Formatting
From ITS Wiki - Information Technology Services - University of Rhode Island
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Notes
Note that newer versions of Windows will not format media larger than 32 GB as anything other than NTFS. Users who wish to format larger drives as FAT32 must use a different operating system or specialty program.
Physical Connection
- Thumb drives - Simply plug the device into an unused, powered USB port (back of a tower).
- Hard drives - Use an IDE/SATA to USB connector or an external USB drive case.
- Micro/SD - Use the appropriate card reader connected to USB.
NTFS
Linux
Many distributions of Linux-based operating systems now come equipped with NTFS format and read/write tools. Specifically, see the ntfsprogs and ntfs-3g packages.
Windows
1. Right-click on Computer, and select Manage. In the left-hand pane under Storage, select Disk Management.
2. Find the mounted drive in the lower pane. Right-click it and select, New Partition. It should use the following properties,
- Format as NTFS
- Primary partition
- Assign a drive letter
3. Right-click the Safely Remove Hardware icon in the taskbar before physically disconnecting the drive.
Mac
Currently there is no write support for NTFS on Mac.
FAT32
Linux
1. Unmount the drive with the command, umount /dev/sdX1.
2. Enter, mkfs.vfat -F 32 /dev/sdX1.
Windows
1. Right-click on Computer, and select Manage. In the left-hand pane under Storage, select Disk Management.
2. Find the mounted drive in the lower pane. Right-click it and select, New Partition. It should use the following properties,
- Format as FAT32
- Primary partition
- Assign a drive letter
3. Right-click the Safely Remove Hardware icon in the taskbar before physically disconnecting the drive.
Macintosh
1. In the menubar at the top, click Go, and select Utilities.
2. Double-click on the Disk Utility icon. Select the drive in the left pane.
3. In the right pane, select the Erase tab. Select "MS-DOS"in the drop-down.
4. Provide a new drive name and click Erase.
