Here is technical content tailored for IT support, Dell system administrators, or users troubleshooting this specific error.
Let me know what PERC controller you have (H330, H740P, etc.) if the issue persists. Use this in WinPE as a replacement for raw ZTIDiskPart:
Get-Disk | Where-Object Size -GT 100GB | Clear-Disk -RemoveData -Force This ignores USB keys/SD cards. disk 0 cannot be formatted in ztidiskpart dell
Dell PowerEdge (Rx40, Rx50, Rx60), Dell Precision Workstations, Windows Deployment Services (WDS), Microsoft Deployment Toolkit (MDT).
Hi there – this is a common Dell deployment issue. ZTIDiskPart is failing because Disk 0 has a protected partition, old RAID config, or is offline. Here is technical content tailored for IT support,
I have broken this down into three formats: Option 1: Troubleshooting Guide (For a Blog or Internal KB) Title: Fix: "Disk 0 Cannot Be Formatted" in ZTIDiskPart on Dell PowerEdge Servers
diskpart list disk select disk 0 clean convert gpt exit Then restart the deployment task sequence. In your MDT/SCCM task sequence, insert a step to clear the disk via PowerShell: I have broken this down into three formats:
select disk=systemdisk (requires custom variable) Alternative: Set an MDT variable OSDDiskIndex based on WMI query for SELECT * FROM Win32_DiskDrive WHERE InterfaceType != "USB" . Outdated firmware can cause the RAID controller to report the disk as "write-protected." Update using Dell SUU (System Update Utility) or Lifecycle Controller. Option 2: Forum/Support Chat Response User: "Help! My Dell PowerEdge is failing at 'disk 0 cannot be formatted in ztidiskpart' during Windows deployment."
Get-Disk -Number 0 | Clear-Disk -RemoveData -RemoveOEM -Confirm:$false Do not rely on Disk 0 . Modify your ZTIDiskPart.wsf or custom script to select the disk by size (e.g., the largest physical disk):