Format FAT32 over 32GB on XP/Vista

by aadhu on Apr.30, 2008, under Fixes, How-To's, Tips n Tricks, Vista

NTFS is great we all know, but there is still need for FAT formatted drives (ie: in embedded media players, cross platform compatibility). But since windows 2k/XP Microsoft introduced an limitation on FAT32 filesystem. As they say here.

You cannot format a volume larger than 32 gigabytes (GB) in size using the FAT32 file system during the Windows XP installation process. Windows XP can mount and support FAT32 volumes larger than 32 GB (subject to the other limits), but you cannot create a FAT32 volume larger than 32 GB by using the Format tool during Setup. If you need to format a volume that is larger than 32 GB, use the NTFS file system to format it. Another option is to start from a Microsoft Windows 98 or Microsoft Windows Millennium Edition (Me) Startup disk and use the Format tool included on the disk.

So the only way to format a drive larger then 32GB in FAT32 is to use third party tools like Partition Magic, Paragon Partition Manager, but these are not free, an often pretty large downloads. An freeware alternative to manage partitions would be the well knows linux app GParted, which also comes as a livecd.

But even better option is fat32format, a small DOS app that will let you format any drive in FAT32.

Usage is pretty straightforward:

fat32format.exe z:

If you think the app was useful you can support the author by going to his homepage and donating.

:32gb, disk, drive, fat, fat32, format, harddisk, playstation, ps2, ps3, Vista, windows, windows seven, windows7, xp

33 Comments for this entry

Paul
September 2nd, 2008 on 6:16 pm
You can also do the following from a cmd window:

format x: /FS:FAT32
hikuta punch
October 6th, 2008 on 6:51 am
actually this doesnt help at all since I cant partition over 32gb in the first place with XP and this program only formats partitions already made…(as does the above command by the other commenter)
Jeff
October 19th, 2008 on 8:40 pm
Your wrong Paul, that command only formats to 32GB in vista. You need this file if you want to format larger than 32GB.
Ashley
October 24th, 2008 on 2:56 pm
Sorry Jeff your wrong.
I just formatted a 320gb drive in Vista from the command prompt with the above command from Paul.
It’s only the gui that limits you to 32gb. thats a microsoft limitation.
Scott
February 19th, 2009 on 3:25 pm
Don’t listen to the argument in the comments, this program works. (I use Vista)

Plus it’s way faster than at formatting than Vista’s default method.
Peter
July 22nd, 2009 on 1:13 pm
format x: /FS:FS32 does not work for me (on both XP and Vista).
fat32format works. And it only takes a few seconds to format a drive.
Peter
July 25th, 2009 on 8:03 am
My mistake. format x: /FS:FAT32 actually works just fine. Now, my question is that it takes around 30 minutes to format a 160GB hard drive using format, whereas it only takes 2 seconds using fat32format. Are they produce the same result? Or which method is recommended? Thanks!
Andrew
August 9th, 2009 on 3:30 am
fat32format works perfectly!!
i spent ages trying to use different software like swissknife and HP USB disk storage format tool etc, and they didnt manage to do it correctly, and then i tried this ridiculously simple way, and it worked!!!

thanx very much guys!
Cangaseira
August 10th, 2009 on 8:56 am
from command promt can be formated easyly in XP or
Vista.It worked for me.Cheers
Very grateful person
August 24th, 2009 on 11:06 pm
Brilliant!
Having tried Swisknife and default Windows formatting.
Windows took about 7 hours and then said drive was too big at 100% when using command prompt.
Swisknife didn’t even start to format the drive before giving me an error.
This took 3 point something seconds and worked like a dream!
Thank you so much
Damon
August 27th, 2009 on 5:13 pm
Big THANKS
I have an external drive which needs to be formatted in FAT32.
Command prompt in Vista took over 2 hrs to tell me that the drive was too big to format in FAT32, This did the trick in seconds.
Excellent!
Sheraz
August 29th, 2009 on 7:12 pm
I get the following message:

E:\>fat32format.exe e:
Warning ALL data on drive ‘e’ will be lost irretrievably, are you sure
(y/n) :y
Failed to open device – close any files before formatting and make sure you have
Admin rights when using fat32format
Are you SURE you’re formatting the RIGHT DRIVE!!!
GetLastError()=32: The process cannot access the file because it is being used b
y another process.

