Cannot format FAT32

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Guest

I installed XP Pro and then installed SP2, I then tried to format another
hard drive using the Disk Management Utility, but I could only format in
NTFS. On previous installations of XP Pro which had SP2 on I could format in
FAT32. I thought this may have been a machine issue, but I installed XP Pro
and then SP2 on another machine with the same result. Is this one of
Microsofts enhancements? Anybody have the same problem and a possible
resolution?
 
Hi Cabana,

Is the volume greater than 32GB? If so, then you cannot format it with
WinXP's disk utility. You never could, it has never been supported in WinXP.
It can only create and format FAT32 volumes less than 32gb, though the
system itself will work with an existing FAT32 volume larger than that.

--
Best of Luck,

Rick Rogers, aka "Nutcase" - Microsoft MVP

Associate Expert - WindowsXP Expert Zone

Windows help - www.rickrogers.org
 
cabana said:
I installed XP Pro and then installed SP2, I then tried to format another
hard drive using the Disk Management Utility, but I could only format in
NTFS. On previous installations of XP Pro which had SP2 on I could format in
FAT32. I thought this may have been a machine issue, but I installed XP Pro
and then SP2 on another machine with the same result. Is this one of
Microsofts enhancements? Anybody have the same problem and a possible
resolution?


How large is the hard drive/partitions in question? By design,
WinXP cannot create and format a new partition greater than 32 Gb.
This is because NTFS is the superior file system, and not nearly as
wasteful of drive space. (If you make a FAT32 partition larger than 8
Gb, you're "throwing away" significant amounts of storage capacity.
However, the OS has no problems being installed upon or otherwise
using FAT32 a partition larger than 32 GB, as long as that partition
has been created/formatted by another OS, such as Win98.


--

Bruce Chambers

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both at once. - RAH
 

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