Hello,
I desperately wish I could use another filesystem (exFAT, NTFS, etc) but I need my external HDD to be readable from my Amazon Fire TV box, Android phone/tablet, and hopefully iOS devices (though the latter is less of an issue if this won't work). From everything I've read, the ONLY file system that can be read by all of these is FAT32. I've tried on my Android phone/tablet using other options like NTFS and even using premium apps, I could get the drive to mount but nothing could be read. I only include this information but I know FAT32 isn't the best option and people will rightfully share that with me but sadly, it's the only option I have in this case.
I also know that while 2TB should be the max that FAT32 can handle, there are several people who have successfully gotten around that. If needed, I can share links to a post talking about that. However, what no one can seem to share is how to actually do that? Do I need to change the disk sector size? I've tried using multiple different software including AOMEI Partition Assistant, EaseUS Partition Master, and MiniTool Partition Wizard, obviously Windows built in (useless), and one or two others whose names escape me at the moment and, although most of them advertise that they can handle FAT32 partitions larger than 2TB, I can find no info on how to actually use them to accomplish this. Is GParted able to do this without problems? Is there any other program that can? Can anyone please share what I need to do to accomplish this? I know I have to have GPT rather than MBR but I don't know what else I need to do.
Thanks so much in advance! I truly appreciate any tips or advice you can share! Take care!!
Open a command window by going to Start, then Run and typing in CMD.
Now type in the following command at the prompt:
format /FS:FAT32 X:
Replace the letter X with the letter of your external hard drive in Windows. Windows will go ahead and begin formatting the drive in FAT32!
Format external hard drive fat32
There seems to also be an issue when using the command line besides the size limit problem. Namely, it can take forever to format the hard drive for some users. Not sure why, but I’ve seen it enough times and it can be very frustrating to wait 5 hours and then have the whole format fail.
As I know the snap-in disk management could not support formating partition from NTFS to FAT 32 when it is larger than 32 GB, if you want do that, you could use some partition software, such as Partition Assistant, GParted, and etc, btw, from your post it mentioned Acronis Disk Director, unquestionable, it is a powerful partition software, however, it need cost too much.
This should be possible with gparted, as long as the sector size of your hard disk is greater than 512 Byte. If not, 2TB will be the limit with Fat32.
Related
I don't know what is wrong with me but I'm just having an awful time trying to format and mount this SD card. I've tried using both gparted and the paragon software a few dozen times with different results over the last 6 hours.
As it stands right now, I've split it into two partitions:
2.9gb PRIMARY FAT32
997.7mb PRIMARY EXT2
I've done a wipe and fresh update again to jf 1.41 adp version.
This time through Astro it's seeing the fat32 partition and the files I have on it. Still, when I when plug in the usb cable and mount, Windows is unable to see the drive.
This is pretty much the point I've gotten to before. When I go any further and try to mount the ext2 partition, things start going to hell and won't see it, or the fat32 partition anymore for that matter.
I've read through all the threads here but at this point I can't figure out what to do. I've seen different sets of instructions that seem to contradict each other. Can someone give me a url to the definitive method? Perhaps I've been reading things that are no longer valid.
As far as I know, Windows doesn't expect memory cards to have partition
Maybe you can try to find a card reader that identify itself to windows as a drive
drive might not be the corrent word here, but there's different between a harddisc and a card reader
How did u read the card from windows? Through g1 or some card reader?
I would appreciate help with creating multiple partitions on my micro sd card. over the past few days I sat for hours reading all about it but still have some trouble. OK, so I know that windows won't allow you to create multiple partitions on removable media. Therefore I created 2 fat32 partitions using Gparted. So far all was well, and my phone recognized it as 2 storage cards. The problem is Windows Vista (or XP and 7) still won't recognize more than 1 partition.
