Reformat a Disk/USB Drive in Windows w/ cmd

Check for System File Corruption

sfc: System File Checker/Corruption

1. Open cmd as administrator.
2. Run the following command to check for, and repair, system file corruption:

   sfc /scannow
   

   Once the scan is done, follow any prompts to repair corrupted files.

chkdsk: Check Disk

chkdsk /f <drive_letter>:

Replace <drive_letter> with the drive letter of the USB drive. This command will schedule a disk check at the next system restart.

Reformat using diskpart

Use DiskPart:

1. Open Command Prompt as an administrator.
2. Type diskpart and press Enter to open the DiskPart utility.
3. Type list disk to display a list of all connected disks.
4. Identify the USB drive by its size. Note its disk number.
5. Type select disk <disk_number>
   • Replace <disk_number> with the actual disk number of your USB drive.
6. Type list partition to display a list of partitions on the selected disk.
7. Type select partition <partition_number>
   • Replace <partition_number> with the partition number of the unwanted partitions.
8. Type delete partition override to forcibly delete the selected partition.
9. Repeat the above steps for each unwanted partition you want to remove.

10. To format the drive, reselect it and run the following format on it:

    DISKPART> format fs=FAT32 quick label=UbuntuServer
    

11. If that doesn't work, once the partition is deleted, open Computer Management

12. Select Disk Management
13. Select the drive, and right click the Volume area (to the right of the disk number)
14. Select New Volume and follow the wizard.

The default allocation unit size (cluster size) for the FAT32 file system is typically used in this scenario, and it's the recommended choice for creating bootable media.

If you want to choose a different allocation size, add unit=64k where 64k is the allocation unit size. The filesystem can also be changed to other formats.

DISKPART> format fs=exFAT quick label=SkinnyDrive unit=64k