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General discussion

How can I format a clickfree USB hard drive?

Jan 17, 2011 9:46AM PST

My O/S is WinXP/SP2 and I have been given a 500gb Clickfree Portable Backup device. Unfortunately I have no use for a backup system but I do have a need to have a hard drive that I can store movies on and plug the Clickfree's USB into the front of my new DVD player and play a selected movie.

My problem is reading about this device haven't found anyone that can explain how to achieve this. Any help would be really appreciated .......Dave

Discussion is locked

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Try gparted
Jan 22, 2011 6:32AM PST

Repartition the entire thing.

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Use WinXP 'DiskMangement' to delete any partitions on the
Jan 22, 2011 8:23AM PST

external. Then recreate them as you want to and then format the partiton(s) for the OS.

You can search and find the step-by-step process almost anywhere on the WEB.

VAPCMD

PS...Just make sure you don't delete, create or format partitions on the wrong drive.

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I used DISKPART to get my Clickfree drive on line
Apr 15, 2011 1:57PM PDT

Try using DISKPART by typing in the following commands:

DISKPART
LIST DISK (remember the drive number, say X)
CLEAN
CREATE PARTITION PRIMARY
SELECT PARTITION X
ACTIVE
FORMAT FS=NTFS (format took a couple hours)
ASSIGN
EXIT

Then I went to Computer Management and disabled the Clickfree device, rebooted, went back to Computer Management and enabled the Clickfree device. The drive came online without the CDFS partition mapped to a separate drive. Looks and acts like a normal USB drive now.

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Correction to previous DISPART instructions...sorry
Apr 15, 2011 2:09PM PDT

DISKPART
LIST DISK (remember the drive number, say X)
SELECT DISK X
CLEAN
CREATE PARTITION PRIMARY
SELECT PARTITION
ACTIVE
FORMAT FS=NTFS (format took a couple hours)
ASSIGN
EXIT

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Need to disable the drive in Computer Management as well
Apr 16, 2011 12:26AM PDT

I took the Clickfree drive to work and connected it to my Windows XP computer, and the small Clickfree drive has to be disabled on the computer it is attached to in Computer Management. Unfortunately, when the Clickfree drive is first connected to a computer and accessed, it copies files to the useable partition which I end up re-deleting each time.

To deactivate the small Clickfree DVD/CD-Rom drive:

go to "Computer Management" (in XP it's via "All Programs", "Accessories", "Administrative Tools")
select "Disk Management"
right-click on the small Clickfree DVD/CD-Rom drive
select "Properties"
select the "Hardware" tab
select the "Clickfree DVD/CD-Rom drive"
click "Properties"
go to "Device Usage"
select "Do not use this device (disable)"

Again, you have to do this for each computer you connect it to if you don't want to see that little mapped Clickfree DVD/CD-Rom drive.

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Thanks so much
Aug 22, 2011 12:31PM PDT

I got this drive for $35, but with that stupid software, it was really annoying. This fixed it perfectly.

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Done.
Jun 14, 2011 8:28AM PDT

WINDOWS 7
1. My Computer
2. Right Click on one of the two clickfree drives
3. Properties
4. Hardware Tab
5.0 Select Clickfree Disk Drive > Properties > Uninstall driver
5.1 Select Clickfree CD drive > Properties > Disable Driver

Unplug backup and then plug it in again, a window should come up asking you to format it and format it how you want.

This is not a complete fix (as it is simply stopped/hidden not removed) but it allows you to use it as a normal hard drive minus the 131 or so mb.

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Formatting a Clickfree USB drive
Sep 18, 2011 8:57AM PDT

My O/S is Windows 7. I want to delete the CDFS partition on my Clickfree 1 Tb USB drive so that I can use the drive as a NTFS drive. Under my computer, properties does not open when the CF storage drive is right clicked. The driver disable and uninstall options are greyed out under the CF_system drive. I found that I can access these drivers by using disc management. Under hardware I assume the listed unlabled drive following the CF DVD/CD is the drive that I want to uninstall its driver?

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(NT) Please don't crosspost.
Sep 19, 2011 1:52AM PDT
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Thank You!
Nov 25, 2011 5:25AM PST

Created this account just to say Thanks!