About the WD Quick Drive Format utility

Use the WD Quick Drive Format utility to:

• Quickly initialize and reformat your WD external drive to the NTFS file system
• Configure your drive to change the block size, if necessary (for drives larger than 2TB running Windows® XP)

CAUTION! When you run the utility, whether to reformat your drive or configure it to change the block size, all existing data on the drive is erased and cannot be retrieved.

Configuring the drive

• XP Compatible—If you are running Windows XP and connect a WD external drive that is larger than 2TB, it will not be recognized by your system until you select the XP compatible option to configure it and change the block size. After running the application using the XP Compatible option, the drive will be recognized and can be used on Windows XP, Windows Vista, and Windows 7.

• Most Compatible (Vista or Later Required)—If your WD external drive (larger than 2TB) has been configured to change the block size using the XP Compatible option, you might have problems with some applications. If this happens, run the Quick Drive Format application again and select the Most Compatible option to return to the manufacturer's default block size settings.

IMPORTANT: Applications that do not support drives configured with the XP Compatible option (larger block size) can fail in several ways. For example, an error can occur, or the drive can crash or corrupt data without warning. Please review your application documentation carefully to make sure that it supports the larger block size configuration before running the application. If your WD external drive is larger than 2TB and you select the Most Compatible setting, it will not be recognized by Windows XP.

To initialize and format the drive:

1. Back up any data you want to keep on another drive before starting the Quick Drive Format utility.

2. Follow the on-screen instructions to initialize and format the drive to the NTFS file system.

To configure the drive using the XP Compatible option:

1. Back up any data you want to keep on another drive before starting the Quick Drive Format application.
2. Run the WD Quick Drive Format utility.
3. Click XP Compatible, then Format Drive to configure the drive for Windows XP, Windows Vista, and Windows 7.

To configure the drive using the Most Compatible option:

1. Back up any data you want to keep on another drive before starting the Quick Drive Format utility.
2. Run the WD Quick Drive Format utility.
3. Click Most Compatible (Vista or Later Required), then Format Drive to configure the drive with the default manufacturer's settings.