FAT32 limit

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M

Matrix

What is the FAT32 format limit in size?

I have a 160GB HDD and I have Devided it some as 50GB and
some as 10GB drives.
My windows let me format the 10GB Drives as FAT32 and
NTFS,
but the 50GB drives I can format only as NTFS.

I'm using Windows XP Pro SP2.
What can be the cause that I can't format the 50GB with
the FAT32 format?
 
Your problem is not FAT32, but XP itself. For some reason Microsoft decided
that XP would refuse to format any partition > 32 Gig as FAT32. However, it
can use FAT32 partitions that are much larger than that. So, if you really
want FAT32, get a non-Microsoft formating program and use it. For example,
Partition Magic can format larger partitions as FAT32; I just did one last
week.

However, unless you plan on using this disk with an older operating system,
like 98/ME, or with LINUX, you might might to use NTFS. It is more robust
and has extra security fature, if you want to use them.
 
Matrix said:
What is the FAT32 format limit in size?

I have a 160GB HDD and I have Devided it some as 50GB and
some as 10GB drives.
My windows let me format the 10GB Drives as FAT32 and
NTFS,
but the 50GB drives I can format only as NTFS.

I'm using Windows XP Pro SP2.
What can be the cause that I can't format the 50GB with
the FAT32 format?


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
 
Boot using a Win 98, SE or ME floppy and run FDISK to create partitons
larger than 32Gb then format them. Once that's done XP will see the drive
just fine.
 
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