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Format a flash drive??



 
 
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  #1  
Old March 21st 07, 04:07 AM posted to alt.comp.hardware
Bob[_6_]
external usenet poster
 
Posts: 3
Default Format a flash drive??

I've got a LG 1gb flash drive that has corrupted files. CHKDSK says
they are unreadable. The /F option returned the message that the
volume must be dismounted.(?)

So I want to format the sucker and start fresh if possible. Is that
possible?

I assume based upon the message I got from it previously that I need
to use the /X switch with the format command. The help data on the
format command says the /X switch "forces the volume to dismount first
if necessary. All opened handles to the volume would no longer be
valid".

I don't know what that means. What is "volume to dismount" and
"handles to the volume"?


Bob

  #2  
Old March 21st 07, 06:30 PM posted to alt.comp.hardware
kony
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Posts: 7,416
Default Format a flash drive??

On 20 Mar 2007 20:07:43 -0700, "Bob"
wrote:

I've got a LG 1gb flash drive that has corrupted files. CHKDSK says
they are unreadable. The /F option returned the message that the
volume must be dismounted.(?)

So I want to format the sucker and start fresh if possible. Is that
possible?

I assume based upon the message I got from it previously that I need
to use the /X switch with the format command. The help data on the
format command says the /X switch "forces the volume to dismount first
if necessary. All opened handles to the volume would no longer be
valid".

I don't know what that means. What is "volume to dismount" and
"handles to the volume"?


Bob



Assuming Win2k or XP, there should be an icon in the system
tray when a removable drive is detected. You can dismount
it using that. You can also go into My Computer and on it's
properties, choose eject.

However, you don't need to use command line tools, to format
the drive you can treat it like any other drive in the
system. It should not need care if it's corrupted, so long
as partition table is intact, to format a new filesystem.

If the partition table is bad, see what you can do with it
in Disk Management.
  #3  
Old March 21st 07, 07:16 PM posted to alt.comp.hardware
Bob[_6_]
external usenet poster
 
Posts: 3
Default Format a flash drive??

On Mar 21, 12:30 pm, kony wrote:
On 20 Mar 2007 20:07:43 -0700, "Bob"
wrote:





I've got a LG 1gb flash drive that has corrupted files. CHKDSK says
they are unreadable. The /F option returned the message that the
volume must be dismounted.(?)


So I want to format the sucker and start fresh if possible. Is that
possible?


I assume based upon the message I got from it previously that I need
to use the /X switch with the format command. The help data on the
format command says the /X switch "forces the volume to dismount first
if necessary. All opened handles to the volume would no longer be
valid".


I don't know what that means. What is "volume to dismount" and
"handles to the volume"?


Bob


Assuming Win2k or XP, there should be an icon in the system
tray when a removable drive is detected. You can dismount
it using that. You can also go into My Computer and on it's
properties, choose eject.

However, you don't need to use command line tools, to format
the drive you can treat it like any other drive in the
system. It should not need care if it's corrupted, so long
as partition table is intact, to format a new filesystem.

If the partition table is bad, see what you can do with it
in Disk Management.- Hide quoted text -

- Show quoted text -


Thanks for the reply. Are you saying that "dismount" is a physical
action rather than a software action? I could understand that, but
when the term is used as an option of the "format" command, I was
thinking something magic was about to happen.

  #4  
Old March 22nd 07, 01:21 AM posted to alt.comp.hardware
Mike Walsh
external usenet poster
 
Posts: 257
Default Format a flash drive??


You dismount from a horse. You unmount a storage device. If you unmount a drive it can be still physically connected but not available for application use.

Bob wrote:

Thanks for the reply. Are you saying that "dismount" is a physical
action rather than a software action? I could understand that, but
when the term is used as an option of the "format" command, I was
thinking something magic was about to happen.


--
Mike Walsh
West Palm Beach, Florida, U.S.A.
  #5  
Old March 22nd 07, 03:48 AM posted to alt.comp.hardware
CBFalconer
external usenet poster
 
Posts: 919
Default Format a flash drive??

Mike Walsh wrote:

You dismount from a horse. You unmount a storage device. If you
unmount a drive it can be still physically connected but not
available for application use.


Please don't top-post and do limit your line length to 72. 67 is
even better.

After unmounting you may be able to disconnect, with certain
assumptions about power handling. BTW, I find motorcycles much
more subject to mount/dismount than horses :-)

--
Chuck F (cbfalconer at maineline dot net)
Available for consulting/temporary embedded and systems.
http://cbfalconer.home.att.net



--
Posted via a free Usenet account from http://www.teranews.com

  #6  
Old March 22nd 07, 10:56 AM posted to alt.comp.hardware
kony
external usenet poster
 
Posts: 7,416
Default Format a flash drive??

On 21 Mar 2007 11:16:51 -0700, "Bob"
wrote:


Thanks for the reply. Are you saying that "dismount" is a physical
action rather than a software action?


No, unless you call it physical to move your mouse to do the
command.

I could understand that, but
when the term is used as an option of the "format" command, I was
thinking something magic was about to happen.


magic? Just format your drive already.
  #7  
Old March 23rd 07, 04:08 AM posted to alt.comp.hardware
Bob[_6_]
external usenet poster
 
Posts: 3
Default Format a flash drive??

On Mar 22, 2:56 am, kony wrote:
On 21 Mar 2007 11:16:51 -0700, "Bob"
wrote:

Thanks for the reply. Are you saying that "dismount" is a physical
action rather than a software action?


No, unless you call it physical to move your mouse to do the
command.

I could understand that, but
when the term is used as an option of the "format" command, I was
thinking something magic was about to happen.


magic? Just format your drive already.


I did. Couldn't believe that 1gb formatted in 2 sec, but it did and
works fine. Thanks.
BTW, "dismount" is microsoft's term, not mine. (Assuming that DOS is/
was microsoft's brainchild). I kind of liked working with it in those
early days.

 




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