recovery from the tool bar and select your external hard drive in This PC. And then click Scan.
Step 3: Now you just need to check the files you want to recover and then click Save to place the recovered files into a safe position.
If it is the first time to recover files from an external drive, you may be a little confused. To know more details, you can read the following article: The Full Guide to SSD File Recovery on Windows 10/8/7/XP.
Bottom Line
You can benefit a lot from an external hard drive. With the high storage capacity, you can store a huge number of videos, photos and programs, and it is a proper device for data backup.
This article helps you to know how to add an external hard drive to your computer, how to use an external hard drive in Windows 10, and how to maintain it to use it longer.
If you still have any questions about the external hard drive, you can contact [email protected] or post it in the comment section below.
Do you want to try it now?
How to Use an External Hard Drive FAQ
- It has large storage capacity.
- It's portable so that you can take it anywhere.
- It's a safe backup device.
- It can be used for a long time.
- Plug the external hard drive into the computer.
- Press Win + E to open File Explorer.
- Navigate to your program setup file and double-click it.
- Follow the onscreen instructions to install the program, and when you are asked where you want to save the program, choose on location on your external hard drive.
'How to fix a corrupted hard drive? I try to plug an external hard drive to PC, but it prompts 'You need to format the disk in drive Z: before you can use it'.
'How to repair corrupted internal hard disk? it says 'X: is not accessible' on computer'.
The hard drive may be attacked by the virus or physical damage due to power failure or unsafe ejection and so on. That makes it corrupts easily, no matter an internal hard disk or external hard drive.
Formatting will erase your important data. You may have stored a lot of files there. Any choices rather than formatting?
Fortunately, this post has listed a set of solutions on how to repair and fix a corrupted hard disk/drive. So, let's see how to achieve it!
Part 1. Check If Hard Drive is Corrupted
When your hard drive corrupted, there are some symptoms that you can detect. If you have come across the following situations, you need to be cautious:
1. When you access the hard drive in 'My Computer', receive a warning: 'You need to format the disk in the drive before you can use it.'
2. A message of 'H: is not accessible. The file or directory is corrupted and unreadable'. prompts up when you intend to open your hard drive.
3. You will hear strange sounds when using your hard drive.
4. Your external hard drive is unreadable.
5. A prompt shows up to ask you to format your hard drive.
6. The property of your hard drive displays 0 bytes.
7. Other symptoms.
Part 2. Before Fixing, Recover Data from a Corrupted Hard Drive
It is a high risk of losing data when you fix a corrupted hard drive. Whether you want to restore a corrupted internal hard drive or external hard drive, it's recommended to apply a professional tool. FoneCope AnyRecover is an excellent recovery tool, targeting at recovering all kinds of data, even recover data from crashed hard disk.
5 Steps to Recover Data before Fixing A Corrupted Hard Drive:
Step 1. Download, install and launch AnyRecover on your PC. There are two versions of different OSs.
Step 2. Choose All-Round Recovery mode for thorough recovery progress.
Step 3. Tick the name of your corrupted hard drive and click on 'Next' button to move on.
Step 4. Then you will be asked to choose the file types that you want to recover. You can click on the 'All File Types' button to make a one-click selection.
Step 5. Once the scan finishes, you will have a list of scanned files from your corrupted hard drive. Try the Preview service where you can check the lost files. Select the files you prefer and click on the 'Recover' button for final recovery!
Part 3. Five Ways to Fix a Corrupted Hard Disk or Drive
There are also some other approaches on how to repair corrupted hard disk/drive. We will introduce in order from general ways to advanced ones.
#1 Try CMD to Fix Corrupted Drive
As mentioned above, the CMD Line is a built-in mechanism for deeper operations on a PC. You can fix the corrupted hard drive using CMD.
1. Press on Win + R to open the command prompt, and type cmd into the box.
2. Then type chkdsk F: /F and tap Enter.
(The first letter F represents the name of your hard drive and the latter indicates the fixing errors progress on your hard drive.)
It's recommended to use it to fix format disk error without formatting.
Notes: You can try more orders to make additional check, for example, type chkdsk F: /F /X /R.
Tips: In this case, the former two letters F represent the same meaning as described above, while the letter X means volume dismount before scanning and letter R will lead to locate the bad sectors and then to recover the readable information.
#2 Check Drive for File System Errors
Hopefully, there is a systematic channel for error checking when you try to repair the corrupted internal or external hard drive, even storage media.
1. Navigate to My PC/Computer.
2. Open it and right click on the name of the targeted hard drive and choose Properties.
3. Find the Tools section and click on the Check button as shown in the picture.
In addition, due to lack of hard drive monitor in Windows system, we have to try CMD Line to check the condition of the hard drive.
1. Tap Win + R and type cmd into the order box to open CMD window.
2. Type wmic and tap on entering to move on.
3. Type disk drive gets status and Enter again.
However, this channel has a limitation that it will not show any name of your hard drive, so it's hard to make sure the condition of every hard drive.
For contain details, you can download CrystalDiskInfo to check the comprehensive information, but this requires you to download extra software, so make sure that you get the software from an official and safe source.
#3 Control Panel
Moreover, the Control Panel is an effective path for repairing corrupted external drives and internal hard disk.
Step 1. Tap on Start key and navigate to Control Panel from the right column.
Step 2. Open it and find System and Security and then choose Action Center.
Step 3. Click on Maintenance and choose Run Scan under this section and click on Restart.
#4 File Manager
For the approach of File Manager for external hard drive repair, you just need to:
1. Open 'File Manager' and choose the name of your hard drive.
2. Right click on it and choose Properties.
3. Navigate to Tools section and choose 'Check' under Error Checking option.
4. Click on Repair This Drive upon the finish of error fix on this drive.
#5 Make Sure USB Ports are Available
Poor contact will cause HDD corrupted. If you fail to read hard drive, for an external hard drive, try to plug hard drive into another USB port and open your hard drive again.