Now if you search around on the internet you will find people referring to the Hitachi MicroDrive Driver which can be hacked to make an SD card (or USB flash drive) appear to windows as a local disc, making it possible to create multiple partitions on your card. That's when Vista x64 gets in the way since the driver isn't x64 compatible. So far I still have not found a solution, and would appreciate it if anyone knows how to do this on a x64 system (including assigning drive letters to each partition). Just to make it clear, using WM5 Storage and USB to PC didn't help either.
Thanks
BIG problem.
i know this is an old post, but did you ever find a solution for it? im having the same problem. my scenario...
using an HTC HD2, i've installed wp7 to the phones memory. wp7 by default re-formats any micro sd card so that it can only be used fully by wp7. there was a work around here...
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=945565&highlight=micro
and i was able to dual boot wp7 and then an android build from the micro sd card. here's the BIG PROBLEM... both wp7 AND my sd android build WILL NOT see anything else on the micro sd storage card.
furthermore, any attempt to format that card in windows is met with the message of windows will only recognize one partition on a removable data (something like that).
now here's the real kicker... in linux, all partitions are recognized. i have do have 3 partitions on my micro sd card now, 1 for wp7, 1 for my sd android, and 1 that im hoping to find a way for at least one of these builds to read. the idea is to have that final open partition for storage of music, pictures, and video files to share between the 2 systems. i'll be happy if just one of these systems can read it though
im not sure where to post, or really what to do. however, i saw your post and it was the closest thing i've found to anyone else having a similar problem. if anyone can point me in the right direction i'd appreciate it.
best program is EASEUS Partition Master 6.5.2 Home Edition.
Is it possible to get internal storage to hold files over fat32 limits? Or format it to NTFS?
How can I get bigger video files?
There's no easy way, unfortunately. You are stuck at the 4GB file limit.
This is an ongoing issue with mobile devices, as the various vendors cannnot hammer out a standard solution. NTFS and exFAT are a problem due to licensing requirements, and no one wants to use EXT3/4 because it would require MS and Apple to agree to support it (which of course they don't want to do). And Apple doesn't let you use external storage at all (except that camera connector) so they can use whatever file system they like.
Personally I'd like to see EXT3/4 as a standard, but I know that's never going to happen.
As for your direct problem, there are customized kernels on the GTAB that support NTFS, but you'd still to do a manual mount to access - it's not a simple solution.
I have a Note 10.1 with a 32gb sd card. I put a bunch of mp4 movies on the card and can play them without any problems on my note 10.1. I started running low on space so I got a 64gb sd card. I copied some movies to the card and figured everything would play just like with the 32gb card. However, the movies won't play. They are on the card, the titles show up on my list, but the length of the movie shows as 00:00:00. I know the data is on the card Beca use when I look at what is taking up space on the memory card, the movies are a big chunk of it. Can anyone tell me how I can get them to play? I don't get what the difference is between playing from the 32gb card and the 64gb card.
Thanks, GL
Might just be a copy error, can you use a card reader and play the movies off your PC
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It looks like your microSD is corrupted:
Unplug your microSD from your SGN 10.1
Insert it into a MS Windows PC
Press Win+R then type: chkdsk [your_card_drive_letter]: /x /f /r
Wait until it is finish checking
After finish & if it found some errors open Windows Explorer & in the Address Bar type: [your_card_drive_letter]:\FOUND.[3_digit_number]
Replace [3_digit_number] with (usually) 000 or increment it by 1 if there is no folder by that name.
Inspect the file(s) if there's an important file (look at the content, not the filename)
After everything is done you can try to repeat step 1 again to make sure.
Re-copy the movie you want to watch
Replace [your_card_drive_letter] with the appropriate letter of your microSD card.
