Can't format USB jump drive

[Guest]

Have a new Kingston USB jump drive... PC recognizes it, assigns drive letter
OK. However, the PC won't format it, and the drive doesn't display a file
system in the "Hardware Management" window under Administrator Tools. (It
appears there, though, as a "Healthy (Active)" drive.

All auto-formatting attempts fail, and I've tried formatting it manually
from a command line, using "format H:/fs: FAT" and "format H:/fs: FAT32"

Still no luck -- drive remains unformatted with no file system. Any
suggestions??

 

[Mike Matheny]

There is no H parameter in Format!!

 

[Steve N.]

There is no H parameter in Format!!

H is the drive letter, not a parameter.

Steve

 

[Ken Blake]

In

There is no H parameter in Format!!

H: clearly refers to the H: drive, and is not a parameter.

Stacyglen, help for format shows a space after the drive letter
and no space after the fs:

So the commands should be

format H: /fs:FAT

format H: /fs:FAT32

With some commands you can get away with non-standard use of
spaces. Whether that's so in this case, I don't know, but you
might want to try it as above.

 

[bumtracks]

Maybe open myComputer, right click the removable thumb drive H, select
format, it will give you a chance to name the volume.

if it doesn't work make a folder first named Root then do the above

That's what works here on sandisk 1gb

 

[Yves Leclerc]

I do not belive you can format a USB Flash drive as FAT32. When I format on
of my three unit (not Kingston), I get FAT16 somehow.

 

[Guest]

First, thanks to all for the advice! Basic right-click formatting doesn't
work -- where should I create a "Root" folder? Can't write to the jumpdrive
itself yet...

Below is the response I get from my cmd-line formatting efforts... note that
it looks like it's succeeded, but when I call up the drive by letter, it
gives me the "Please make sure that all required file system drivers are
loaded" error message. How do I check on this??

Thanks again...

Microsoft Windows XP [Version 5.1.2600]
(C) Copyright 1985-2001 Microsoft Corp.

C:\>format H: /fs:FAT
Insert new disk for drive H:
and press ENTER when ready...
The type of the file system is FAT.
Verifying 243M
Initializing the File Allocation Table (FAT)...
Volume label (11 characters, ENTER for none)? new
Format complete.

255,315,968 bytes total disk space.
255,315,968 bytes available on disk.

4,096 bytes in each allocation unit.
62,333 allocation units available on disk.

16 bits in each FAT entry.

Volume Serial Number is 501A-F39B

C:\>h:
The volume does not contain a recognized file system.
Please make sure that all required file system drivers are loaded and that
the v
olume is not corrupted.

C:\>

*************

 

[Curt]

There should be a choice between FAT16 and FAT32 in the format menu. That's
how it is with my SanDisk MiniCruzer.