2

How can I prevent Windows 8 from trying to format my external ext3-format hard disk?

Every time I connect my ext3-format hard disk for the guest virtual machine(ubuntu), Windows(host) shows the dialog that it is about to format my ext3-format disk.

ubuntu(guest) - virtual box - windows(host) - ext-format external disk

I'm afraid I may push the confirm button accidentally someday.

I do not want to see the dialog to format it.

Anyway, I'm using Windows 8.

EDIT:

  • I changed Windows into Windows 8
  • Sorry, everyone. I forgot to mention I'm using ext-format external disk for the virtual box guest machine. I forgot it since I had intended to ask this question inside my another question.
Community
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19 Lee
  • 125

5 Answers5

3

Try installing the Ext driver for windows: http://www.ext2fsd.com/

Ali
  • 1,219
1

You could simply try to create a very small (some megabytes) FAT32 partition on your external drive. Then Windows would be able to find one understandable partition and therefore the format dialog should not appear anymore as the disk is not "Empty" (from Windows perspective).

It may be necessary to create this partition as the first partition on the disk.

Robert
  • 8,055
-1

You can't.

Whenever Windows sees a partition that it doesn't understand it will assume it still needs to be formatted with a format that Windows can understand.

So you will have to be careful, very careful NOT to hit the wrong button when you get the format dialog.
(Press Escape when you get it. You are less likely to make a mistake by using the keyboard then by using the mouse to cancel the dialog.)

Tonny
  • 33,276
-1

Prevent is not possible.

Make a Backup and format it. Then store all your files back. Othe only way you can avoid the format dialog.

TIP: Format your extHDD with a Linux system, Ubuntu for example. Live CD is more than enough to do it. Start it with CD/DVD on Startup, mount your extHDD and format it in NTFS.

I had simular troubles not long ago, my ArchLinux detected, that my extHDD needs to repair. It repairs and since then, my Windows never pops up the format dialog again.

zeyorama
  • 117
-1

If the disk is using GPT instead of MSDOS partitioning, you need to use the gdisk utility to change the partition type to linux instead of Windows. Debian and its derivatives set up GPT partitions using the Microsoft type code, so Windows assigns them a drive letter and offers to format them if it doesn't recognize the filesystem.

psusi
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