Software to format flash drive back to original size?

**Badcrew** · 08-31-2009,03:42 PM

Hi, I have a USB flash drive that is 16GB but now only formats to 4GB! It worked fine before this (I've successfully used all 16GB before) but now Windows just formats it to 4GB for some reason... is there any software that formats a flash drive to a specific size requested, regardless of what the system thinks it (incorrectly...) is? (like ffgriever's MC Annihilator for PS2 MCs)

**kevstah2004** · 08-31-2009,03:59 PM

I'd recommend using Recuva to delete all the hidden data off the device using the Gutmann (35 passes) settings before formatting it.
You could try Panasonic's SDFormatter on it also.

**Northbear** · 08-31-2009,04:36 PM

A 35 pass Gutmann wipe will take very long time and i don't think that this is a good solution for a usbdrive.

Try gparted to see if there is any unsual partition table that don't belong there.

If you can't find any unusual partitioning try to open the usbdrive with an hex-editor that is able to open drives such as winhex.

Overwrite the entire drive with zeros after that make a fat format with Gparted.

Note that 35 pass Gutmann and editing with a hex-editor can harm the drive even more !

If you have any warranty on that drive go for a replace or repair (mostly such devices can't be repaired so it's a replacement).

Best regards
Northbear

**urmele** · 08-31-2009,07:31 PM

If you managed it somehow to make a second partition on your usb stick,
windows xp will only be able to see the first one (and also formats only that one).
Maybe by use of some partitioning software which is capable to recognize
a second partition on a stick, you just could delete them all and format it again.
You could try a trial version of BootitNG to do so (if you have an old PC, you
need to enable USB 2.0 in the setup).

**kevstah2004** · 08-31-2009,10:32 PM

Originally Posted by urmele

If you managed it somehow to make a second partition on your usb stick,
windows xp will only be able to see the first one (and also formats only that one).
Maybe by use of some partitioning software which is capable to recognize
a second partition on a stick, you just could delete them all and format it again.
You could try a trial version of BootitNG to do so (if you have an old PC, you
need to enable USB 2.0 in the setup).

That's what diskmgmt.msc Disk Management is for.

**JNABK** · 08-31-2009,10:56 PM

You might also give the HP USB Disk Storage Format Tool - v2.1.8 a try.

This utility will format any USB flash drive, with your choice of FAT, FAT32, or NTFS partition types. also allows creation of a FAT32 volume larger than 32 GB

**urmele** · 09-03-2009,08:59 PM

Originally Posted by kevstah2004

That's what diskmgmt.msc Disk Management is for.

It's always good to know the possibilities

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