Is MS-DOS(FAT) the same as FAT32

Hi Connor,

I'm not on Lion, so I cannot test it. MS-DOS(FAT) has at various times stood for FAT16 or FAT32. On my machine, running 10.6, formatting a disk MS-DOS(FAT) using Disk Utility results in FAT16. I can use Terminal to create FAT32.

Unless someone has a definitive answer, why not just format it, then use Get Info on it and it will tell you if it's 16 or 32?

When formatting a drive, one must remember there are two parts.

1: The Partition Table or map - which is the instructions for hardware what partitions etc., are on the drive.

2: The partitions themselves and their format.

On Windows it's easy to format drives, just right click and choose a format, Windows automatically decides a partition table.

On Mac's it's a different story, one has to choose both a partition table AND a format for the partitions.

Drives with no partitions actually have one partition on the drive, it just takes up most of the remaining space on the drive.

Some partition formats and partition tables can't work well with other operating systems.

The best way to format a external drive for use between Windows and Mac's is to:

1: Remove all data off the drive

2: Take the drive to the oldest Windows PC and right click format: exFAT (do not format exFAT on the Mac it does it wrong)

exFAT is cross compatable, can handle larger than 4GB sized files.

A free exFAT download for Windows XP is available from Microsoft if it's not installed.

In some cases older machines and third party hardware can't read the exFAT format, then you will need to format FAT in Windows instead, which it will give it a Master Boot Record for a Partition table.

.Drives, partitions, formatting w/Mac's + PC's

https://discussions.apple.com/community/notebooks/macbook_pro?view=documents

No, it is a standard Fat32 format unless the drive is very small.

The Kobo reader can not read any card larger than 4GB and it can not read SDHC cards (newer, faster, larger cards generally)

If you partition and format a drive in OS X Lion for use with both systems, Windows and OS X, OS X lists the format as MS-DOS (FAT) but it really formats the drive as FAT32.

In Windows, older versions, you could format FAT (also known as FAT16) and FAT32. With Win 7 I think MS has taken out the ability to format any drive of any real size using FAT/FAT16. I would run a test but I don't have any drive, Floppy, that I would even think of formatting FAT16.

Old thread, same issue...

I know that formatting to MS-DOS FAT is supposed to be FAT32, and Get info says that it is (on the Micro-SD card I want to use with my Kobo), but Kobo tells me I have to reformat to FAT32... So is OSX adding some files that other systems might reject?

ds store wrote:

1: Remove all data off the drive

2: Take the drive to the oldest Windows PC and right click format: exFAT (do not format exFAT on the Mac it does it wrong)

The OP is using a Kobo reader, and it does NOT support exFat, any other ideas?

Csound1 wrote:

No, it is a standard Fat32 format unless the drive is very small.

The Kobo reader can not read any card larger than 4GB and it can not read SDHC cards (newer, faster, larger cards generally)

Simply not true. My Kobo Glo can read up to 32GB on the Micro-SD, according to the manual and the Kobo site. I'm only trying to use an 8GB card. There are some who have already opened the device and replaced the internal SD card with a larger one, just to have all the storage on board. I do not need more than 8GB. I may not even need more than the built in 2GB, however the formatting is defeating me.

Csound1 wrote:

The OP is using a Kobo reader, and it does NOT support exFat, any other ideas?

Indeed! And thanks. I'm really puzzled. I thought by now the formatting differences between the two would be sorted, but apparently not. Unfortunately I dont seem to be able to format under the Windows7 install I have in VirtualBox, either, because that install doesnt even *see* the card...

Yeah, I see that now, I pulled info off of their website but seemed to have older info that only refers to an early version.

Still needs Fat32 though, size limit is much higher and SDHC cards can be read.

Csound1 wrote:

Can the card be formatted in the Kobo?

or

Do you have a camera that uses the same cards?

No, the reason I am asking here is because the Kobo rejected the card out of hand after I had formatted with Disk Utility and is what prompted my original post, and No.. but that would not help in any case because all cameras place their own folders on the cards.

I'm going to try a different SD card reader port and try the virtual machine again.

I have a question, these cards are formatted as Fat32 when new, why did you reformat, was there a problem?

And do you have another card to try, just in case this issue is with the card and not the Mac. (I have an 09 MBP, it formats SD cards just fine)

Csound1 wrote:

I have a question, these cards are formatted as Fat32 when new, why did you reformat, was there a problem?

The card had previously been used in an android phone. And no... no other cards, all others are in use. Thanks for your input, I'll manage now.

kyte wrote:

I know that formatting to MS-DOS FAT is supposed to be FAT32, and Get info says that it is (on the Micro-SD card I want to use with my Kobo), but Kobo tells me I have to reformat to FAT32...

What likely occured is the partition table is not MBR.

Remove all data off the device, then head to Disk Utiltiy and select the device on the left, then Parititon and select 1, option: MBR and format: MSDOS.

This will give it the MBR (master boot record) and FAT format.

So is OSX adding some files that other systems might reject?

Yes it's possible.

OS X Finder adds hidden files like .ds_store and .Trashes to all drives and disks/folders to keep track of icon placement and deleted files.

These hidden files have a period in front of them to make it easy to find (on Windows that is) on OS X it makes them hidden and even if you make them visible with TinkerTool, then delete them, OS X will just place them back on again.

The only safe way to delete these hidden files is to mount the drive in Windows first and delete them before connecting the storage device to another one that is sensitive to these files.

.

Can the card be formatted in the Kobo?

or

Do you have a camera that uses the same cards?