Formatting 3Tb Mybook (not quick format)

WD External Drives External Drives for PC
#1

Hi guys,

Since I am using it as a backup device, I want to do all I can to all I can to ensure that my Mybook Essential 3Tb is in as good a condition as it can be.

I’ve already tried partitioning and reverted back to default because it seems more compatible.

The WD Smartware allowed me to format as a 3Tb NTFS drive using QuickFormat.   Is there a way to do a thorough format that will allow maximum safety and compatibility?

Thanks in advance for any contributions !

Pete

#2

The best way to format a 3TB drive is in Windows 7/Vista. Go to disk management (right click on computer> manage> disk management) then right-click the partition and format it as a GPT drive with 4096 allocation unit size to make use of the ADV format.

#3

Thanks!

Pete