Thanks, but I have a mac. I tried formatting the card to FAT32 with disc utility. That may have been what messed the card up. It's strange, because my tablet recognizes the card and shows that it's a 64gb card, other functions work normally as far as saving data to it, but it won't play the movies. I've also tried formatting the card with sdFormatter for mac. It goes through the whole process and says the card has been formatted, yet it ends up the same as before I started. There are still folders on it that should have been erased during the process, and when I load a movie on it and try playing it on the tablet still nothing. I have tried formatting the card in the tablet, but the same thing happens. Any other suggestions would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks, GL
d4rkkn16ht said:
It looks like your microSD is corrupted:
Unplug your microSD from your SGN 10.1
Insert it into a MS Windows PC
Press Win+R then type: chkdsk [your_card_drive_letter]: /x /f /r
Wait until it is finish checking
After finish & if it found some errors open Windows Explorer & in the Address Bar type: [your_card_drive_letter]:\FOUND.[3_digit_number]
Replace [3_digit_number] with (usually) 000 or increment it by 1 if there is no folder by that name.
Inspect the file(s) if there's an important file (look at the content, not the filename)
After everything is done you can try to repeat step 1 again to make sure.
Re-copy the movie you want to watch
Replace [your_card_drive_letter] with the appropriate letter of your microSD card.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
gl.08chc said:
Thanks, but I have a mac. I tried formatting the card to FAT32 with disc utility. That may have been what messed the card up. It's strange, because my tablet recognizes the card and shows that it's a 64gb card, other functions work normally as far as saving data to it, but it won't play the movies. I've also tried formatting the card with sdFormatter for mac. It goes through the whole process and says the card has been formatted, yet it ends up the same as before I started. There are still folders on it that should have been erased during the process, and when I load a movie on it and try playing it on the tablet still nothing. I have tried formatting the card in the tablet, but the same thing happens. Any other suggestions would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks, GL
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Never ever use FAT32 on 64GB & above storage (any storage)
Filesystem standard for storage nowadays is dominated by Microsoft, so you need Ms Windows to repair any errors without compromising any other data by formatting it (I hate this, but what can I say....).
Luckily, in Linux (Mac long lost sibling ) there's a tool called fsck & it can check & repair any MS filesystem (not recommended but handy if needed)
And also LUCKILY......Android=Linux.....
Back to point 1,AGAIN.....never EVER use FAT32 on 64GB & above storage.
The following limitations exist using the FAT32 file system with Windows operating systems:
Clusters cannot be 64 kilobytes (KB) or larger. If clusters were 64 KB or larger, some programs (such as Setup programs) might calculate disk space incorrectly.
A volume must contain at least 65,527 clusters to use the FAT32 file system. You cannot increase the cluster size on a volume using the FAT32 file system so that it ends up with less than 65,527 clusters.
The maximum possible number of clusters on a volume using the FAT32 file system is 268,435,445. With a maximum of 32 KB per cluster with space for the file allocation table (FAT), this equates to a maximum disk size of approximately 8 terabytes (TB).
The ScanDisk tool included with Microsoft Windows 95 and Microsoft Windows 98 is a 16-bit program. Such programs have a single memory block maximum allocation size of 16 MB less 64 KB. Therefore, The Windows 95 or Windows 98 ScanDisk tool cannot process volumes using the FAT32 file system that have a FAT larger than 16 MB less 64 KB in size. A FAT entry on a volume using the FAT32 file system uses 4 bytes, so ScanDisk cannot process the FAT on a volume using the FAT32 file system that defines more than 4,177,920 clusters (including the two reserved clusters). Including the FATs themselves, this works out, at the maximum of 32 KB per cluster, to a volume size of 127.53 gigabytes (GB).
You cannot decrease the cluster size on a volume using the FAT32 file system so that the FAT ends up larger than 16 MB less 64 KB in size.
You cannot format a volume larger than 32 GB in size using the FAT32 file system in Windows 2000. The Windows 2000 FastFAT driver can mount and support volumes larger than 32 GB that use the FAT32 file system (subject to the other limits), but you cannot create one using the Format tool. This behavior is by design. If you need to create a volume larger than 32 GB, use the NTFS file system instead.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Source: https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/kb/184006
It means that the maximum capacity that FAT32 supports is 32GB.
Normally, 64GB & above storage come with exFAT from the factory....until....you format it to FAT32.
In MS Windows, you can't format 64GB & above storage with FAT32 (even if you want to).
Unfortunately, Mac & Linux users can accidentally format it to FAT32.