As for the power check of the internal hard disk, there may be challenges. But if the PC can detect the internal drive, repairing the damaged internal hard drive is independent of the power supply.
Part 4. Two More Tips for Repairing Corrupted External Hard Drive
Here are 2 more ways for how to fix a corrupted external hard drive without formatting.
#1 Try on Another PC
Sometimes it's your PC gets trouble rather than your hard drive. So, in this case, you can try to open your hard drive on another PC.
Then you can try to reinstall your hard drive on the original PC. To do so, you can：
Step 1. Navigate to My PC, right click on it to find Manage and then click on Device Manager.
Step 2. An interface will show up displaying all of the devices installed on your PC. Right click on the name of the preferred hard drive and choose Uninstall.
Step 3. Plug out your hard drive and restart your PC. When PC turns on again, plug into the hard drive again and it will be detected and installed on PC automatically.
#2 Change the Disk Name
This method can have your portable hard drive repair.
Step 1. Try the same path to go to My PC and right click on it to choose Manage.
Step 2. At this time, choose Disk Management.
Step 3. Right click on the name of your hard drive from a prompted window and choose Change Drive Letter and Paths…from the options.
Step 4. Finally, select the letter and choose Change button and click on Yes to confirm.
How Do You Wipe An External Hard Drive
Part 5. Fix a Corrupted Hard Drive by Formatting
#1 Format with CMD
The above methods do not require formatting to fix the corrupted hard drive. But if these methods fail to achieve the task, formatting is the final method you can consider. External and internal drives can be fixed with Cmd format, but their steps are different.
Ready to Work：
Open CMD, the steps can refer to #4.
Show all storage media: Type (diskpart) and press Enter, type (list disk).
For Flash Drive and SD Card:
1. Select the external disk to format: Type (select disk X), where X is the disk number.
2. Format the drive: Type (clean) and press Enter.
3. Create a new partition on the disk: Type (create partition primary) and press Enter.
4. Clear all data for the newly created partition: Type (format fs = ntfs).
5. After formatting is done, assign a letter to the external drive: Type (assign letter = G).
For Internal Drive
How Do You Wipe An External Hard Drive Free
1. Select internal hard drive: type (select disk X)
2. Display all partitions: type (list partition)
3. Select the desired partition: type (select partition X)
4. Format the partition: type (format) and press Enter
Poor contact will cause HDD corrupted. If you fail to read hard drive, for an external hard drive, try to plug hard drive into another USB port and open your hard drive again.
As for the power check of the internal hard disk, there may be challenges. But if the PC can detect the internal drive, repairing the damaged internal hard drive is independent of the power supply.
Part 4. Two More Tips for Repairing Corrupted External Hard Drive
Here are 2 more ways for how to fix a corrupted external hard drive without formatting.
#1 Try on Another PC
Sometimes it's your PC gets trouble rather than your hard drive. So, in this case, you can try to open your hard drive on another PC.
Then you can try to reinstall your hard drive on the original PC. To do so, you can：
Step 1. Navigate to My PC, right click on it to find Manage and then click on Device Manager.
Step 2. An interface will show up displaying all of the devices installed on your PC. Right click on the name of the preferred hard drive and choose Uninstall.
Step 3. Plug out your hard drive and restart your PC. When PC turns on again, plug into the hard drive again and it will be detected and installed on PC automatically.
#2 Change the Disk Name
This method can have your portable hard drive repair.
Step 1. Try the same path to go to My PC and right click on it to choose Manage.
Step 2. At this time, choose Disk Management.
Step 3. Right click on the name of your hard drive from a prompted window and choose Change Drive Letter and Paths…from the options.
Step 4. Finally, select the letter and choose Change button and click on Yes to confirm.
How Do You Wipe An External Hard Drive
Part 5. Fix a Corrupted Hard Drive by Formatting
#1 Format with CMD
The above methods do not require formatting to fix the corrupted hard drive. But if these methods fail to achieve the task, formatting is the final method you can consider. External and internal drives can be fixed with Cmd format, but their steps are different.
Ready to Work：
Open CMD, the steps can refer to #4.
Show all storage media: Type (diskpart) and press Enter, type (list disk).
For Flash Drive and SD Card:
1. Select the external disk to format: Type (select disk X), where X is the disk number.
2. Format the drive: Type (clean) and press Enter.
3. Create a new partition on the disk: Type (create partition primary) and press Enter.
4. Clear all data for the newly created partition: Type (format fs = ntfs).
5. After formatting is done, assign a letter to the external drive: Type (assign letter = G).
For Internal Drive
How Do You Wipe An External Hard Drive Free
1. Select internal hard drive: type (select disk X)
2. Display all partitions: type (list partition)
3. Select the desired partition: type (select partition X)
4. Format the partition: type (format) and press Enter
#2 Format Internal Drive through Disk Management
There is another simpler way to format the internal hard drive, as shown below. It can also selectively clean up different partitions to repair the corrupted internal hard drive.
1. Double-click 'My Computer/This PC' and then click 'Manage'.
2. Click 'Disk Management' in the list on the left.
3. Right-click on the local hard drive you want to format and select 'Format'.
4. In the window that appears, make a selection that matches the image below, check the 'Perform a quick format', and click 'OK'.
The Bottom Line
The hard drive is corrupted is an upset thing, but this post shows you how to fix a corrupted hard drive, including internal hard disk as well as external hard drive. And to keep your data safe, you can recover data before repairing. Hope you can totally handle this corrupted hard drive issue.
In the end, if you have other better solution on disk corruption repair or hard drive recovery, please leave your words on the below comment box, we will greatly appreciate it.
