formatting a usb flash drive to fat32

Haiyadragon · 07-09-2005, 05:43 AM

I'm trying to format a usb stick (mp3 stick) to fat(32), whatever works for the thing. I can format it to ext2 fine but with mkdosfs I always get

Code:

mkdosfs: unable to get drive geometry for '/dev/uba1'

Any tips?

stefan_nicolau · 07-09-2005, 10:21 PM

have you tried 'mkfs -t vfat'?

Haiyadragon · 07-10-2005, 05:09 AM

Then I get

Code:

mkfs.vfat: No such file or directory

. With " mkfs -t msdos /dev/uba1" I get the exact same error, the drive geometry thing. Surfing the internet I found some other people with the same problem. Is the mkdosfs package broken? I guess I'll install Windows and see how that bitch handles it. Now I'm grumpy.

stefan_nicolau · 07-10-2005, 06:08 AM

Quote:

'/dev/uba1'

use the usb-storage driver instead of the ub dirver.

http://lists.zerezo.com/linux-usb-users/msg00051.html
http://forums.go-linux.org/about223.html

Haiyadragon · 07-10-2005, 07:45 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by stefan_nicolau
use the usb-storage driver instead of the ub dirver.

http://lists.zerezo.com/linux-usb-users/msg00051.html
http://forums.go-linux.org/about223.html

Thanks. Too bad the default kernel will only load the ub (read: broken and slow-ass) driver. I'm actually not going to recompile anything.

Anyway, I got it to work. I downloaded and booted into the latest Knoppix (3.9) and tried the same thing. Knoppix also uses the ub driver (whyyyy?) so unmounting is really really slow. But, it seems to have a better mkdosfs:

Code:

mkdosfs /dev/uba1
mkdosfs 2.11 (12 Mar 2005)
unable to get drive geometry, using default 255/63

Notice the "using default bla". Very nice. Works like a charm.

Does anyone know if the 2.4 slack kernel also uses the ub driver?

edit. Slack 10.1 stock kernel (2.4.29) uses the usb-storage driver. Now I understand why it's the default kernel, stuff like this.