How to covert it to exFAT without losing data?
In MS Windows: convert /FS:EXFAT
In Linux: gparted
As you use Mac, I don't know how to do that....BUT, I can recommend you to use any Linux LIVECD/DVD.
I'm using Linux Mint & in the LiveCD Gparted is included.
it's a partitioning application with GUI (of the command line tool called parted)
Try it & ask me if you have any question.
Ok, thanks. I was formatting to FAT32 because that's what I read on one of these forums was the way to be able to use a 64gb card with my tablet. I will try your suggestions when I get back into town next week and let you know how it goes. Thanks for the help, hope this works
gl.08chc said:
Ok, thanks. I was formatting to FAT32 because that's what I read on one of these forums was the way to be able to use a 64gb card with my tablet. I will try your suggestions when I get back into town next week and let you know how it goes. Thanks for the help, hope this works
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I don't know what ROM that you use but remember to UPDATE beforehand.
exFAT filesystem needs a kernel support & older Android kernel version doesn't support it.
Using custom kernel can guarantee kernel support for exFAT.
I just got a Samsung EVO+ microSD card. I was wondering if I should format it before using it. So I looked up the net on what was the best way to format a SD card. Came across many suggestions like use your smartphone, SD formatter, Windows format etc. Then I came across this :
http://wiki.laptop.org/go/How_to_Damage_a_FLASH_Storage_Device
To damage such a device, all you have to do is reformat it with any of the usual Linux-based tools like fdisk, mkfs, and dd. Chances are excellent that you will manage to choose a layout that makes the device work extra hard, thus slowing it down and wearing it out faster.
You can also accomplish the same feat using various Windows tools that are part of the Microsoft OEM Preinstallation Kit, and probably with other Windows-based tools (e.g. dd for Windows, and perhaps even with the GUI format capability).
...
Factory formatting.
The manufacturers of FLASH storage devices understand this. When they format the device at the factory, they know which filesystem they are putting on (typically either FAT16 or FAT32), the page and erase sizes for the NAND FLASH chips inside, and the characteristics of the FTL software in the internal microcontroller. (Actually, there is yet another factor - multiple NAND chips or multi-plane chips can further influence the locations of "efficient" boundaries.) Knowing this, they can choose a layout that encourages "easy case" internal operations.
...
How to win.
It boils down to the fact that you need to micro-manage a lot of details to ensure that things fall on suitably-aligned boundaries. You need to consider both the partition map and the filesystem layout in concert. One way to separate the problems is to make each partition begin on an erase block boundary, then layout the filesystems so their subordinate data structures (particularly the cluster or "fs block" array) fall on erase block boundaries assuming that the partition itself begins erase-block-aligned. What is a good alignment boundary? Well, 256 KiB is good for most new chips, but to give some breathing room for the future, maybe 1 MiB would be better - or perhaps even 4 MiB.
Better yet, try to avoid reformatting FLASH-based devices when you have the choice.
...
Bottom-line recommendations:
If you can, stick with the factory map
If you must make a "blast it on with dd" image, be very careful and conservative with the partition and filesystem layout, according to the techniques above.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
What I intend doing is to make a (Symantec) Ghost image of the entire "disk" (the SD card) before I actually use it. This is done on Windows of course. The image preserves the geometry of the entire "disk". If I ever need to format the SD card, I will just restore this image to the SD card. This should result in a "factory formatted" card.
Many of you are more knowledgeable than me, please comment.
I cant get what you say.
You want to change the partition type of sd card or you want to just erase what is on sd card
^
1) It's better not to format a SD card unless you really have to.
2) I'm preserving the "geometry" of my new SD card using a Ghost image -so that in the future if I need to format it I will just restore that image. The SD card will then be as good as factory formatted.
Any other method of formatting won't guarantee that.
This is a great job but why you want to do that man.
Then back it up, make that ghost image and save it in case anything ever goes wrong. Then put the card in your phone and format it from there, that way it's almost guaranteed to be formatted correctly to be used with your phone.
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