FAT32 partition on a 500GB external drive

[Eyegasm]

Hi All

Quick question...

How do I create a FAT32 partition on an external hard drive?

I have cleared all the files off the drive and need a partition for FAT32.
Reason for FAT32 is backing up my PS3 before changing the drives.

Hard drive is a Seagate 500GB, and I am using Windows XP.

Can I do it using Windows? or do I have to download a program?

Cheers for any help
Eyegasm

[Scuba_Steve]

should be able to right click on it, go "format...", choose FAT32, check "quick format" (else it'll be a LONG wait) & ta da! should do the job

My bad just saw you want a partition, so 'control panel' -> admin tools -> computer management -> storage.
should be able to do it from there

[spajohn]

Can I do it using Windows? or do I have to download a program?

Cheers for any help
Eyegasm

You can't do it from a GUI (point and click) interface and I understood that you could only do it with a third party piece of software (or on a Mac).

However, apparently you can do this from the command line with the following command:
format drive /fs:fat32

Note: that "drive" needs to be the drive letter of your USB drive. Also it doesn't support quick formats so expect it to sit there looking like it's doing nothing for a good while (I'm thinking possibly hours).

[Spuds1234]

spajohn is correct.

The only way to do this is via the command prompt.

There may be a quick format switch you can use to speed it up but Im not 100% sure.

[bungbung]

Got windows xp or later?
Use diskpart from the command line to create a partition, then use the format command with the appropriate switches to make it fat32. Google is your friend

[Gremlin]

I presume you will not be putting files of >4GB on the partition?

[Scuba_Steve]

I presume you will not be putting files of >4GB on the partition?

The PS3 will sort that for him in its backup process.

[Gubb]

XP and before a program called "SwissKnife" is your best friend.
Vista and above, check out "Easeus Partition Manager".

Both free, and both very, very good.

[jim.cox]

Can I do it using Windows?

Despite what others have said here , yes you can do it with windows.

If the drive already has a partition on it: Start windows explorer, select the drive, right mouse click, select Format...

If the drive is not yet partioned you will need to use the Disk Management snap in. Easiest way is Start | Run | Diskmgmt.msc. Create a partition on the drive and then format it

Deafult format will be NTFS - you will need to specify FAT32

Ensure you know which drive you are formatting - a mistake would be absolutely disasterous

[Eyegasm]

Got it sorted. Ended up deleting the partition that was there and creating a 32GB Fat32.
Now just to go back and delete that and restore it back to 500gb NTFS.

Wasn't too hard, but I never done nothing like it before...

[Toaster]

How do I create a FAT32 partition on an external hard drive?

Tell her to sit on it.

[sugilite:Me]

I had a bit of a mission with this when I got a 2tb to hook up to tv, as windows fat formatter does not like doing large modern drives, often getting up to 99%, then saying nup.

Then I found this handy little 188kb utility. I found it ridiculously easy, select the partition, then quick format, 20 seconds later I was copying media onto it.
Here is a blurb below about it from the readmefile.txt, search on the name and author if you need it.


All About
=========
Fat32Formatter is freeware and written by TOKIWA to format drive larger than 32GB to FAT32,
which means it can walk around the OS restriction that you can format drive to FAT32 only the size up to 32GB on Windows2000/XP/Vista.

Compatible operating systems
============================
Windows2000/XP/Vista

Key-features
============
1 simple and instructive UI
2 it can set and delete partitions as well
3 neither installation nor DLLs is needed
4 Windows Vista supported