Format a floppy disk in Windows XP

Floppy disks usually need to be formatted before you can use them.

Windows XP makes it easy to format floppy disks, you will find the process very straight forward by following the instructions below.

Click on the START button, then click on My Computer on the start menu.

note: if you are using the classic start menu just double click My Computer on the desktop.

Next right click on the floppy drive icon, then left click on the Format option from the menu that appears.


Capacity: This will depend on the floppy disk that you are formatting, most disks are now 1.44Mb, it is best to leave this option as it is.

File System: FAT or NTFS, FAT is the normal file system for floppies, however if you have a utility installed to enable NTFS floppies then select NTFS, if you are unsure or FAT is the only option then just leave it on FAT.

Allocation Unit Size: This should be left on the default unless you have a reason to change it.

Volume Label: This is where you can enter a label for your floppy disk, type the name into the box, in our example we have named the disk NEW DISK.

Quick Format: This option can be selected if the disk has previously been formatted and you just want to clear the data off the disk.

Create an MS-DOS startup disk: This option can be used to copy system files over to make a bootable system.

After clicking Start you will be presented with a warning informing you that all data on the floppy disk will be deleted, assuming there is no data on the floppy that you need click OK.

After clicking OK you will see a progress bar and that will be followed by an alert informing you about the status of the format, ie whether it was successful or not.

If you want to format another floppy disk then enter a different volume label (if needed) and then click the Start button in the format dialogue box again.

When finished click Close

Your floppy disk is now formatted and can be used.