Problems Formatting USB Hard Drive.

M

/_\MECCA/_\

New Member
I just finished installing my external USB 30GB hard drive..I can see the USB hard drive as F: in windows & this drive has never been formatted...but when I tried formatting it from windows it says my computer doesn't have enough memory to format.
So....I tried Formatting from MS-DOS in Windows & it says "are you sure you want to proceed? All Data will be lost!" I hit "yes"(or Y) and my computer looks like it's formatting for 4 seconds but it just goes back to the command prompt(and I KNOW it takes alot longer to format 30GB). The drive still is not formatted..

So...I restart..hit F8..go into DOS(not the windows version) and try to format from there....but DOS doesn't see my USB drive(F: drive), I was expecting that but I did it anyway.

This is My system:
Gateway Solo 5150
CPU 333MHZ
CD-ROM
160 MB RAM(Gateway says I can install more but I tried & wouldn't happen)
6 GB Internal Hard Drive
Windows 98 SE
(Yes it's an old system..but it still runs..and I like win98 better anyway)

Any Suggestions...Ideas?

Oh yeah..and the hard drive(USB) doesn't show up in fdisk either...in case someone ask.
 
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Before attempting to format a drive you first have to create one or more partitions on it. Unfortunately 98 didn't have a drive tool like the Disk Management tool found in XP and Vista. From a dos boot floppy fdisk won't see a usb type drive suggesting GParted live for cd would be the tool to use.

The 0.3.3.0 will create Fat as well as NTFS type partitions in addition to the Linux VFat type. If you have a cd writer also needed for booting from a cd-r you can download the iso disk image from http://sourceforge.net/project/showfiles.php?group_id=115843&package_id=173828

You would then a need a program that runs in 98 for burning iso images to disk and making the cd-r a bootable disk not simply a data type burn. The free version of BurnOn will work well for this since it runs on 9X-ME, 2000, XP, and even Vista. http://www.burnworld.com/burnoncddvd/

I haven't had a chance to try GParted on a flash drive yet. But this is one idea to see if it will see the usb drive there over spending on a retail software like Partiion Magic and still not getting anywhere. The alternative option of course would be an upgrade to XP? You probably won't consider that one there.
 
Actually I did something else other what you just posted after reading it. I have another Laptop that has XP on it & is much faster...so I came up with an idea..I just connected my USB Hard Drive to the Laptop with XP & then used Disk Management to Partition & Format the drive to Fat32...but then I got stuck on another problem.....after I reconnected my USB drive back to my Laptop with Win98..my UBS still shows up in "My Computer"..but once again when I try to explore the Hard Drive a dialog box pops up saying.."F:/ Drive Not Accessible, Device is not ready".

I don't understand...I made it FAT32 on XP..I even tested it out on XP by creating a folder & it worked fine on XP..but when I connect my WIN98 Laptop it comes up with that error. I deleted the partition & made it again on XP..and still nothing when it comes to Win98.

Are the FAT32 on XP & Win98 different or something? Please can someone help...
 
The big problem there is obvious and one I can mention here. 98 won't support and even properly detect a usb type hard drive. It shows up as a device but will never be seen as a normal logical drive ready for use. Don't forget usb drives came out after XP not when 98 was first seen. Plus XP can be installed onto a Fat16 or Fat32 type primary since it was made that way for upgrading the old 9X-ME versions as well as NT/2000.
 
I agree, 98 had a lot of problems with USB. Even when running the latest upgrade patches I never had a lot of luck running USB, except for a key board and mouse. Anything else I tried failed.
 
Since the drive is a usb type that wasn't present then the thought of a boot floppy prepared to load dos type usb drivers would be the thing needed if available. The actual size there isn't the problem since fdisk would create a partition easy enough on an internal ide type drive or one working through a controller card like RAID or SCSI.

The Disk Management tool while capable of creating partitions and seeing them formatted is out there since that is strictly for NTFS. The fdisk tool itself was never intended for usb type drives since that was written before they were even marketed.

With a tool like GParted usb drivers would somehow have to be added to the iso image that is capable of creating Fat32 type partitions. One rather expensive item is a usb to SCSI type adapter meaning installing that type of controller card in the 98 laptop. That would allow a more conventional method for the old dos type partitioning tool. http://www.virtuavia.eu/shop/usb-2-0-to-ultra-scsi-controller-adapter-usb2-0-to-hpdb50-p29852.html

I did come across one reference on usb type hard drives that I think will make you a little happoer however.

"With Windows 98, you will need to install drivers provided by the USB hard drive manufacturer if Windows 98 is supported. If you are having a problem with your USB hard drive not being recognized properly or at all, one thing to check is to make sure your motherboard supports USB 2.0. Some older motherboards only supported USB 1.1 and your USB hard drive may require USB 2.0. " http://www.48bitlba.com/usbharddrives.htm

UPDATE:

One two separate threads dealing with the problem of partitioning and formatting a usb drive to see Fat32 one solution would the use of a usb to ide or sata type adapter seen at http://www.cablestogo.com/product.asp?cat%5Fid=1501&sku=30504 Once seen as an internal rather then external drive by fdisk or a drive tool provided by the drive's manufacturer you could then see Fat32 on it.
 
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