Formatting FAT32

[Doc]

I've got Windows XP Pro SP2, and I've got 3 primary partitions on disk 0.
My first partition is C:, my system disk - formatted NTFS. The other two
are unformatted.

When I right-click on one of the unformatted partitions I am selecting the
format option but am not being given the option to format FAT32 - only
NTFS.

This is so I can share data with a Linux live CD I'm trying which has some
interesting A/V tools on it. It can read NTFS, but does not write it.

Any suggestion on how to get one of these partitions formatted FAT32 would
be appreciated.

My only guess is that it has something to do with some of the security
stuff I may have turned on.


Doc.

 

[SingaporeWebDesign]

Hello,

Windows XP limits FAT32 formatting to 32GB.

You can use the format utility here to format your disk as FAT32 (supports
up to 2TB)
http://www.ridgecrop.demon.co.uk/fat32format.htm

--
Singapore Web Design
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Singapore Web Hosting
http://www.bootstrike.com/WinXP/faq.html
Windows XP FAQ

 

[Tom Porterfield]

I've got Windows XP Pro SP2, and I've got 3 primary partitions on disk 0.
My first partition is C:, my system disk - formatted NTFS. The other two
are unformatted.

When I right-click on one of the unformatted partitions I am selecting the
format option but am not being given the option to format FAT32 - only
NTFS.

This is so I can share data with a Linux live CD I'm trying which has some
interesting A/V tools on it. It can read NTFS, but does not write it.

Any suggestion on how to get one of these partitions formatted FAT32 would
be appreciated.

My only guess is that it has something to do with some of the security
stuff I may have turned on.

What size is the partition? If less than 32 GB, format the partition via
Windows Explorer rather than through Disk Management. If larger than 32 GB,
you'll need to boot the PC with a Windows 98 or ME boot disk and format the
FAT32 partitions from there. These are known limitations in Windows XP
support of FAT32.

 

[Doc]

Hello,

Windows XP limits FAT32 formatting to 32GB.

You can use the format utility here to format your disk as FAT32
(supports up to 2TB)
http://www.ridgecrop.demon.co.uk/fat32format.htm

Thanks for that, easy when you know what the problem is.


Doc.

 

[Doc]

What size is the partition? If less than 32 GB, format the partition
via Windows Explorer rather than through Disk Management. If larger
than 32 GB, you'll need to boot the PC with a Windows 98 or ME boot
disk and format the FAT32 partitions from there. These are known
limitations in Windows XP support of FAT32.

Thanks, I got a utility (see other reply) that formats >32GB. This
wasn't a limitation I was aware of - when I looked up FAT32 there was no
mention of Windows not properly supporting formatting of it.


Doc.