Formatting a drive for use with Windows 7, 8 & 10 Before you can use a new external drive with Windows 7, 8 or 10 you will need to format it (unless it states it is pre-formatted). There are several options which we will look at to help you choose the correct format for you and show you how to ready the disk for use. Step 1. Right-Click on the Windows icon in the lower left-hand corner and select Disk Management Step…