Additionally, they are less vulnerable to electromagnetic interference than floppy disks, and are unharmed by surface scratches (unlike CDs). Compared with floppy disks or CDs, they are smaller, faster, have significantly more capacity, and are more durable due to a lack of moving parts. Some allow up to 100,000 write/erase cycles, depending on the exact type of memory chip used, and are thought to physically last between 10 and 100 years under normal circumstances ( shelf storage time ).Ĭommon uses of USB flash drives are for storage, supplementary back-ups, and transferring of computer files. As of 2018, 2 TB flash drives were the largest available in terms of storage capacity. As of March 2016, flash drives with anywhere from 8 to 256 gigabytes (GB ) were frequently sold, while 512 GB and 1 terabyte (TB ) units were less frequent. Since first appearing on the market in late 2000, as with virtually all other computer memory devices, storage capacities have risen while prices have dropped. It is typically removable, rewritable and much smaller than an optical disc. WARNING: After running this low level format tool, the whole disk surface will be erased.ĭata restoration is impossible after using this utility!ĭownload Windows Installer (most people will want this option): HDD Low Level Format Tool ver.4.40 setupĭownload Windows Executable (works without installation): HDD Low Level Format Tool ver.4.A SanDisk Ultra Flair USB drive from 2020, attached to an HP laptopĪ USB flash drive (also called a thumb drive in the US, or a memory stick in the UK) is a data storage device that includes flash memory with an integrated USB interface. Will also work with any USB and FIREWIRE external drive enclosuresĪs well as SD, MMC, MemoryStick and CompactFlash media.Īn option to quickly wipe partitions and MBR data is available. It can erase and Low-Level Format a SATA, IDE, SAS, SCSI or SSD hard disk drive.

This HDD Low Level Format utility is free for home use.

The program also supports low-level formatting of FLASH cards (SD, MMC, MemoryStick and CompactFlash) using a card-reader.

Supported Manufacturers: Maxtor, Hitachi, Seagate, Samsung, Toshiba, Fujitsu, IBM, Quantum, Western Digital, and almost any other not listed here.

Supported interfaces: S-ATA (SATA), IDE (E-IDE), SCSI, SAS, USB, FIREWIRE.

HDD Low Level Format Tool is a utility for low-level hard disk drive formatting.

If you are looking for a commercial license for 3 or more seats (PCs), please contact us and we will provide a discount. $27.00 per seat for commercial or professional use: Order Commercial license.Just $3.30 for personal/home use (no speed limit): Order Personal license.Free for personal/home use (speed is capped at 180 GB per hour which is 50 MB/s).

Hp storage disk format tool