The Windows operating system of all versions has a built-in utility Convert.exe, which allows you to format the hard disk without losing the saved data.
Instructions
Step 1
Check the hard drive to be formatted. To do this, call the main menu of the system by clicking the "Start" button, and open the item "All Programs". Expand the Accessories link and launch the Windows Explorer application.
Step 2
Open the context menu of the selected volume by right-clicking. Specify the "Properties" item. Use the "Service" tab in the dialog box that opens and select the "Check" command. Select the checkboxes in the "Automatically fix system errors" and "Check and repair bad sectors" fields in the options dialog box and confirm the selected action by applying the "Run" button.
Step 3
Wait until the disk check completes and the computer restarts. Return to the main menu of the "Start" system and open the "Run" dialog to initiate the procedure for formatting the desired volume. Type cmd in the "Open" line and run the command line utility using the OK button.
Step 4
Type cd C: WindowsSystem32 in the Windows command interpreter text box and save your changes by pressing the Enter function key. Type the following command at the convert command line drive_name to be formatted: / fs: ntfs and confirm the selected action by pressing the Enter key again.
Step 5
Please note that formatting a volume without losing data is only possible when changing the file system from FAT to NTFS. Reverse conversion will destroy the stored information.
Step 6
We recommend that you back up your data to removable media to be able to recover information in case of problems caused by power outages. It is also recommended to close all running applications and close all open program windows before starting the procedure for formatting the selected hard disk.
