how to format ntfs to fat 32

[matrxx dude 5,000+ posts]

i got a 160 gig wd harddrive i would like to use as my source of music in my ride,i heard that the pioneer wont recongnize the harddrive if it aint fat format,another question will my 6000ub even run this hd with fat.thnks john

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[matrxx dude 5,000+ posts]

hmm........

 

[skmfkr 5,000+ posts]

no ipod for suv?

 

[matrxx dude 5,000+ posts]

i prefer hd,much clearer sound

 

[matrxx dude 5,000+ posts]

im running a 4 gig flashdrive now with no problems

 

[skmfkr 5,000+ posts]

im talking to a friend now, and it sounds like you connect the hd along with your current comp hdm and goto my computer, right click and goto manage, then disk management

 

[matrxx dude 5,000+ posts]

i done that and the only format option is still ntfs

 

[tez4life Premium Member]

i got a 160 gig wd harddrive i would like to use as my source of music in my ride,i heard that the pioneer wont recongnize the harddrive if it aint fat format,another question will my 6000ub even run this hd with fat.thnks john

I have a Pioneer 6000UB and use a portable harddrive as well. I use my Creative Zen Vision M MP3 player in hard drive mode at its max (16g) and it works well. I think that the 160 Western Drive will work, but its going to need addition power to work correctly, I dont think the Pioneer's USB port will supply enought power to run it correctly.

Another thing, is the read time on the Pioneer. I have a 1g Kingston that it reads instantly when I get into the car, but the 16g MP3 player takes at least 1 min to read the format before I can get any sound. I imagine it will be much longer with the 160g HD. Just something to consider...

 

[matrxx dude 5,000+ posts]

i kinda figured the extra power was needed.thnks man

 

[poundindak69]

put the 160 in as you main hard drive. then put in a window cd. start loading windows and once it gets done formating turn it off. and there you go

 

[matrxx dude 5,000+ posts]

right,i think i will just stick with flashdrives,i got a 4 gig,im gonna go pick me up a 8 gig,if i cant find something to listen to of 8 gigs of music,something is wrong.lol

 

[skydeaner 10+ year member]

download partition magic and use it

 

[jer_stud56 10+ year member]

I'm almost 100% sure you can't format a 32+ GB harddrive to FAT32. NFTS is the only option for HDD's above 32+GB. HENCE the FAT(32) part.

EDIT: Found it.

You cannot format a volume larger than 32 gigabytes (GB) in size using the FAT32 file system during the Windows XP installation process. Windows XP can mount and support FAT32 volumes larger than 32 GB (subject to the other limits), but you cannot create a FAT32 volume larger than 32 GB by using the Format tool during Setup. If you need to format a volume that is larger than 32 GB, use the NTFS file system to format it. Another option is to start from a Microsoft Windows 98 or Microsoft Windows Millennium Edition (Me) Startup disk and use the Format tool included on the disk.

Source: http://support.microsoft.com/kb/314463

Why not just get a 80 GB Zune and live with that? I really doubt you'll ever listen to all 160 GB of your music in your car. Save the HDD for Home Audio. Hook it up as an external, plug it into the computer, format as NFTS, and plug a headphone--->RCA into the computer into receiver. Good for parties as it lets anyone pick songs.

 

[IonSQL 10+ year member]

download partition magic and use it

^^ Exactly, that's what I used and it took only a few moments to reformat the drive to FAT32

I'm almost 100% sure you can't format a 32+ GB harddrive to FAT32. NFTS is the only option for HDD's above 32+GB. HENCE the FAT(32) part.

No... That's just Windows' formatting limitations... use any 3rd party formatting utility and you can have a FAT32 drive over 32GB

 

[jer_stud56 10+ year member]

^^ Exactly, that's what I used and it took only a few moments to reformat the drive to FAT32


No... That's just Windows' formatting limitations... use any 3rd party formatting utility and you can have a FAT32 drive over 32GB

Hmm. Alright then. Well I was posting based on people above saying put in the Windows install disk. I was just saying that won't work.