FAT32 USB Drive Capacity Overstated?

That’s a nice picture. It clearly shows where the error comes from. It is calculating space available from free space + purgeable. If you do the match, the first screenshow shows the same thing.

The problem is that the “purgeable” value comes from Spotlight, the source of most of the inaccurate file system information. What’s even scarier is that it Spotlight is so deeply embedded into the operating system that you could almost call it spotlightOS.

Are you giving all these drives the same name? Try formatting one using a new name. Try restarting your computer too.

Unfortunately, any “high level” Apple file system information from places like About this Mac > Storage, Finder, and Disk Utility can often be wildly inaccurate.

Something is obviously wrong! Also, the "date created" is a virtual zero (1970, the beginning of the Unix "era"...)

I suggest you copy your content somewhere else, then reformat the drive and see how things look.

etresoft wrote:

That’s a nice picture.

Thank you. I took it myself. 😎 I did notice the free space + purgeable total. There are quite a few errors that have crept into macOS. I wonder sometimes if it's gotten too complex to sort them all out.

The Created: date is wrong as well. Might have something to do with it.

Richard Morris wrote:

Try it on your own USB sticks.

Okay…

oops, wrong format. bbiab.

Too weird.

I formatted this 4GB flash drive twice, once on an iMac Pro running Mojave and once on an iMac running High Sierra. The Created and Modified dates were the same and both incorrect.

All I can guess is it has something to do with the brand, capacity, and model of the flash drive.

Yes it sure is. Mine are correct as far as the capacity. Just the dates are wrong. I have no idea what the issue might be.

Seems so…