Format external hard drive to ext4 in command line : how to do this !?

[dhubs]

good evening dear communtiy

How do you format an external hard drive to ext4 via the command line in linux?

[michaelk]

depending on distribution and whether or not sudo is required
mkfs -t ext4 /dev/sdxy

Where x = drive letter and y = partition number. To confirm look at the output of the command lsblk

Typically external drives are already formatted as depending on distribution will be automatically mounted when connected. You first need to unmount the filesystem before trying to reformat.

[Demanding Truth]

Greetings dhubs..

Why not just plug the ext hd into an Ubuntu computer OS USB, bring up the 'USB Stick Formater' utility and format it that way..?

I prefer to dismantle an old ext hd, recover the USB/HD connector assembly, and format as many scrap notebook hd's as I want turned into ext hd's... I can still use the original ext hd's hd.. It's just a notebook hd inside a fancy plastic case with a USB socket... This way I have 35 extra free external hard drives made from one old external hard drive connector assembly and 35 scrap notebook hard drives...

[dhubs]

good day dear Michaelk - good day dear Demanding Truth



many thanks for the quick reply - happy to hear from you.

depending on distribution and whether or not sudo is required
mkfs -t ext4 /dev/sdxy

Where x = drive letter and y = partition number. To confirm look at the output of the command lsblk

Typically external drives are already formatted as depending on distribution will be automatically mounted when connected. You first need to unmount the filesystem before trying to reformat.

thanks for sharing this - this helps alot.

I prefer to dismantle an old ext hd, recover the USB/HD connector assembly, and format as many scrap notebook hd's as I want turned into ext hd's... I can still use the original ext hd's hd.. It's just a notebook hd inside a fancy plastic case with a USB socket... This way I have 35 extra free external hard drives made from one old external hard drive connector assembly and 35 scrap notebook hard drives...

Thank you dear Demanding Truth - i will try out this !!

Thank you - this is very helpful

This way I have 35 extra free external hard drives made from one old external hard drive connector assembly and 35 scrap notebook hard drives...

thanks that you share your experience

many thanks for all - i am glad that you have posted.

have a great day

[Demanding Truth]

@ dhubs and everyone...

Some obscure silly tips that might be helpful..

To ensure success when formatting old hard drives it's wise to format it three times in succession to be sure all the corrupt messes and bugs in it are completely cleaned out.. Or run it full course through DBAN, but that takes hours... To defeat problems formatting old hard drives it's good to have a CD of DBAN Hard Drive Eraser on hand.. Install the hard drive in the computer, Drop in the DBAN CD, *Remove all external media from the computer's USB sockets, Boot up, Key in 'autonuke', Press Enter, Let it do its killer erasing thing.. It turns an old hard drive back into factory reset clean...

A little shadow secret: If you have extra antique notebooks, install 'Scientific Linux 6' in one, to be used as an emergency utility computer tool to mount and open troublesome hard drives and flash drives that just won't mount nor open no matter what you try.. It works sometimes...

If you are reworking retired computers and hard drives, format it immediately, never ever snoop in someone else's private data.. It's none of your business.. You will be sorry if you do.. It adds to your memory other peoples crap.. You can't wash it out of your head.. It's like saving someone's old poop in your head...

Make several external hard drive backups of your treasures.. Keep their contents isolated from everything else, but use one as your working backup.. Never just copy the safety backup's contents to other backups or other computers till you are positive there aren't any OS killer bugs in the new data..
Recently I downloaded a pix from google images offered by an overly self-righteous microsoft bull entity, and it contained something real nasty that killed three backup ext hd's, and two notebook OS hd's.. One 500-gig hd was totally destroyed in that nightmare...

A good safety plan to make safe backup ext hd's is to make a series of separate ext hd's, one exclusively for pix, another only for notes, another only for videos, another for software.. This way if you happen to get a bug in something, it doesn't spread to everything, and you don't lose everything from a silly little mistake clicking on a bully's bomb... These days crazy enraged drug-damaged hateful entitled elitist millennial people are at war with everyone.. Some of their prodigy shoot up malls and schools... These days it's the webpages, pix, and videos that are the viruses.. The internet has become an open air global asylum war zone... You are your own security... Crazy out of control people are having fun destroying other peoples property, computers, data... I'm guessing they were probably weaned to early, and are getting revenge on the whole world for their stored-up unresolved closeted cumulative pains of colic and diaper rash... They are everywhere, and unavoidable... They are the cocaino-saturated feminists prodigy.. All they know is fear, hate, rage, vengeance, and destruction.. They are at war with all life and with themselves like the internal war of a perpetual anti-tetanus vaccine injection...

