Format external drive full - SimpleTech SimpleDrive Pininfarina 320GB External USB 2.0 Hard Drive - Blue

You did not post the model of the unit. There is a port for external drive support and there is an internal drive depending on the model. You can try formatting on a computer if you would like or you can select OVERWRITE recording when the HDD is full
1. Access the [General Settings] and open the [Disk Drive Info] page. 2. Open the drop-down menu at the top next to the "Hard Disk Drive Full", select "Overwrite" and press save.

While the external hard drive is connected to the computer, click on my computer. Find the icon related to your external hard drive. Use the right button of the mouse to bring up the context menu and select format. This will erase your hard drive. BE sure that you really want to lose all the files on the external harddrive. They would be difficult if not impossible to restore.

have you recently formatted your computer installing a new operating system.while installing it you have made attemps to remove the partition and then you have created a new partition.nothing you can do now exept formatting it.ok

Try deleting any partitions on the drive by using Control panel, administrative tools, computer management, disk management. now highlight the drive and right click and click on delete partition. Now create a new partition and see if it will do a full format on it. if not then its stuffed. you have no choice but to buy another drive.

did u format the wd 320 gb already
you have to format it first to work from it

Hello,

Please note that: a drive formatted with FAT32 file system will not see NTFS formatted file system, whereas, a drive formatted with NTFS file system will definitely see FAT32.

To make it clearer, this means that, if on your system, your hard drive which is having the operating system installed on it, is formatted with FAT32 file system, and you bring an external drive, or even a backup drive which is formatted with NTFS file system, and you plug it to your system, the system will detect it but it wont be able to access the full drive capacity, you will just see it in the device manager page that it is connected.

But If it is Vice-Versa, the NTFS formatted drive will detect the FAT32 drive.

Now in your own case, if your system is formatted in NTFS file system and you plug in your external drive which is NTFS formatted also, then it means that you have some hidden partitions on your external drive, so when you plug it, try and do this:

Right-Click on my computer icon, select manage, then go to Disk Management Option.

On the Disk management option Page you should see ALL the drives installed on your system, including the hidden ones, so what you will just do is, try and locate the one representing your external drive, and right click on it. then select "Change Drive letter and Paths", and give the drive any new, unique letter (i.e alphabet) different from the ones already on your system, and click on OK.

If you see any other hidden drives there, do the same thing to it.

This should make your External Drive to be detected automatically.

Also Make sure that the USB port that you are using is a USB 2.0 port, and not USB 1.0 port, you can just try the other ports there, to be sure.


Hope this helps you out.

Goodluck!

The only risk associated with file formats is that a drive formatted with FAT32 file system will not see NTFS formatted file system, whereas, a drive formatted with NTFS file system will definitely see FAT32.
To make it clearer, this means that, if on your system, your hard drive which is having the operating system installed on it, is formatted with FAT32 file system, and you bring an external drive, or even a backup drive which is formatted with NTFS file system, and you plug it to your system, the system will detect it but it wont be able to access the full drive capacity, you will just see it in the device manager page that it is connected.
But If it is Vice-Versa, the NTFS formatted drive will detect the FAT32 drive.
Now in your own case, if your system is formatted in NTFS file system and you plug in your external drive which is NTFS formatted also, from what you have said, I suspect that you have some hidden partitions on your harddrive (the 250GB), so when you plug it, try and do this, Right-Click on my computer icon, select manage, then go to Disk Management Option.
On the Disk management option Page you should see ALL the drives installed on your system, including the hidden ones, so what you will just do is, try and locate the one representing your external drive, and right click on it. then select "Change Drive letter and Paths", and give the drive any new, unique letter (i.e alphabet) different from the ones already on your system, and click on OK.
If you see any other hidden drives there, do the same thing to it.
This should make your External Drive to be detected automatically.
Hope this helps you out.
Goodluck!

windows was unable to complete the format flash drive

Go to My Computer, right click on the Maxtor OneTouch harddrive, select format, check quick format, click format.

Hi,

The external hard drive can be fomatted by :

Open the my computer, in the my computer or explorer window you should see the drive letter for the external drive.

Right click on the drive you will get the popup menu.

In that select the format option.

But always use NTFS file formatting system.NTFS provides several advantages over FAT32, including support for larger ile sizes.

Use the full format option.

Wait for sometime, until the format is completed.

Then you are good to go.

Good Luck.

Live, Love, Laugh.