Format a flash drive??

  • Thread starter Thread starter Bob
  • Start date Start date
B

Bob

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
 
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
Click to expand...


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.
 
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 -
Click to expand...

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.
 
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.
 
Mike said:
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.
Click to expand...

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 :-)
 
Thanks for the reply. Are you saying that "dismount" is a physical
action rather than a software action?
Click to expand...

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.
Click to expand...

magic? Just format your drive already.
 
No, unless you call it physical to move your mouse to do the
command.


magic? Just format your drive already.
Click to expand...

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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