Hard Drive Disk (HDD) Format Tool: Low-Level Formatting is a three-word phrase that you’ve probably heard from those nerds, but you aren’t sure what it means. So, if you’re interested, we’ll talk about what, when, why, and how Low-Level Formatting works. Continue reading!
What Is Low-Level Formatting?
Some consumers may be unaware that Formatting a hard drive has several levels. Unfortunately, the majority of us are only familiar with one type of hard drive formatting: erasing all data from storage. There are, however, a few lesser-known format alternatives, one of which is Low-Level Format, which we shall discuss in this article!
Low-Level Formatting is a hard disk procedure that prepares a hard drive for reading and writing data by establishing the actual sectors, tracks, cylinders, and control structures required. However, one of the most popular uses of low-level Formatting is to completely erase all data from a hard drive, making a recovery impossible. Therefore, the entire procedure is carried out on two levels: Formatting the HDD > Using Zero Value to fill the storage gaps.
When To Do Low-Level Formatting?
The technique is usually performed on older MFM Drives since the thermal expansion problems connected with stepper motor actuators periodically alter the tracks on the platers. As a result, a potential set of errors appears when they are not in the intended position. On the other hand, a low-level format is a simple solution since it entirely rewrites the tracks in a new place to which the stepper motor pushes the heads. In addition, the current SATA standard comes preformatted from the manufacturer. As a result, you may not need to execute a low-level format on newer devices.
You should never try to execute low-level Formatting on a DE/ATA or SCSI hard disk because there’s a good chance you’ll damage anything. This is due to the fact that the drive controller is configured to prevent any LLF attempts!
Why Do HDD Low-Level Formatting?
The method appears to be something you should do before handing over your hard drive to someone else. If you’re ready to throw away an outdated system with sensitive data, consider conducting low-level Formatting so that even skilled data recovery tools won’t be able to recover your secret files/folders and other information. Furthermore, you should do Low-level Formatting if any data integrity issues are identified. Finally, even if you wish to remove malware that you can’t remove without destroying the boot sector, the HDD Format technique can help.
Tip: Remember that low-level Formatting will delete all of your partitions, files/folders, and other data on your hard drive. As a result, if you have any critical files that you can’t afford to lose, we recommend backing them up or relocating them to an external hard drive. Keep in mind that you won’t be able to recover any of your files from the hard drive after performing HDD Low-Level Formatting, even if you use a professional data recovery app.
How To Perform HDD Low-Level Formatting On Windows 10/8/7?
We’re going to show you the Top 7 Hard Disk Low-Level Format Software for Windows 10, 8, and 7, but first, a word of caution:
you should approach low-Level Formatting with caution. Make sure you’re using the RIGHT storage device for the job. Any blunder could result in the unrecoverable loss of your data or equipment.
1. HDD LLF By HDDGURU
HDD LLF is one of the most widely used and recommended Hard Drive Disk (HDD) Format Tools for low-level hard disk drive formatting. The tiny app encrypts the process of zero-filling a hard drive, which includes re-initializing the disk to factory settings by writing a zero byte to every position on the drive. As a result, all partitions will be emptied, and all stored data will be permanently destroyed.
How To Use This Best Hard Drive Disk (HDD) Format Tool?
- On your computer, download and install the HDD Low-Level Format app.
- Connect the HDD or USB drive to the computer and run the HDD LLF app.
- Choose the selected drive and press the Continue button.
- To proceed, you must click the Yes button.
- To begin the HDD formatting procedure, navigate to the Low-Level Format menu and select the Format This Device option to start the HDD formatting procedure!
You’ve successfully low-level formatted your HDD after the process is completed. That, however, is far from sufficient! Are you curious as to why? Continue reading!
IMPORTANT STEP – Run EaseUS Partition Master
We’ve already established that low-level Formatting entails zero-filling the file so that no data can be recovered and everything is re-initialized. But the procedure isn’t yet complete! You must now use the Low-level formatted drive usually. The HDD must go through the following methods:
- Low-level Format (which is already conducted in steps above)
- Making Partitions
- And High-level Format!
Before your system can store the data again, you must complete all of these procedures!
So, How Does EaseUS Partition Master Helps?
On the low-level formatted HDD, use the professional utility to partition and format partitions. Make sure you create divisions before continuing with the approach. You can create a FAT or NTFS partition depending on the physical disk’s capabilities.
- EaseUS Partition Master should be downloaded and installed.
- Right-click on the hard disk partition in the main dashboard and select Format!
- On your screen, a little box will appear, in which you must fill out the following fields. Take a look at the image below. When you’re finished, click OK!
- A warning notice will display on your screen, requesting to delete the target partition permanently. To continue, press the OK button.
- To begin the hard disk partition formatting procedure, click the Execute Operation option > Click Apply button.
It’s a professional partition management tool with various choices for relocating, resizing, and formatting partitions based on hard disk efficiency!
2. Lowvel
Lowvel is a lesser-known Hard Drive Disk (HDD) Format Tool that allows users to wipe data from various data storage media securely. To help you get rid of various troubles, the free app overwrites the data saved on the device with zeroes.
How To Use This Low-Level Format Windows 10 Program?
- Lowvel software should be downloaded and installed on your Windows machine.
- Select the drive you want to delete from the main panel and press the Start button. A brief window will emerge on your screen, displaying information about the selected device.
- Lowvel gives you the option of specifying a sector range to delete.
