How to format/rename external hard drive in linux ubuntu

Let's suppose: the Filesystem name for the hard drive which you want to format is: /dev/sdb1

1)Format the disk:
sudo mkfs.ext3 /dev/sdb1


2)Rename it to a new name , say, " my_external_newName "

sudo e2label /dev/sdb1 my_external_newName

3) Other possible trick you may find useful:How to mount and unmount a drive in linux

How To Mount A Drive In Linux

Command Line

mount /dev/partitionId /some/mounting/point

The mounting point path must already be created with proper permissions. So a more likely flow of commands would be

Command Line

mkdir /some/mounting/point chmod 777 /some/mounting/point mount /dev/partitionId /some/mounting/point

How To Unmount A Drive In Linux

Command Line

umount /dev/partitionId

This command is very easy to type wrong. It is NOT unmount. Take another closer look if thats what you saw at first. It is umount -- no n here!