[dhubs]

hello and good evening,


Thank you for your detailed reply! While some of the points you raised may be helpful in specific scenarios, they seem to go beyond the scope of the original question - and this makes me glad - i can use this -in other scenarios: Thank you for the in depth going answer that helps alot

thank you - you both - Michaelk and demanding Truth - your answers they help me ot do format an external hard drive to ext4 using the command line.


have a great day

[michaelk]

Newer external USB hard drives now days have a soldered on USB->SATA adapter. You can not just remove the drive from the case and use it like an internal drive.

Formatting a drive does not clear out any data. It just zeroes and initializes the filesystem's metadata. Doing it more then once does not accomplish anything. As posted running dban (not on SSD) will zero the entire disk. On questionable disks zeroing the UEFI/MBR is recommended.

Scientific 6 based on Redhat Enterprise 6 is no better or worse then any other live system or the live system rescue which probably has better utilities now. Redhat 6 is very old in computer years.

[Demanding Truth]

Thanks for your keen expertise in this topic..

True, the newer ext hd's can' t be used as I've described, is why I stressed 'dismantle an old one'.. That connector assembly is precious as gold...

A super high tech hacker advised me to always format a troubled hard drive three times to know it's clean... 'Zeroing' seems to be all we've really got to quickly easily clean out the messes from a corrupt troublesome hd.. I wish I knew what you know, but I don't, so I rely on Ubuntu's 'USB Stick Formatter; and 'DBAN'.. If that fails, then into the box of electronics junk it goes for my relative's precious metals recycling hobby.. Not a problem, as I have a hundred spare retired notebooks floor to touching the ceiling, 100's of hard drives, and pounds of all types of RAM...

Scientific-6 may be ancient and steam-powered, but the modern new corrupt, buggy, and hackerish problems don't account for its brute force WW1 tank-class functions and abilities.. No one these days would even consider that anyone might still be using a goofy coal-oil powered Scientific Linux 6 OS... Next time you run into an external media thingawhozits that won't mount, or has frozen corrupted files, try running it through the old horse and buggy steam-powered prehistoric stone-ax whale-oil lamp Scientific Linux 6.. It's a bit like 'punching a window with a swift hard fist to clean it'.. This silly old goofy obsolete OS really helps sometimes.. It should be an emergency accessory tool on every computer shop's utility desk, or stored under it in a baggie to keep it dust free till it's needed...

Thanks again.. I do so love to read your expertise computer advice...

What is the gutsiest most brutal howitzer-class Linux OS out there..? Maybe there's something better than Scientific Linux 6 for mounting and processing problematic corrupt external media..?

[michaelk]

I believe you can still purchase plain old USB -> IDE/SATA adapters i.e. that precious connector without a case and I have several so I question your precious as gold statement.

I question if your high tech hacker actually knew how the formatting process works. I don't see specifically SC 6 being any better then say CentOS 6 and then only if you are running it on a 2008 era computer. If you are just wiping the drive then I see almost any linux OS is suitable. The systemrescue live USB has lots of utilities.

[Demanding Truth]

I didn't know there was a commercial accessory adapter 'USB to SATA'.. I just surfed it in google, and there they are for 30 to 60 bucks.. Nice!.. Thanks for the good tip...

The four wrecked ext hd's I acquired for free have their connectors pulled out.. They work good to make external hd's.. Only one of the five was soldered-in like you've mentioned.. That was a disappointment... Sure is nice having on the shelf: 35 external hard drives, four external CD drives, three external floppy drives, a pound of flash drives, always there for when needed... I bet after I've died my brother turns it all into scrap blobs of melted down precious metals...

My biggest problem with computers is trying to get something to process music into iPhones for free... I can't afford a new macbook.. This government robbed my three uranium mines, my two gold mines, my three lotto wins, essentially destroyed my life.. I hope they don't ask for my help to help their lives in any way.. Being on a trivial old age pension is the pits, but I have the afterlife in the pocket, they don't and sure won't.. I've 100% blocked them, their lovely karma for the evil they've done to truth, life, and innocence, (essentially 'Mr. Plato's, Mr. Jesus', and Mr. Tesla's revenge').. I can play fwith too eah...
Any ideas when we might be able to process iPhones in Linux..?