- To begin the data cleaning procedure, press the Erase button. The irreversible process of zero-filling all the sectors on the selected device starts as soon as you click the button.
You can cancel the procedure at any time and return to the main menu, or you can stop it and resume it later!
3. DISKPART
You can use the built-in command line to do low-level Formatting if you don’t want to install a third-party HDD low-level format utility on your system. Follow the steps below to get started:
How To Use This Free Hard Disk Hard Drive Disk (HDD) Format Tool?
- Run Command Prompt in Administration mode.
- In the window, type diskpart and press Enter!
When you’ve done that, you’ll be asked if you want to open the utility; select yes and continue.
- To run the command line list disk, type it into the diskpart window and press the Enter key.
- You must choose the disk you want to format from the list of disks.
- Type select disk to select the disk (add the disk number).
For instance, suppose we want to format Disk 1. So here’s the command line: select 1st disk
- The most crucial phase is now: Type clean all to erase all partitions and data by zero-filling.
- Keep in mind that depending on the amount of data on your machine, the complete procedure can take a long time.
- Once the low-level Formatting of the hard disk is complete, run the following command lines:
create partition primary
(As soon as the new partition is created, you need to format it)
format fd=ntfs quick
(As soon as the new partition is formatted, you need to allocate a drive letter)
assign
You can use EaseUS Partition Master for more help after you’ve assigned the drive letter!
4. Intel Memory and Storage Tool
you can use only SATA devices compatible with Windows 7 and NVMe devices compatible with all operating systems with this method. You can use this workaround to begin low-level HDD formatting if you meet the requirements. This approach will only work if you follow the guidelines below:
- Only Intel SSDs are available.
- There are no partitions on the drive.
- It’s important to note that the disk you’re about to format isn’t the primary system drive.
- Your computer should have the following drivers installed: Intel® NVMe driver or Microsoft Inbox NVMe driver.
How To Use This HDD Low-Level Formatting Software?
- On your system’s primary drive, download and install Intel Memory and Storage Tool on your system’s primary drive.
- Run the app when installed and choose the drive you want to low-level Format.
- After making your selection, go to the Select a Feature box and select Secure Erase.
- To begin the low-level formatting procedure, press the Erase button.
- A warning notice will show on your screen, requesting consent to wipe anything saved on your Intel SSD permanently. To continue, press the Yes button.
- Keep in mind that, depending on the storage size, the complete process can take a long time.
Once the low-level Formatting is complete, you may use professional partition management apps such as EaseUS Partition Master or AOMEI Partition Assistant to create and format partitions correctly!
5. AOMEI Partition Assistant
If you don’t know how to use Windows’ Diskpart program, don’t worry; you can use another Hard Drive Disk (HDD) Format Tool to quickly zero-fill your hard drive on Windows 10, 8, or 7. Meet AOMEI Partition Assistant – AOMEI Partition Assistant – AOMEI Partition Assistant – AOMEI Partition It’s a trustworthy disk partitioning and formatting program that gives you complete control over your hard disks and partitions. You may create, merge, delete, copy, and format partitions with the utility, among other things. All you have to do to start the low-level formatting process is:
How To Use This Hard Drive Disk (HDD) Format Tool?
- AOMEI Partition Assistant should be downloaded and installed.
- Navigate to the hard drive you want to wipe and right-click it > pick Wipe Hard Drive from the context menu on the main screen.
- Select Fill sectors with zero from the new pop-up that opens on the screen and press the OK button.
- To begin the pending operation – – Low-level formatting process on Windows 10, 8, 7, click the Apply button.
That’s it; after the procedure is finished, all existing data will be successfully deleted.
6. MiniTool Partition Wizard
MiniTool Partition Wizard Free is an easy-to-use and excellent freeware disk partitioning and formatting utility. The UI is extremely basic, and the software simplifies difficult formatting options. It is compatible with Windows 10, nearly all file systems, UEFI and EFI boot, MBR and GPT drives, RAID storage, and SSDs. You may use it to increase the size of your system partition, move your operating system from a normal hard drive to an SSD, and convert file systems, among other things.
7. Paragon Partition Manager Free
The free version of Paragon Partition Manager is another excellent little utility that supports Windows 10 and has a slew of features. It has four fundamental features: backup and recovery, partition management, disk wiper, and drive copy. I appreciate Paragon because each software function has its wizard. For those apprehensive about making such adjustments, the software does an excellent job of guiding you through the process. Additionally, they provide a premium version with additional features and support larger disks.
FAQs:
Which Low-level Hard Drive Disk (HDD) Format Tool Is The Best?
Without a doubt, the most excellent Hard Drive Disk (HDD) Format Tool on the market is HDD Low-Level Format (LLF). The handy program will safely zero-fill a hard drive, which is the process of re-initializing a disk to factory settings by writing a zero byte to every spot on the drive.
Which Free Hard Disk Formatting Software Is The Best?
For formatting hard disks, EaseUS Partition Master includes a free version. Alternatively, you can perform the job using the Paragon Partition Manager version.
Is There A Free Low-level Formatter For HDDs?
You can format hard disks for free with Diskpart, a built-in Windows app.
Is Doing Low-level Formatting On A Hard Disk A Bad Idea?
No, as long as you know what you’re doing while low-level Formatting, it won’t harm your system. It’s also an excellent approach to getting rid of many hard disk problems!