Storage devices play a crucial role in our lives. Whether it's an external hard drive, USB flash drive, or SD card, we rely on them to store and transfer important data. However, there are times when these storage devices may encounter issues and stop working properly. When faced with such a situation on a Windows 10 system, using Diskpart can be a lifesaver. In this article, we will guide you through the process of fixing a storage device that's not working using Diskpart.
Even with our best efforts to keep our storage drives in tip-top shape, encountering error messages is almost inevitable. When these issues arise, it's natural to seek help, especially if you're not a tech wizard. However, tackling these problems without a clear understanding of their nature can sometimes make matters worse. So, let's start by identifying the problem.
Picture this: You're running late for a crucial presentation, and suddenly, your computer freezes. To your dismay, it's not a PC issue; instead, it declares that your "drive is not accessible." This frustrating scenario can be caused by various factors, including data corruption, incorrect drive capacity display, or a drive that refuses to be formatted. These problems often arise when your storage device is filled with data and lacks proper formatting.
When you encounter such a predicament, the first step is to perform some basic troubleshooting:
Before proceeding with drive cleaning, it's essential to emphasize the importance of caution. Cleaning a storage drive using Diskpart erases everything on the selected drive. Therefore, before proceeding, ensure you have a complete backup of your system.
Follow these steps to clean your storage drive:
You have successfully used diskpart to clean the drive. In case you have erased the wrong drive or accidentally typed in the wrong disk number, then you can always go to DIY guide on recovering partitions after using DiskPart
To initialize the partition and format the disk:
Now, format the partition:
Formatting the USB flash drive and cleaning the drive using Diskpart can fix the storage capacity issues on the USB flash drive. We suggest you read this article if you are curious to know other ways to fix USB drive only showing half capacity.
While there are various tools available for drive formatting, Diskpart remains a reliable choice. Its straightforward approach ensures a quick and thorough process, sparing you the hassle of data recovery after a quick format.