RyanAds13
Level 1 (28 points)
Notebooks

Q: USB Flash Drive Issues

I have a USB that doesn't work. It is an 8GB USB 3.0 flash drive that was formatted and works on my Macbook Pro. The problem comes when I attempt to use it on a Windows device.

When I format as OSX Extended it shows up on Windows but is empty.

When I format as FAT, on Windows it says that the device must be formatted first

Either way, when I go to format it on the Windows device it says that the only available space is 200MB

Any help would be appreciated.

MacBook Pro, OS X El Capitan (10.11.3), Mid 2012

Posted on Sep 7, 2016 2:53 AM

Close
RyanAds13

Q: USB Flash Drive Issues

  • All replies
  • Helpful answers

  • by Matt_Blindside,

    Matt_Blindside Matt_Blindside Sep 7, 2016 3:14 AM in response to RyanAds13
    Level 1 (19 points)
    Sep 7, 2016 3:14 AM in response to RyanAds13

    If you want to use a USB flash drive on multi-platform (OSX, Win, Linux) computers you have the following chance:

    - Format as MS-DOS (FAT):

    Screen Shot 2016-09-07 at 12.07.19.png

    If you wish to boot the drive on a PC or use it with older versions of Windows, you may also need to set the partition scheme to Master Boot Record (MBR) for full Windows compatibility:

    • Click the drive, then select “Partition” tab
    • From the “Partition Layout” dropdown menu, select “1 Partition”
    • Click “Options” and choose “Master Boot Record” as the partition type, then click “OK” and “Apply”

    Drives format very quickly, though the total time taken will depend on the size of the drive.

    The resulting file system is compatible with all versions of Mac OS X, Windows 95, 98, Windows XP, Vista, 7, even Windows 8, Windows 10, it’s one of the most widely recognized and usable file system formats. This makes FAT an ideal file system to use for USB flash drives or external hard drives that are intended for use in environments with multiple operating systems.

     

    ATTENTION! The primary downside to using FAT32 is the file size limit, which limits files on the drive to being 4GB in size or less. If you require single files to be larger than 4GB, use exFAT instead, though you will lose some compatibility with older versions of OS X and Windows.

     

    - Format as NTFS and use a program like Paragon NTFS on your Mac (It costs 15/20$).