This error mainly appears when we try to format a USB drive or external storage drives which we connect to a computer via the USB port. Like many Windows problems, this one does not have a single solution, because this message can appear for different reasons and they are not always related.
Error formatting a drive in Windows
If you want the “Windows could not complete formatting” message to no longer appear and can format the drive that is having problems, below we show you all the possible solutions we can do to avoid it.
Check connector
The first thing to check is that the USB port is properly connected to the computer. This type of connection, over time, takes slack and, over time, the connection ceases to be as effective as when the equipment was released. To verify this, simply move the port up and down slightly to verify that Windows recognizes the device.
Check the unit
Additionally, we also need to check that the disk is error-free and if so, we need to repair it before we can format the disk. The easiest and most recommended method is to use the app CHKDSKan application inherited from MS-DOS and this is used under CMD with administrator permissions with the following command and where you must replace X with the drive letter.
chkdsk /f x:
Use Disk Manager
At this point, if we still cannot format a disk using File Explorer, we can use the tool, also native to Windows, Disk Manager. Disk Manager, accessed by right-clicking the Start button, allows us to access a list of all internal and external disks connected to the computer.
Additionally, it also allows us create partitions, delete them, format the units and, in general, perform any operation we need on the storage units. All drives are shown here, including those that do not have a compatible file system, and as may be the case with the drive we are having issues with.
This application will tell us the reason why the format cannot be completed, a reason which will probably be related to a partition problem. If, upon selecting the drive and clicking the right mouse button, the menu prompts us to create a new partition, this means that this was the problem, a problem that is solved by creating a new one and, by the following, format disk
Third-party applications: Disk Genius
If none of the methods presented above solve the problem, the easiest way to fix it is to use a third-party application like Disk Genius.
Disk Genius is an application with which we can manage partitions and formats of all the storage units that we have connected to the PC, an application that solves any problem that may arise.
It is, one could say, a boosted Windows disk manager that is much more efficient than the native Windows solution. Although it is a paid application, we can download a trial version, a fully functional trial version to be able to format the unit that is having problems.
Table of Contents
