Convert or Format Bootable USB Pen Drive to Normal
"About two weeks ago, my Windows 10 failed to boot due to unknown reasons, then I took the advice which asked me to make my USB bootable to repair the system. Now the problem is fixed and I want to convert the pen drive back to normal. Does anyone know how to do it?"
3 Ways to Convert/Restore Bootable USB Pen Drive to Normal
Creating a USB bootable disk can help you access the WinPE environment when your Windows system fails, preventing the PC from booting. Once you've accessed the WinPE environment, you may want to restore the USB to its normal state so you can use it as an external storage device again.
Formatting a bootable pen drive can make it a normal USB, and there are several methods to achieve this. Fortunately, you have options, and we have listed three effective methods for you to choose from. This allows you to select the one that best suits your needs.
- Method 1 - Format Bootable USB to Normal using Qiling Partition Master
- Method 2 - Format Bootable USB to Normal Using Diskpart
- Method 3 - Convert Bootable USB to Normal Using Disk Management
Method 1 - Format Bootable USB to Normal using Qiling Partition Master
Formatting a USB drive can be done using Windows' built-in tools like Disk Management and Diskpart, but these methods require familiarity with the command prompt, which can be intimidating for novices. A simpler alternative is to use a user-friendly tool like Qiling Partition Master, which makes the process easy and hassle-free.
Key features of Qiling Partition Master:
- Easy Operation - Formatting a bootable USB is a straightforward process that can be completed without any command-line knowledge. To do this, first, insert the USB drive into your computer.
- Sustainable Use to Manage Partitions is a tool that helps you resize, merge, clone, and format partitions with ease.
- The software can efficiently convert between different partition types, including MBR and GPT, primary and logical, and dynamic and basic partitions, making it a versatile tool for managing disk partitions.
- 100% Safe - The software has been approved by authorized agencies such as PCWorld, Softonic, and Tech Advisor, among others.
To format a bootable USB drive using Qiling Partition Master, download the software and follow these steps: first, insert the USB drive into your computer, then launch Qiling Partition Master and select the USB drive as the target disk; next, select the "Format" option and choose the file system type you want to use; finally, click "OK" to start the formatting process.
Step 1. Select the USB drive to format.
To format a USB drive, connect it to your computer and download and launch Qiling partition software. Select the USB drive you want to format from the list and click on the "Format" option in the "Disk management" page. This will prepare the drive for use.
Step 2. Set the drive letter and file system on USB.
Assign a new partition label, file system (NTFS, FAT32, EXT2, or EXT3), and cluster size to the selected partition, and then click "Proceed".
Warning: You should back up your necessary data before formatting the partition, as formatting will erase all data on the partition.
Method 2 - Format Bootable USB to Normal Using Diskpart
If you are familiar with the command prompt, then Diskpart is another method you can apply. Below are the detailed steps.
Step 1. Click Start, in the Run box, type diskpart, and press "Enter" to start the diskpart command prompt.
Step 2. Type the following commands and press "Enter" after each move.
- list disk
- To create a bootable USB drive, you would select the disk number of your USB drive, which is usually denoted as "Disk X" where X is the disk number, for example, "Disk 1" or "Disk 2", and then proceed with the necessary commands to make it bootable.
- clean
- create partition primary
- To format your drive, select one of the following options based on your needs:
- exit
After completing the steps, the USB flash drive will be formatted with the option that you specified.
Method 3 - Convert Bootable USB to Normal Using Disk Management
In Disk Management, you can also format the USB. Here are the detailed steps.
Step 1. Click Start, in the Run box, type diskmgmt.msc and press "Enter" to start the Disk Management tool.
Step 2. Right-click the bootable drive and select "Format".
Step 3. Type a label to quickly identify the flash drive in the "Volume label" field.
Step 4. Select the proper file system, and click the "OK" button to continue.
Convert Bootable Pendrive to Normal with Actions Now!
To make a bootable USB drive normal again, you need to format it. Formatting external storage devices is a relatively simple process. You can use built-in tools like Disk Management and Diskpart, or a professional partition management tool like Qiling Partition Master to help you with the process. Don't worry, formatting your pen drive will rescue it from being bootable.
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