How to Format Second Hard Drive in a Computer That Won't Boot

A computer that won’t boot could be due to corrupted system files, hardware failure, or OS issues, leaving you unable to format a second hard drive. This can be frustrating, especially when you need that drive for storage or a fresh installation. Fortunately, several methods exist to format a second hard drive even when your system won't start. In this guide, we’ll explore various ways to get the job done efficiently.

How to format second hard drive in a computer that won't boot

If your computer won’t boot and you need to format a second hard drive, don’t worry—there are still ways to get the job done. Below are three reliable methods to format your drive, even when your system refuses to start.

Method 1. Using a bootable USB drive

A bootable USB drive allows you to access disk management tools outside of Windows. Follow these steps:

Step 1. On a working computer, download Windows Media Creation Tool from Microsoft's official website.

Step 2. Insert a USB flash drive (at least 8GB) and run the tool.

Step 3. Select Create installation media for another PC and follow the on-screen instructions. Once completed, eject the USB.

Step 4. Insert the bootable USB into the non-working computer.

Step 5. Power on the computer and enter the BIOS/UEFI settings (usually by pressing F2, F12, DEL, or ESC during startup).

Step 6. Change the boot order to prioritize the USB drive and save the changes. Restart, and the Windows installation screen should appear.

Step 7. Click Repair your computer instead of "Install now".

Step 8. Navigate to Troubleshoot > Advanced options > Command Prompt.

Step 9. Type the following command and press Enter:

list disk

select disk 1 (replace 1 with the disk letter you want to format)

list partition

select partition 1 (replace 1 with the drive letter you want to format)

format fs=fat32 quick

Your second hard drive is now formatted.

Method 2. Using Command Prompt in Windows recovery mode

If you can access Windows Recovery Mode, you can use Command Prompt to format the drive.

Step 1. Restart your PC and press F8, Shift + F10, or Shift + Restart to access the recovery options.

Step 2. Select Advanced options > Command Prompt.

Step 3. Then, follow the following command to format the second hard drive:

list disk

select disk 1 (replace 1 with the disk letter you want to format)

list partition

select partition 1 (replace 1 with the drive letter you want to format)

format fs=fat32 quick

Once completed, restart your computer.

Method 3. Using third-party partition management software

If you're looking for a user-friendly way to format your second hard drive, third-party partition managers like AOMEI Partition Assistant can help. This all-in-one disk management software allows you to format, partition, and manage hard drives efficiently, even when your system is unbootable. Since your computer won’t boot, you can first use AOMEI Partition Assistant to create a bootable USB and boot from it to format the second hard drive. The whole process will be completed with a UI interface, which is extremely friendly to those who are not familiar with commands.

Step 1. Connect the USB drive to a working Windows computer, install and run AOMEI Partition Assistant Professional. Click “Make Bootable Media” and hit on “Next” to proceed.

Step 2. Choose the right USB drive under “USB Boot Device” and click “Proceed”.

Step 3. Then you will be told the USB will be formatted, please back up important data. If you have done that, click “Yes”.

Step 4. Then wait for the process to be completed.

Note: the bootable USB drive contains the pre-installed AOMEI Partition Assistant.

Step 5. When the process is done, insert the bootable USB drive into the computer with boot issues, change boot order in Boot menu to make it boot from the bootable USB stick. Then, you will the main interface of AOMEI Partition Assistant. Select the partition you want to format, right-click on it, select "Format Partition" in the pop-up menu.

Step 6. Here you can give a partition label and format the partition to what kind of file systems. Click OK.

Step 7. Finally, click Apply at the toolbar to execute all operations.

Conclusion

It is possible to format second hard drive in a computer that won't boot using various methods. Whether you use a bootable USB, another computer, or third-party software like AOMEI Partition Assistant, each approach ensures a successful format. Choose the method that best suits your situation and proceed confidently.

In addition to disk formatting, AOMEI Partition Assistant is also a useful disk manager that can help resolve many tricky disk problems such as cloned SSD won’t boot Windows 10, no EFI partition was found, external hard drive I/O error, etc.