reformatting flash drive

I received a 16GB flash drive as a gift, it's not branded. I want reformat to NFTS. When I plug it in is shows up but doesn't give me the option to format to nfts. I'm running windows xp and I did go to the policies tab and changed it to optimize for performance. I tried reformatting under disk management and the cmd prompt. Any suggestions.

Thanks

 

Hi mcintire21 Why do you want to reformat, to NFTS?
I have XP, and a lot of Flash Drives, all running FAT32,with no issues whatsoever.

 

Try this.

-- Goku

 

Hi again mcintire21.
Try this method first,step for step.
I tested on 3 Computers and worked like a charm.
Are you sure you pressed the OK box after selecting "Optimize for performance"?

Insert the USB flash drive into the USB port.

Open System Properties, pressing Win+Break.

Select Hardware tab -> Device Manager.

Find Disk Drives, expand it.

Find the USB flash drive you want to format, and double-click it. It opens the Properties dialog box.

Click Policies tab.

By default, the ‘Optimize for quick removal’ option is turned on; switch it to ‘Optimize for performance’, and then press OK.

Now open My Computer. Click the right mouse button on USB Flash Drive and Select Format... The Format dialog box now appears.

Select NTFS in the File System field.

Press Start, and wait while the process will be completed.

Now your USB Flash Drive is formatted with NTFS format.

HTH.

 

OR

Insert the drive, And Use the Disk Managment Application

How to use Disk Management

To start Disk Management:

1. Log on as administrator or as a member of the Administrators group.
2. Click Start, click Run, type compmgmt.msc, and then click OK.
3. In the console tree, click Disk Management. The Disk Management window appears. Your disks and volumes appear in a graphical view and list view. To customize how you view your disks and volumes in the upper and lower panes of the window, point to Top or Bottom on the View menu, and then click the view that you want to use.

NOTE: Computer Help Forums recommends that you create a full back up of your disk contents before you make any changes to your disks or volumes.

you should see your flash drive as a Removable 16GB,

Right Click on it, and in the Menu select Format, you should then have a window that opens giving you the option to change the Volume name, and under that the file system, in the drop down menu select NTFS, and then click OK.

 

Followed exactly. Recieved this "windows was unable to complete format"

 

Fat32 is the only option under file system

 

I want to be able to transfer larger files then what fat32 allows.

 

I tried it and it said "Failed to format device"

 

OK the, right

two options format it in a machine running Vista or later

or try doing it this way

Converting FAT32 to NTFS in Windows XP

but don't do C:\ use the USB drive letter.

 

If you do decide to reformat to NTFS - you cannot plug that stick into say a PS3 or XBOX 360.
If you are wanting to use large files - put them on a DVD-RW

 

Are there flash drives out there that cant be formatted to ntfs?

 

You should be able to formate any Flash drive to any file system you desire, I cant understand why your copy of XP won't format it. unless it's not got SP1 or SP2 installed as originally XP worked on FAT.

I have a number of Flash drives and they are all formated to NTFS, I even got a spare one and Formated it to FAT then placed it into my wife's XP machine and Formated it to NTFS using the Disk Management Tool in XP just to check that what I posted was correct.

All Dalo is pointing out is that the FAT file system is transerable between different things where as NTFS has limitations but if all you are doing is transfering files for Back up, or from one PC to another then I see no reason why you shouldn't be able to use a Flash Drive formated to NTFS.

 

OK been looking and found this, step by step instructions with pictures if you try this way, and if you have problems you can point us to which step, and whats different in the pictures,

NTFS.com Format USB Flash Drive to NTFS file system.

 

I had already tried this but I tried again. Followed step by step. Selected NTFS, hit start, the green bar at the bottom filled all the way up, then I get a message saying "Windows was unable to complete the format".. I have SP3 installed.....Any Ideas

 

OK there are two options that I can think of other than putting it in a Vista or Windows 7 Machine.

one try using Linux to format the drive

two use something like Paragon Disk Management tool.

 

I used the paragon partition manager and it says it successfully formatted the drive to NTFS. However when I go to my computer and try to open it I get this "E:\ is not accessible. The file or directory is unreadable." Also under my computer when I right click on it and go to properties it says the file system is "RAW".

 

My guess, is you would have to run a File recovery Software Program.
I would also run CHKDSK.

RAW File Description.

"Raw file system is a situation where the extension of your file system files has been deleted and the operating system can't recognize the particular volume and access the data from it."

 

and if you look at it using paragon what does it say the file system is? and do you have access to another machine? what does it say in it is in there?

Im beginning to think your installation of XP has developed a little quirk and wont recognise NTFS.

 

If I run chkdsk while its formatted in fat32 windows says everything is fine. It wont run chkdsk if its raw.