USB Flash Drive partitioning

satimis · 03-02-2006, 02:41 AM

Hi folks,

I found something funny on formatting USD Flash Drive.

# mkfs.msdos /dev/sda

Code:

mkfs.msdos 2.8 (28 Feb 2001)
mkfs.msdos: Will not try to make filesystem on '/dev/sda'

Failed

I have to partition the Flash Drive and then run;

# mkfs.msdos /dev/sda1

Code:

mkfs.msdos 2.8 (28 Feb 2001)

It worked.

# mkfs.vfat/mkfs -t vfat/etc. the same.

The Drive must be partitioned. It took me an hour to discover it.

Any suggestion? TIA

B.R.
satimis

jomen · 03-02-2006, 02:48 AM

Quote:

Any suggestion?

About what? This is perfectly normal. You dont put a filesystem to /dev/hda eighter - instead you have 1 or more partitions which then can each have filesystems.
The Flash-Drive is a little harddrive without moving parts.

satimis · 03-02-2006, 03:22 AM

Hi jomen,

Quote:

About what?

Sorry, I haven't made my question clear. I need to format the whole Flash Drive as vfat/msdos. I did not find a solution.

B.R.
satimis

jomen · 03-02-2006, 03:47 AM

but that is what you did!
fdisk /dev/sda
or
cfdisk /dev/sda - 1 (one) partition the size of the whole thing - thats what it is already more than likely
mkfs worked - everything is fine - or are there problems?

satimis · 03-02-2006, 03:56 AM

Hi jomen,

Ran;
# fdisk /dev/sda

# mkfs.msdos /dev/sda1
and
# mkfs -t ext2 /dev/sda2

went through. Neither had complaint.

B.R.
satimis