I selected the correct drive. Double-checked the model number. Unplugged my main SSD for safety. Held my breath.
And a button that read:
You just have to be absolutely sure you’ve chosen the right drive. low level format tool from softpedia
A month later, I recommended that tool to a friend whose USB drive had been corrupted by a bad eject. It fixed it in ten seconds. He asked if it was safe. I said, “It’s from Softpedia. Green checkmark.” I selected the correct drive