1) What is the difference between "deleting" what is on the flash drive and "formatting" it? When you choose "formatting" you have to delete whatever might be on the flash drive anyway. Seems to me they do the same thing except the "deleting" leaves nothing, whereas the "formatting" deletes everything there but also formats. Would that be right?

2)Can I partition a flash drive without deleting all the data on it first? I have seen all kinds of software kind of work-around things but it seems to me the only sensible way of doing it is to copy what's on the flash drive, then format the flash drive and then put the data back on.

The answer to your first question is: Yes, technically formatting does delete and then format.

Now to get to your second question, first make sure you have a safe copy somewhere else of your data (assuming you care at all about the data); then second go ahead and experiment. Try it out. If it works, you'll be terribly proud of yourself for having tried and succeeded. And if it fails, you will have learned something that you are not likely to forget.

Again; always, always start by backing up your data!

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As explained in your other thread to add a new partition without using gparted:

Backup data
Delete original partition
Create smaller partition 1
Create new partition 2
Format filesystem 1
Format filesystem 2
Restore data to partition 1

Yes, you can partition a drive without deleting data. gparted basically performs four operations, resizing the original filesystem, resizing the original partition and creating, formatting a new partition.

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Formatting a partition does not involve deleting the partition, it only deletes the data on the partition. Deleting a partition does more than just format it, and you have to then add a new partition, of any type, or multiple partitions. I have no idea what the "disks" utility does, I don't use Xubuntu. I run gparted directly, and it works on any Linux distro.

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If the flash drive mbr has been written because it was used as a linux live usb.

I delete the thing 1st and hit apply. Then make a new partition on the deleted space.
If just data only. Format is what I only use instead.
Format does not touch the mbr on a flash drive.

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Thanks. Yeah, you're right. You've got to experiment. That's the quickest way to learn.

Thanks but seems complicated. And don't have gparted. All the resizing etc. seems really complicated. I'm hoping some of this stuff is going to get through by osmosis.

Okay, I'm tracking a bit with you but really what's the difference between deleting the partition itself (which would be "delete") and deleting just the data on the partition (which would be "format")? And the format the way you described it would seem to remain (via "formatting" not "deleting") (just deleting the data) and if that's the case why would it ask you to format it again (if only the data was deleted)?

mbr introduces a new (unwanted-lol) element into this discussion. (All complications are loathed.) I looked it up. Master boot record but beats me why I need to be concerned about it.

So the usb flash drive I used to boot the MX14 (made with Unetbootin), that flash drive should be deleted?

However if I just had a usb flash drive with regular data on it then I would be okay just formatting it?

First question: Yes, by all means only delete the flash drive when it is being used as a boot drive.

Second question: Yes, again, go ahead and format the drive when it is only data (assuming you have already backed up the data if you ever want to see it again).

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If you have Ubuntu, then gparted should have been installed. Try running it from the command line, if you can't find it in what passes for a menu.

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Thanks Bruce

Thanks David. I can get it from synaptic or the Ubuntu Software Center. I'm just sticking with Disks for now because I'm starting to understand it.

So, if I want to take a 32GB flash drive that has 1GB of data on it and make that 32GB flash drive have four equal partitions of 8GB each. The only way to do that would be (of course to save my 1GB of data somewhere else) to delete the entire 32GB. Then I would create a partition of 8GB. Then I would create partition number two of 8GB. Then number three and number four. Right?

See my post #3 and add the additional 2 new partitions...

It really is not complicated.

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