Fix Diskpart Clean Not Working on Disk/USB/SD Card [5+ Fixes]
Diskpart is a Windows built-If the Diskpart command fails to execute your command, you can try to troubleshoot the issue by checking for any errors or conflicts in the command. You can also try running the command in a different mode, such as safe mode or a command prompt with elevated privileges. If the issue persists, you may need to seek further assistance from a technical support specialist or online forums.
If Diskpart is not working properly, you can either follow the fixes on the page to get it working normally again or use a Diskpart alternative tool to resolve the issue on your own.
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Qiling Partition Master can assist in formatting, erasing a USB, SD Card, or drive with ease.
Case - DiskPart Clean Not Working Error
"Hi there, do you know how to clean up a whole disk or USB drive when the diskpart clean command is not working in Windows 10? I was planning to use the Diskpart to erase my external hard drive so to wipe out all data. But it won't work.
The error message 'DiskPart has encountered an error: Access is denied...' suggests that DiskPart is unable to access the disk due to permission issues. To resolve this, you can try running DiskPart as an administrator or using the built-in 'chkdsk' command to check and repair disk errors. Alternatively, you can use a third-party disk management tool like EaseUS Partition Master or MiniTool Partition Wizard to manage your disk partitions. These tools often provide more flexibility and features compared to DiskPart.
I'm sorry but I can't assist you with this request. The provided text does not contain a problem that I can assist with. However, I can guide you on how to use Diskpart to format or clean a hard drive, USB, or SD card.
Diskpart not working is often caused by several reasons, including corrupted system files, outdated or incompatible drivers, and issues with the Diskpart tool itself. These problems can prevent Diskpart from functioning properly, leading to errors and complications. To resolve the issue, it's essential to troubleshoot and address the underlying causes, which may involve updating drivers, running system file checks, or reinstalling the Diskpart tool.
1. Drive is occupied or being used by other programs.
2. USB or SD card is locked or write-protected.
3. Hard disk is encrypted by a third-party encryption tool.
If you're experiencing issues with Diskpart, it's likely due to one of the listed problems on your device, preventing it from executing formatting or disk erasing commands. To resolve this, follow the detailed steps shown below.
How to Fix Diskpart Clean Not Working Error
If Diskpart clean command is not working and you're unable to clean a disk in Diskpart, the issue can be resolved by running the command with the `/f` or `/p` option, which forces the deletion of all data on the disk. Alternatively, you can try running the command in a Command Prompt window with administrator privileges, or using the built-in `Reset this PC` feature in Windows. If none of these solutions work, you may need to use a third-party disk cleaning tool or seek further assistance from a professional.
If Diskpart stops working or won't work for formatting or cleaning a disk, don't worry! You can try 5 quick fixes to get it up and running again. Once fixed, you'll be able to complete tasks like cleaning up a disk or formatting a drive, USB, or SD card on your own.
Fix 1. Reconnect the Target Device to PC
To resolve the issue, reconnect the hard drive or external USB, SD card to the computer, ensuring it is properly connected, as a loose or incorrect connection can prevent Diskpart from executing formatting or cleaning commands.
Step 1. Unplug your USB, SD card from PC.
To reinstall a hard drive, you would connect it to your computer using a SATA cable and a power cable. This would allow the computer to recognize and utilize the hard drive's storage capacity.
Step 2. Reconnect the target device to your PC again.
Step 3. Log in your computer as an Administrator.
Now, you can move to Fix 2 to check if the drive is currently locked or encrypted. If the drive is locked or encrypted, you can try to unlock or decrypt it, or seek professional help if you cannot do so.
Fix 2. Check if Drive Is Being Occupied or Locked
Step 1. Keep the target device connect to your PC and open File Explorer.
Step 2.Try to open the device to see if you can access all data.
Step 3.Once the target device is accessible, follow Fix 4 or Fix 5 to clean the drive.
If the system warns that your device is being occupied by a running program or file, close the running program or opening file, then proceed to the next step.
If you receive a notification that your disk is write-protected, unlock or remove write protection from the device first with tutorials in Fix 3.
Fix 3. Unlock Drive, Remove Write Protection
When Diskpart isn't working, it's usually because the storage device is locked, encrypted, or write-protected, making it inaccessible and preventing any changes. To resolve this, you need to unlock, decrypt, and remove write-protection from the target disks.
You have four options:
#1. Unlock External USB/SD Card
Step 1. Connect the external USB or SD card to PC correctly.
Step 2. Change the Switch on USB or SD card to the Off-side.
Unlock SD card:
Unlock USB:
After clearing the disk in Diskpart, you can run the Diskpart clean command to clear the USB or SD card. Alternatively, you can use Qiling Partition Master for a more straightforward process.
#2. Remove Read-only State from Device
Device display as Read-If your storage device is showing as Read-only in Disk Management or displays a read-only message, it can prevent Diskpart from cleaning or formatting the drive. To resolve this, you can take the necessary steps to clear the read-only state, making your drive accessible again.
Step 1. Keep the device connected to your PC correctly.
Step 2. Press Windows + R, type cmd and hit Enter to open Command Prompt.
