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Format USB Memory Sticks Fat32 How-To.

Started by klipp, 2007.07.19, 02:15:40

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klipp

The following is a "How To" for formatting USB memory sticks from FAT 16 to Fat32 using DFSee ver 8.16 and eCS 2.0 rc1. It is not "Pretty"! -- It is "Pretty Sad"! but it is the only way I could come up with to get my memory sticks formatted FAT32. USE AT YOU'RE OWN RISK!! Hopefully someone will come up with a more intelligent process for accomplishing this in the near future.
     This procedure worked on a Princeton 1gb and a Kingston 4gb Data Traveler, it should work on most others as well.

1: Backup you're config.sys
2: Download & Install DFSee 8.16 (FSys homepage) and usbcfgb7a.zip (HOBBES).
3: Boot system with USB memory stick plugged in.
4: Open a DFSee "Large Window", cancel the logging screen, Click on "OK". After the program stops
    scrolling you should see you're USB stick as the last disk entry.
5: Now select MODE=FDISK>Delete Partition>You're memory stick (should be the last item on the list)
    and say "YES" to Delete the Partition?
6: Next do MODE=FDISK>Create Partition and select you're memory stick (Disk) This will bring up the
    Specify Partition Properties Window.
7: Select "Create a Primary Partition" as well as "Include LVM Information" and "Set as Active
    Partition" leave other entries alone and click on O.K.
8: Answer "YES" in next window "Create the Partition as shown ?"
9: Choose "O.K." in the next window -- using the default IBM (FDISK, LVM) and default DFSee style.
10: In the next window "Set LVM information for partition" Leave Volume Name &  Partition Name" as
      is and enter a Drive letter   Q: (this can be any unused Drive letter, I use Q: as it is unused an all
      machines I have ECS installed on).  Next check both "On BM Menu" & "Installable" then click on
      O.K.
11: In the next "Confirmation Request" window click Yes.
12: Now the program will revert to the DFSee Large Window  screen and you will see you're new
      partition for you're memory stick displayed. It will have an ID (in my case it is 19, it will be different
      most likely for you) with a ">" after the ID Number, and the drive letter you choose in the next
     column "Dr" (in my case -q). As well as the other information pertenent to you're memory stick.
     NOTE: Here is the big problem with memory sticks & eCS & DFSee! The ">" in the ID column HAS
     to be a "R" (for Removable+Active/Bootable). This has to be changed from ">" to "R" -- there is no
     acceptable way of doing this ! (that I know of!) So we proceed as follows to accomplish this.
13: Click on ACTIONS (in the DFSee title Bar)>Format with FAT filesystem>A Partition to be selected>
      you're memory stick partition (it should be the bottom entry).
14: This opens the Specify "FAT/FAT32 formatting options" window. Select 32-bit FAT, this will bring
       up another Formatting Options window.  In this window the ONLY thing you should change is to
       assign the Volume Label you want. I use "USB 1gb F32". Select O.K.  The next window is a
       confirmation window, select YES in it.
15: Now another confirmation request window appears saying it can't lock the destination for writing,
      click on  YES. DFSee will now format you're memory stick FAT32.
16: Now comes the part that REALLY SUCKS! In the DFSee title bar select File>Media
     Management>Eject a Removable Medieum>Select the entry for you're memory stick partition.
    On some machines it will give you a message "Driveletter Q ejected" or on some machines a message
    that it can't eject you're drive because its being used, or most commonly it'll crash the system and tell
    you to re-boot. Fortunetly, the last thing it does before any of the above actions is to change ">" to "R"
    which is the most important thing we were after.
17: Reboot! Now when you start DFSee (DFSee Large Window--> Escape or cancel -->O.K. You should see you're memory stick listed at the bottom of the screen and tagged as "R" rather than ">" and the other pertenent information as well as the volume label you selected. You should now be able to copy files & directories to you're memory stick using a Command prompt window or a file manager I/E Larsen Commander.
18: If this procedure worked for you, Surely "God loves you"!  If it didn't, keep trying, the key to it working is getting the ">" changed to "R".  ---- But wait, we still aren't done!
    There are several different problems you will encounter using you're memory stick, here is a list of the ones I know of and their solutions.
1: Removing USB memory stick usually gives the message "The device Q: has been detached! Loss of
    data possible. -- This is the normal response when a USB  stick is removed, no problem. If you have a
     program open or running that uses the memory stick the system will more than likely crash.-- Reboot
     and all should be O.K. unless item #2 below applies.
2: Plugging the memory stick in to you're machine should give you a message syaing you have an
     additional drive installed and ready to use --- This doesn't happen!  To activate the USB memory stick
     open DFSee large window>File>Media Management>Refresh Removable Media, this should make it
      usable once more.
3: After doing #2 above, go to a command prompt window and initiate some action on you're memory
    stick (copy a file, delete a file, make a directory etc.) you may get a message saying "Drive %1 was
    improperly stopped. From the OS/2 command prompt run CHKDSK with the /F parameter). Run
    CHKDSK /F and things should return to normal.
4: I've read in a couple of different places where it was advised "not to boot you're system with a memory
    stick plugged in" -- my experience has been the exact opposite, I've had better luck leaving the memory
    stick plugged in all the time.
5: Lastly, If you were not successful using this routine, I'd advise you reading Lon Hooker's excellent
    write-up "USB Removables Care & Feeding.

