Can't access FAT(32) disks

  • Thread starter Thread starter Percival P. Cassidy
  • Start date Start date
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Percival P. Cassidy

I have WinXP SP3 on one machine and find that I am no longer able to
access FAT32-formatted thumb drives or FAT-formatted floppies: I can
read them on other systems, but this machine tells me they are unformatted.

I reformatted a floppy but it still showed as unformatted. chkdsk found
no errors, but the disk still is reported to be unformatted.

RMB -> Properties shows:

File System: RAW

What has happened here?

Perce
 
Percival said:
I have WinXP SP3 on one machine and find that I am no longer able to
access FAT32-formatted thumb drives or FAT-formatted floppies: I can
read them on other systems, but this machine tells me they are
unformatted.
I reformatted a floppy but it still showed as unformatted. chkdsk
found no errors, but the disk still is reported to be unformatted.

RMB -> Properties shows:

File System: RAW

What has happened here?
Click to expand...


- Windows XP _______ Edition with Service Pack 3
- What antivirus software?
- What antimalware software?
- Any third party firewalls?
- What changed between the day you last noticed everything was fine and the
first day you noticed everything wasn't fine?
 
Percival said:
I have WinXP SP3 on one machine and find that I am no longer able to
access FAT32-formatted thumb drives or FAT-formatted floppies: I can
read them on other systems, but this machine tells me they are
unformatted.
I reformatted a floppy but it still showed as unformatted. chkdsk
found no errors, but the disk still is reported to be unformatted.

RMB -> Properties shows:

File System: RAW

What has happened here?
Click to expand...


What has happened is that floppies and floppy drives are notoriously
unreliable nowadays. Can't say about your thumb drive.



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dadiOH
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- Windows XP _______ Edition with Service Pack 3
Click to expand...

XP Home
- What antivirus software?
- What antimalware software?
- Any third party firewalls?
Click to expand...

None in operation at the time.
- What changed between the day you last noticed everything was fine and the
first day you noticed everything wasn't fine?
Click to expand...

I've so seldom used floppies or FAT32-formatted media on this machine
that a whole lot of changes will have taken place in the meantime.

Further information:

I insert a floppy that has been formatted on another machine.
DIR A: from command prompt reports no recognizable file system.
CHKDSK /F A: reports file system is FAT, no errors found.
DIR A: reports no recognizable file system.
FORMAT A: reports success.
CHKDSK /F A: reports file system is FAT, no errors found.
DIR A: reports no recognizable file system.

Double-click on disk icon in My Computer reports disk is not formatted.
RMB -> Format reports disk cannot be formatted (or perhaps it was format
cannot be completed).
Take disk to another machine; CHKDSK /F A: reports that file system is
FAT, no errors found.
I copy files to that disk on that machine; success.
Bring disk back to the problem computer; DIR A: reports no recognizable
file system.

Google found a reference to this (or a similar) problem at

http://www.updatexp.com/scannow-sfc.html

I copied the i386 folder from the installation CD to C:, made the
recommended changes to the registry, and ran

sfc /scannow

Nothing has changed as far as FAT-formatted media are concerned.

Perce
 
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