Windows 10: Plugged USB drive into friends infected computer, best way to wipe?

So I needed to use a friends computer to download a windows 10 repair program and it seems my friends computer was compromised. He told me it was acting weird and thought it might have had one, but I had checked the Windows Security and it didn't detect any viruses at all. Then of course as soon as I plugged my USB drive in, the computer goes nuts about finding viruses. I know it's not my USB drive, it was brand new. What is the best route to clean this USB drive? It's a Gorilla 3.0 drive, so it's a high quality drive that I just don't want to toss. I know viruses can compromise devices as soon as they're plugged in, without even transferring any files to them. So I am taking ZERO chances with this. I'll buy a new drive and just scrap this one if I have to before plugging it into my main computer. Thanks.

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What is a safe way to format an infected USB drive?

I concern about infected USB drives, I want to format all of them eliminating viruses, not about boot USB. Can you give me some more details about it? Can I format them from an infected PC. Thank you

 

clean possibly infected flash drives and CD-RWs

Your steps in post #1 should work for 99% of viruses that may be on a usb flash drive. However, there are a very few viruses that can infect the MBR of a drive. I would use Diskpart from a command prompt (Admin) to clean them. In the command prompt type DISKPART then, at the Diskpart prompt use the commands:

LIST DISKnote the disk number of the usb and use it in place of # in the command:SELECT DISK #
CLEAN
CREATE PARTITION PRIMARY

After this you will have cleaned the partition table from the usb and created a partition using the whole of the the available space. You can then format this partition in File Explorer.


For a CD-RW, if you right-click on it in File Explorer there is an Erase option.

 

help. USB drive isn't assigned a drive letter.

Any usb flash drive I plug into my computer isn't assigned a drive letter. The physical drive shows in the "safely remove hardware" but it doesnt show up in disk management. I have tried to populate the volume thru the safely remove hardware properties window and it does pop up in the list but it doesn't stay there. This isn't a format or assign a letter problem. It's more complicated then that. Maybe one of the services needed for usb drive management was disabled? Suggestions needed. btw external usb harddrives work fine.