Do you use a Windows PC? If so, then some of the minor accessories of your operating system may have unique functionalities you are not even aware of. Indeed, Windows is full of little tricks. For instance, you must have used the Notepad to create text documents at some points of time. Did you know that you can format your hard disk using nothing but that same Notepad? That’s right. No Command prompt, no series of commands, just a simple Notepad is enough to format your hard disk in a hassle-free manner. Here’s how you can pull off this cool trick:
- Click on Start button, then on All Programs. Click on Accessories, and then on Notepad.
- Type the following binary code in the notepad: 01100110011011110111001001101101011000010111010000
100000011000110011101001011100 0010000000101111010100010010111101011000 - Click on Save.
- In the Save As box that pops up, give any name you wish for the file.
- Save the file. Now change the extension from .txt to .exe.
- If you cannot see the extension of the file, then you may have display of file extensions disabled in Windows®. Fix it by opening My Computer and clicking first on Tools and then on Folder Options in the top menu bar. Click on the View tab, and then scroll down the list till come to the entry named “Hide file extensions for known file types”. Uncheck the box beside this entry, and then click on the button named “Apply” at the bottom of the window. Click on OK and close My Computer. You will now be able to see the extensions of all files stored in your PC.
- Change the extension now, and click on Yes when asked whether you want to change the extension. Don’t worry; the file will not become “unusable”.
- Take a backup of your C:\ drive, to make sure there are no important files left behind.
- Now run the file. Partition C:\ of your hard disk will be formatted.
This type of file can be pretty useful. Let us suppose, your hard disk has become infected with a virus, and you want to format it. An executable file of this type can save you the trouble of having to go through all the complex steps of actual formatting. You can even carry the file around in a removable disk, since it will only be a few kilobytes in size anyway.
