Formatting a 64GB MicroSD card?

trebor · Jun 23, 2022

It looks like the 32GB MicroSD card in my Nav V has given up the ghost.
As it happens, I have a barely used 64GB card I can use but I need to format it to FAT32.

There are a few, free, 3rd party programs out there that will do the job but I am very wary of downloading stuff because of the possibility of it introducing bloatware and/or nefarious software to my PC.

Can anyone please recommend suitable, safe, software to do the job?

Cheers

Bob

Snaf · Jun 23, 2022

Stick it in a pc or laptop and use file explorer to find the drive > right click on the drive icon > format is an option.

chablis · Jun 23, 2022

Does it need to be Fat32 ? some older devices need that, yes there are some free utilities out there that will do that.

Otherwise a regular reformat should be simple enough in a computer.

Snaf · Jun 23, 2022

I've just checked my pc Win10 and it doesn't offer FAT32 but the laptop running XP does.

trebor · Jun 23, 2022

Hi Guys,
No, you can't format a 64GB card to FAT32 using Windows 10 (it can be done if you reduce the partition, but I'd rather stick with one partition), hence the need to use a 3rd party utility.
Yes, to use in a Nav V or Nav VI it needs to be FAT32.

Caerelon9176 · Jun 23, 2022

If you have an old digital camera and a SD adaptor that fits that micro SD, you can format it on that. I have a canon EOS that will do that as I've used it before to do exactly the same.Just went back in a deleted the folder for the images via file explorer.

I take it you used command console in Win 10?, not sure of the number of clusters and you may be right given the max size before it wants NTFS. Go to console and type: 'cd..', then 'Format /?' it tells you halfway down the max clusters it will accept. DON'T MISTYPE OR HIT ENTER!

trebor · Jun 23, 2022

Caerelon9176 said:
If you have an old digital camera and a SD adaptor that fits that micro SD, you can format it on that. I have a canon EOS that will do that as I've used it before to do exactly the same.Just went back in a deleted the folder for the images via file explorer.

I take it you used command console in Win 10?, not sure of the amount of clusters and you maybe right given the max size before it wants NTFS. Go to console and type: cd.., then Format /? it tells you halfway down the max clusters it will accept. DON'T MISSTYPE!

I'll check out the Digital camera method, thanks, I think I may have a couple that take an SD card.
I did try using the command console to format the card and it wouldn't have it.

chablis · Jun 24, 2022

You can download a utility from a reputable company.

something like.

https://www.verbatim.com/index/search.php?words=fat32+tool
or
https://www.seagate.com/gb/en/support/downloads/item/samsung-format-utility-master-dl/

er-minio · Jun 24, 2022

What chablis said.

I use: https://www.sdcard.org/downloads/formatter/

MartinK · Jun 24, 2022

As above. I got a free download of "MiniTool Partition Wizard", it allowed me to make a 32gb partition on a 64gb SD card, and then it worked in my NAV6. I have version 10, but it looks like its now Version 12
https://www.partitionwizard.com/free-partition-manager.html

trebor · Jun 24, 2022

chablis said:
You can download a utility from a reputable company.

something like.

https://www.verbatim.com/index/search.php?words=fat32+tool
or
https://www.seagate.com/gb/en/support/downloads/item/samsung-format-utility-master-dl/

er-minio said:
What chablis said.

I use: https://www.sdcard.org/downloads/formatter/

MartinK said:
As above. I got a free download of "MiniTool Partition Wizard", it allowed me to make a 32gb partition on a 64gb SD card, and then it worked in my NAV6. I have version 10, but it looks like its now Version 12
https://www.partitionwizard.com/free-partition-manager.html

Thanks guys, I'd forgotten that the likes of Seagate/Verbatim/etc. provide free online utilities. I'll check them out.

trebor · Jun 24, 2022

Now sorted, thanks to all for your suggestions.

Here's what I found:

Formatting the card in a camera with an SD slot didn't work, it still formatted in exFAT (my camera must have been too new!).

After looking at all the suggestions, my preferred choice was the one from sdcard.org as this was from the organisation that promotes SD standards. This didn't work, it would only format in exFAT, it didn't give any choices to change (that I could see).

Then I tried the one from verbatim.com. This worked a treat, formatting the card in FAT32, and the card works a treat in my Nav V.

I also thought I'd try the one from seagate.com. This is a Samsung utility and since the device I was trying to format wasn't a Samsung device it wouldn't let me format it.

The other suggestions required setting up 32MB partitions which I didn't want to do, so I didn't try them.

Anyway, thanks to all for your suggestions, but especially to chablis as it was one of his suggestions that resolved the problem. :thumb2

chablis · Jun 24, 2022

Ah shucks, thanks. :blush

It is funny with memory, and the way the file systems have tried to play catchup.

Recently announced 1.5Tb micro sd card , now format that to Fat 32

https://www.theregister.com/2022/06/21/micron_i400_microsd/

Formatting a 64GB MicroSD card?

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