  http://www.os2voice.org/VNL/past_issues/VNL0606H/feature_2.html

   This was the source of much of what I used to create this How-To.
********************************************************************
Windoz Free! eCS 2.0 serving Linux, Windoz & OS2
rklipp@megared.net.mx
********************************************************************

Pete

Hi klipp


Just some points about your informative post:

Booting with removable USB drives attached can cause some systems to fail to boot and on others the drive may not be accessible or, in the case of cardreaders, may not notice when a card is inserted.

You also mention

"1: Removing USB memory stick..." - I do not see any mention of Ejecting that drive prior to Removing it physically; that causes problems. You should RMB on the drive and select Eject then wait for the drive icon to disappear from the Drives folder.

"2: Plugging the memory stick in to..." - Do you have the USB Removable Device Monitor running? I start mine from the Startup folder; Properties are:-

Path and file name
H:\ECS\BOOT\USBMSDD.EXE

The OS/2 alternative is
H:\OS2\BOOT\USBMON.EXE

which should not be confused with the USB Print Monitor

Path and file name
H:\OS2\USBMON.EXE
Parameters
USBPRT


The Only USB Removable that it fails to notify about insertion of is any card plugged into my Internal (always connected) USB Cardreader. This is because IBM never built in the required functionality to work with always attached USB devices - Your problem here could be caused by the device being attached at boot when it is not designed to be.


Hope you found USBcfg helpful - you may want to note that Lon's helpful USB Removables FAQ is included in the Help :-)

Regards

Pete




klipp

Thanks Pete for you're input! The more input we can get from people like you the better!
You're point about "not mentioning ejecting the drive" is a VERY important point that I neglected to include -- thanks for catching it!
As far as the Removable Device Monitor is concerned it is automatically installed with the USBcfg package which I list as a pre-requesite in step #2.
When I get time I'll expierment more with"Booting with memory stick inserted" vs "Booting with no USB inserted".
Thanks again for you're help.
********************************************************************
Windoz Free! eCS 2.0 serving Linux, Windoz & OS2
rklipp@megared.net.mx
********************************************************************

Pete

Hi klipp

Err, No, USBcfg does not install the Removable Device Monitor... I think you may be confusing that with running the USB Resource Manager - which USBcfg does not actually install either, just enables adding it to or removing it from config.sys in a graphical manner :-)


Maybe I should include checks for the USB monitors running in USBcfg and have USBcfg offer to disable/enable them. I'll have to think on how to implement that.

Regards

Pete




klipp

Hey Pete! You're right!! I am confused!! I thought USBcfg installed Removable Device Monitor V1.2 on my system. I just checked another machine that didn't have USBcfg installed and sure enough, there it was in the Start-Up folder -- I guess eCS installs it.
  I think you're idea of including checks for USB monitor is a good idea, you're USBcfg software sure removes a lot of the "Hassel" involved in setting up USB drivers in eCS.
  Now you've got me wondering what else I've forgotten or gotten wrong -- Thanks again for you're input.
********************************************************************
Windoz Free! eCS 2.0 serving Linux, Windoz & OS2
rklipp@megared.net.mx
********************************************************************