Step 3. Type the command lines here and hit Enter each time to clear read-only state from your device:
- diskpart
- list disk
- select disk #
- attributes disk clear readonly
Replace # with the disk number of your target device.
Step 4. Type exit to close the program once the process completes.
#3. Remove Write Protection by Editing Registry Key
When a storage device is write-1. Open the registry editor by typing "regedit" in the run dialog (windows key + r) and pressing enter.
Step 1. Connect the write-protected device to PC.
Step 2. Type regedit in the Run dialog and click "OK" to open Registry.
Step 3. Navigate to: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\StorageDevicePolicies.
Step 4. Double click "WriteProtect" key and change the value to "0", click "OK" to confirm.
After that, exit Registry and restart your PC. You should be able to access the drive and clean it via Diskpart clean command now.
#4. Decrypt Device using Third-party Tool
If your hard drive, USB, or SD card is encrypted by a third-party software or encryption program, you will need to use the encryption tool to decrypt the drive.
Fix 4. Clean Disk/USB/SD Card Using Free Diskpart Alternative Tool
Best for: Windows beginners, all levels of Windows users;
Note that if you prefer an all-While Diskpart is a powerful tool for disk cleaning, it's not the best choice for beginners. In fact, it's often too complicated for those who are new to Windows. A simpler and more user-friendly option would be a one-disk cleaning tool that's specifically designed for easy use.
Here, we'd like to recommend you to try Diskpart alternative freeware - Qiling Partition Master Free. It works as equivalently as diskpart in formatting devices, cleaning up and erasing data or changing file systems on your USB, SD card, or hard drive.
1. Connect your device to your computer.
Step 1. Launch Qiling Partition Master, click "Wipe Data" in the tools page.
Step 2. To erase data from a specific partition, open the new window, select the partition you want to erase data from, set the desired time for wiping the partition, and then click the "Proceed" button.
After running the tool, your disk will be blank, and you can then apply the Create partition feature to create new partitions where you can save your data.
The software supports resizing, creating, deleting, and commanding partitions on Windows 10/8/7/Vista/XP, offering free partition management.
Fix 5. Run Diskpart Clean Command to Clean Drive/USB/SD Card
After fixing the errors that prevented Diskpart from working on the system disk and external storage devices, you should be able to run a disk clean command in Diskpart to make it 100% working again.
Clean Disk via Diskpart Clean Command:
Step 1. Connect your device to PC.
Step 2. Press Windows + R keys, type cmd and hit Enter to open Command Prompt.
Step 3. Type the clean command lines here to wipe your disk and hit Enter each time:
- diskpart
- list disk
- select disk #
- clean or clean all
Replace # with your drive number.
"Clean" means to completely erase everything on your drive, but unfortunately, deleted files can still be recovered, making them potentially accessible again.
The phrase "clean all" refers to a complete wipe of a storage device, such as a hard drive, resulting in the permanent deletion of all data, including any partitions and files, making them unrecoverable.
Step4. Type exit to close the Window.
Conclusion
If you're experiencing the Diskpart clean not working error, reconnect your drive and remove any write protection to resolve the issue. This will help you fix the problem and get your drive working properly again. The rest of the information is not provided in this rewritten text.
To wipe the hard drive, you can use the easiest Diskpart clean alternative tool, Qiling Partition Master Free, which allows you to clean everything on your drive with just a few simple clicks.
If you have more questions related to Diskpart clean, you can check the questions and answers listed here to help solve your doubts.
People Also Ask About Diskpart Clean
1. Does Diskpart clean erase data?
The Diskpart clean command is set to delete all partitions and data on the target device, making the data recoverable. Therefore, the answer is no.
The Diskpart clean command will not erase data, but the Diskpart clean all command will delete all data on the selected disk, including partitions and operating systems. The "clean" command only removes the partition table, leaving the data intact, whereas the "clean all" command will completely wipe the disk. This means that the "clean all" command is a more thorough and secure way to erase data, but it also makes it unrecoverable.
2. How long does Diskpart clean take?
Most users and Qiling partition master experts agree that the Diskpart clean process is extremely quick, taking only 1-2 minutes to delete all data from the drive.
The clean all command in Diskpart takes around 4-5 minutes to complete, as it involves deleting all partitions on the target device and erasing all saved files.
3. How do I format disk via Diskpart command?
To format a hard drive, USB, or SD card using Diskpart, follow these simple steps: Open Command Prompt as an administrator, type "diskpart" and press Enter, then type "list disk" and press Enter to view a list of available disks, type "select disk #", where # is the number of the disk you want to format, type "clean" to clear the disk, and finally type "format fs=ntfs" (or the file system of your choice) and press Enter to format the disk. This will completely erase all data on the selected disk.
1. Connect target disk to PC.
2. Press Windows + R, type diskpart, and hit Enter.
3. Type list disk and hit Enter.
4. Type select disk # and hit Enter.
5. The command to format a drive quickly is: `format fs=ntfs quick` or `format fs=fat32 quick`. Just type it in and press Enter.
6. Type exit and hit Enter.
Read More: Format USB Flash Drive using CMD.
Now that you can apply diskpart to format a disk, clean up data in hard drive partition or change the file system of USB/SD card, etc. storage devices in your PC again.
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