Formatting as FAT32 (solved)

Can I format my USB harddrive as FAT32 on AmigaOS 4.1? I tried formatting it as normal twice but I think it used FAT16 because afterwards it showed only about ~18GB free with the rest of the 232GB shown as used even though the disk was empty.

Windows XP only allows me to format the drive as NTFS which is no use to me since it has to be readable/writable from AmigaOS4.1 and Mac OS X as well as Windows XP.

The harddrive came preformatted as FAT32 and I've been using it for a long time now but today a file copy operation went bad and everything on the disk got corrupted so now I need to reformat it .

@salass00

Have you tried formatting it under OS X?

@OldAmigan

I'm doing so now.

I'm not an experienced Mac user so I didn't know how to do it but fortunately it's explained in the PDF manual that came with the harddisk. I actually didn't need even that since as soon as I connected the harddisk Mac OS reported that it couldn't recognise the filesystem and suggested that I should format it.

Would still be nice if it was possible on the Amiga as well as I don't always have the Mac mini at hand. My parents use the Mac mini to record programs on TV and I sometimes copy them to my harddrive so that I can watch them later using VLC.

@salass00

Quote:

what is the exact problem. errors when copying and files jump to 8+3 caracters ???

@salass00

http://tokiwa.qee.jp/EN/Fat32Formatter/index.html

@salass00

AmigaOS might be detracting the previews file system.

@salass00
Quote:

I have the same problem. I have 120G USB drive that I've formatted in FAT32 under XP with a program called Swiftknife or something like that. Anyway, I can read it fine on my uA1 but if I try to write to it sometimes it works fiine but eventually I'll end up with a scrambled disk which becomes unreadable.

The L:CrossDOSFileSystem claims it supports FAT32. You need to make a mount list or a DOSDriver file for the drive. There's a text file in the Documentation drawer on the os4 CD, ("CrossDOSFileSystem.txt"), that tries to explain its use. If anyone figures out how to use it, please post how to format with it.

double post sorry

@sundown

Quote:

If you have access to a Windows machine, you could just partition and format the drive there. You should write down the partition data and create a mount file with that information.

This is an example of mount file:

Filesystem = L:CrossDosFileSystem
Flags = 0
LowCyl = 16128
HighCyl = 402653
surfaces = 3
sectorsize = 2048
reserved = 2
prealloc = 1
interleae = 0
buffersw = 500
bufmemtype = 1
stacksize = 6144
maxtransfer = 0x00fff800
mask = 0x7ffffffe
globvec = -1
dostype = 0x46415401

PartitionManager8.0 on a winxp machine names the Low and HighCyl respectively "First Sector" and "Last Sector".

As far as I know CrossDos can not write MBR data, -please someone correct this if I'm wrong- so partitioning wont work but _formatting_is_not_a_problem_.

The example above is of a 250GB harddrive I've formatted and partitioned on XP (200Gb FAT32 adn 40GB ext2fs) and then plugged in to the internal sii0680ide card on my A1. I was able to copy data to it and to plug it back to a macosx and winxp machine via external usb-case.
No data corruption or else occurred.

regards

USB Fat32 formating and using USB Harddisk on Amiga/PC ist easy.

Look here:


Take PartitionMagic on PC Windows.Format the USB Harddisk withFat32.
After that install on Amiga Fat95 to L:

Initialization on Amiga should require 10-20sec.After that the Harddisk should be work.
I had done this with a Verbatim 160GB USB Harddisk.It works fine with my Sam/PC .

@tommysammy

Quote:

Quote:

@Raziel

Take Partition Magic .That Programm allow you Fat32 formatting under Windows

@tommysammy

Eh?

Paying 60 bucks for a program, just to format a 10 bucks USB stick?

Sorry, but i have to work too hard for my money

@Raziel
Hehe give me a PN

@tommysammy

First of all, i'm not the one with the problem
Once again, see the first post
Second, i'm not into buying stuff off of you (or "similar")

Thank you

@ktadd

...I can read it fine on my uA1 but if I try to write to it sometimes it works fiine but eventually I'll end up with a scrambled disk which becomes unreadable.
Don't 'drag&drop' to copy files; use a file manager.

@Raziel

Just so you know I don't have a problem anymore. I formatted the harddrive on the Mac using FAT32. End of problem.

I was also interested in finding out if there was some way of formatting a disk as FAT32 using CrossDOS, but apparently there isn't.

@ktadd

Quote:
I guess it was Swissknife. Try with Google.

@ZeroG

Quote:

Thanks for this suggestion.

Next time I need to format a disk with FAT32 and I don't have the mac at hand I'll try this program.