Windows 10: Windows Was Unable to Format This Drive - new 6 TB HGST drive

I would suggest you do a quick format, then if you want, use the chkdsk command to verify the condition of the disk.

 

It is pretty easy to make a liveusb of linux, just download linux mint 18..64bit cinnamon
Download - Linux Mint
Download unetbootin for windows.
UNetbootin - Homepage and Downloads
run unetbootin, which will write a bootable iso to usb drives. Or you could burn a bootable iso to dvd

Then reboot, select usb drive,
Then with mint desktop up, click lower left icon and in text box type gparted, or terminal, then type gparted.
Then delete any partitions on that drive and partition as gpt then format as NTFS.

 

Thanks. I like that approach more than the one I'm doing now. Yesterday, out of desperation, I downloaded from the HGST site WinDFT, which is a diagnostic program for only Hitachi drives. That diagnostic has been running for over 24 hours now, and it's stuck on progress bar 3, out of about 20. I can hear the drive spinning, but not seeking. *Eek

So when I get home, I'll follow your approach, doing a full surface test.



PS: There is a reason that I have the SIG written as I do below. *Wink

 

Well, success.*Smile

I stopped the full format and did the chkdsk with surface scan, which completed in less than one hour. Reported no errors.

Then repeated the quick format from Windows. Then repeated the format process from Windows without quick format. It took about 2 1/2 days, with the drive in a USB 3 cradle. When I sat down to my PC this morning, the drive had finished formatting, 5.45 TB formatted.

So, no need to return to the Egg. *Smile