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[solved] GParted Fat16 =! Windows Fat16

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    #1

    [solved] GParted Fat16 =! Windows Fat16

    I've discovered something kinda' strange about GParted; in the process of attempting to get the Texas Instruments card reader on my laptop to read my camera's MS (Memory Stick) card, I formatted the card to see if that would make any difference ("dmesg" gives me the error message "msblk0: unknown partition table" when I insert the card into the card reader). GParted detected the card was formatted as Fat16, so I re-formatted it to Fat16 (from my desktop), however, when I inserted it into my camera, I began receiving "Format error" messages. So, I removed the card and re-formatted it to Fat32 using kmformat (Fat16 isn't an option) and re-inserted it back into the camera, which gave me the same "Format error" message. I then re-formatted the card - again - using Windows' formatting tool, and it worked . . . what's the deal with that
    Asus G1S-X3:
    Intel Core2 Duo T7500, Nvidia GeForce 8600M GT, 4Gb PC2-5300, 320Gb Hitachi 7k320, Linux ( )
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    #2
    Re: GParted Fat16 =! Windows Fat16

    Huh, well here's another interesting fact: the formatting tool in Vista doesn't work either, only the one in XP :P
    Asus G1S-X3:
    Intel Core2 Duo T7500, Nvidia GeForce 8600M GT, 4Gb PC2-5300, 320Gb Hitachi 7k320, Linux ( )
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      #3
      Re: GParted Fat16 =! Windows Fat16

      Somebody over at the GParted forums filled me in:

      Memory cards don't work like disks. This is an issue of their firmware. Some of them (especially older usb memory sticks) work like floppy disks and can't be partitioned. They often have a special software to format them (in a mini cdrom or from the manufacturer's web page). Some newer usb models can be partitioned.

      Memory cards in photo cameras, portable telephones etc are usually formatted by the device's menu.

      Gparted works on partitioned media that follow the hard disk's model.
      Asus G1S-X3:
      Intel Core2 Duo T7500, Nvidia GeForce 8600M GT, 4Gb PC2-5300, 320Gb Hitachi 7k320, Linux ( )
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        #4
        Re: [solved] GParted Fat16 =! Windows Fat16

        Thanks Integr8e.

        My camera uses an SD card, and like you say the camera does the formatting when I put a blank new card in it.

        I bought a cheapie USB SD card reader, and it's interesting that, when I insert the card in the reader, Linux will happily pop open a window and ask me what I want to do with it. Not only can I copy the photos off the card and onto my computer, but if I want to I can use the card to save data (of course the camera doesn't see anything but photos on it). Over the holidays I picked up a 2GB SD card at WalMart for $29, so there's some cheap storage if I wanted to use it that way.

        But you are correct -- it doesn't behave like a hard disk drive -- more like a floppy or CD.
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          #5
          Re: [solved] GParted Fat16 =! Windows Fat16

          No problem It still strikes me kinda' strange, though, that XP's formatting tool worked, but not GParted's or Vista's.
          Asus G1S-X3:
          Intel Core2 Duo T7500, Nvidia GeForce 8600M GT, 4Gb PC2-5300, 320Gb Hitachi 7k320, Linux ( )
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            #6
            Re: [solved] GParted Fat16 =! Windows Fat16

            In fact, Puppy Linux has an automatic option to install to USB stick (flash drive), and if the stick is an older model, you can select the format option your are referring to:

            From my post on GRUB on Thumb Drive (Puppy Linux):
            “For old/quirky BIOSes: Interestingly, you can use the [Puppy] Universal Installer to install a superfloppy mode to your UFD [USB Flash Drive], where you have no MBR, no partitions, and the drive is accessible as /dev/sdc (no partition designation).) “
            An intellectual says a simple thing in a hard way. An artist says a hard thing in a simple way. Charles Bukowski
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              #7
              Re: [solved] GParted Fat16 =! Windows Fat16

              I admire Puppy; they've really developed an excellent, low resource OS. I especially like the features of being able to load the entire OS into 128mb of RAM and the ability to save your profile to the CD (if you have a CD burner) without the need of a hard drive. They're doing something great; I hope we can port some of their ideas to Kubuntu, and vice-versa.
              Asus G1S-X3:
              Intel Core2 Duo T7500, Nvidia GeForce 8600M GT, 4Gb PC2-5300, 320Gb Hitachi 7k320, Linux ( )
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                #8
                Re: [solved] GParted Fat16 =! Windows Fat16

                I don't keep or use all these flash drives I build (I wipe them with GParted and start over with something else). However, I have kept two: one has both K/ &Ubuntu LIVE (on a 2 GB flash drive); and the other is a 512 MB San Disk that has GRUB, Super GRUB Disk Live, GParted, and Puppy (and some 250 MB for FAT32 data use). Only problem is, I've had no time to play much with Puppy yet, but am looking forward to doing so.


                How To Make GRUB Thumb Drive
                http://kubuntuforums.net/forums/inde...opic=3081748.0
                (and Reply #10 and others there)
                An intellectual says a simple thing in a hard way. An artist says a hard thing in a simple way. Charles Bukowski
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