Most disk utils, particuarly on Windows, will likely destroy any boot data on the SD card and muck it up in other ways. The Linux part also means it supports the SD card format if it is ext*, so it can be reformatted easily and efficiently, and less problems are likely to occur. For other systems, it is possible to run it off of a DVD or USB stick, so it can be used there as well. This is included in many Linux distros, and can be installed easily otherwise. The SD card is just the device that has been added.Д¬urrently, one of the best disk management utils seems to not have been mentioned - GParted: If you're unable to determine the proper device, remove the SD card, run fdisk -l, and then re-run it with the SD card inserted. In both cases, once the drive is formatted, you will lastly need to mount it. You an also just type n to create a new partition table, and start laying everything out.Д¬fdisk is also another viable tool, which is basically fdisk with a greatly improved user interface. You can then delete all existing partitions on the device by typing d, and then adding a single new partition & format it. In a terminal, start fdisk /dev/sdx where /dev/sdx is your SD card device (may depend on the Linux distro you're using, see below). Note that the above commands are not case sensitive I used caps to match the convention DISKPART displays. The SD card is just the disk that has been added. If you're unable to determine the proper disk, remove the SD card, run DISKPART and LIST DISK, and then re-run it with the SD card inserted. To format, type FORMAT FS=FAT32 QUICK, and finally, to reassign a drive letter, type ASSIGN. This will then reallocate the previously 'cleaned' space. To create a primary partition to reuse the space on the card, type CREATE PARTITION PRIMARY. MAKE SURE YOU SELECTED THE PROPER DISK BEFORE RUNNING THE CLEAN COMMAND! You can then type CLEAN to clear the partition table on the card, effectively blanking it. List all of your disks by typing LIST DISK, then select the proper disk with SELECT DISK # (where # is the SD card).

Start a command prompt, and start the DISKPART console.

You can use DISKPART in Windows, or the equivalent fdisk command under Linux/Mac.

Sd card formatter raspberry pi