how do I format my external hardrive without erasing my files?
2007-03-19 06:24:24 · 5 answers · asked by X 2 in Computers & Internet ➔ Hardware ➔ Add-ons
When you FORMAT, you are Clearing All of the information, so the drive will be Usable.
For All practical purposes, all of your ' Old Files ' are no longer there. To ' Retrieve ' the Old Files it is Possible at a "Data Retrieval" service, which is rather time consuming and expensive.
Your Question was "how do I format my external hardrive without erasing my files?"
Back them up to a "Different Location First", Verify the data and then do the FORMAT .
Good Luck.
daveo5624
2007-03-19 06:45:40 · answer #1 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
I'm just guessing but as you know when you install a usb external hard drive it has to be formatted or formally introduced to the PC in which you have just plugged it into. after all who would want a relationship with a perfect stranger. so whenever something new is added to yer PC it has to be formatted. now at to wether it would mess up yer data I think that's all downloaded automatically onto via the plug and play built into your PC. if you have a relatively new PC
I will say this I downloaded some music off of my nephews usb harddrive and it worked on my kids gaming pc back in the other room
2007-03-19 06:39:12 · answer #2 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 1⤋
in case you want to format a volume it truly is larger than 32 GB, use the NTFS record equipment to format it. you may't format a volume higher than 32 gigabytes (GB) in length making use of the FAT32 record equipment in the course of the homestead windows XP installation procedure.
2016-12-02 05:55:24 · answer #3 · answered by abila 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
you don't, that is the purpose of formatting a disk.
2007-03-19 06:32:34 · answer #4 · answered by 'Lissa 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
You don't. It's that simple
2007-03-21 06:12:17 · answer #5 · answered by Tom 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