Can anyone help?
aadhu
August 30th, 2009 on 2:49 am
is e: drive the one you need to format? make sure u don’t have anything accessing the drive.. open explorer window or program and such.. best thing to do is restart your sytem and try again.
are you using vista? then run fat32format.exe in an elevated command window (start menu –> type “cmd” in the search programs and files when you see cmd icon on the start menu right click and click “run as administrator)

also a lil while back Paul stated that the following command (x being the drive letter) i have not personally tested it. You can try using it.
format x: /FS:FAT32

hope that helps.
AnnNC
August 30th, 2009 on 5:01 am
Worked for several hours trying to get my external drive formated to FAT32. Needed to backup my PS3. Finally, between uping my administrative rights and following this informating, I am backing up the PS3. Thank you sooo much.
jonny
September 6th, 2009 on 5:19 pm
well i tryed doing this and it go to 100% thin said this file is to big to format
and i need it to be formeted this way for my ps3
adib
September 25th, 2009 on 12:05 pm
love this app..it seriously saved me from my miseries..but it can’t do partitioning though..

but it definitely does its job perfectly
Ciso Kid
September 30th, 2009 on 8:21 pm
Aadhu! You are a freaking genius! I spent about 2 hours online trying to find a program to format my 500GB external hard drive to FAT32 and nothing… then your website came along! You are a life saver! I swear I jumped up in joy when I saw the XBOX360 picking up my HD! Thanks a lot!
pete
October 4th, 2009 on 11:36 am
I had same problem w/Sheraz above. You need to make sure you have admin rights as aadhu described:

–> type “cmd” in the search programs and files when you see cmd icon on the start menu right click and click “run as administrator)

Then copy and paste the fat32format.exe on the C:\ drive and run it from there. It formatted my 1T freeagent external hard drive in a few seconds!

Than you!!!
Nicholas
October 7th, 2009 on 12:58 pm
I tried.. it doesnt make it the full 300gb, how is it supposed to do it?
I had to first format in windows to even be able to use the program, and then it ends up just formating that which is already formated – please help!
Nicholas
October 7th, 2009 on 1:12 pm
Easeus Partition Master ! So easy, so fast – and it works!
norgan
October 27th, 2009 on 8:47 pm
Actually the format command in Windows 7 still cannot do over 32gb. This utility is a god sent.
Natalie
October 28th, 2009 on 3:25 pm
This doesnt work on my PC, Im running Vista and trying to format a HD to work with both mac & PC, so I tried the fat32format.exe, I downloaded it, opened the cmd prompt, typed in fat32format.exe k: – and it says:
‘fat32format.exe is not recognised as an internal or external command, operable program or batch file.’
I dont know what to do now :[ help!
aadhu
October 28th, 2009 on 4:10 pm
@Natalie
after opening cmd you have to navigate to the place where you extracted the fat32format.exe (eg: if you extracted it to the root of C drive (C:\), after opening command prompt type “cd /” without the quotes to navigate to C:\)

Let me know how it goes…
jay
November 5th, 2009 on 12:37 pm
Tried both methods. The first method does not work. It may because I am using Windows 7 (Version 6.1.7600). The latter does work, but has been running over two hours just to format 30% of a 64 GB 2.0 drive. I’m using this for a PS3 HD swap. The thumb was FAT32 formatted at first, and downloaded the PS3 backup, but could not restore. Unsure if there is a problem w/ the thumb, considering the slownes and the fact it couldn’t restore.
Nidhi
November 19th, 2009 on 12:44 am
Ok I tried several times without success. Finally what I did was go to the ‘Disck Management’ in Vista (right click My Computer->Manage->Disk Manager) and deletes the volume of the drive. Then I assigned it a drive letter, without formatting it there. Then used the fat32format from C: (Copy it to the root of c:) and Bingo ! Hope this helps.
Mark
January 6th, 2010 on 10:26 am
Windows is annoying and all I wanted was to format my 320 gb HD so that my ps3 would recognize my HD. Using windows before I had to allocate 32 GB to a primary partition and the rest to an extended NTFS partition. It was horribly annoying, even if windows can complete this command, this small dos file was easy to download and install and worked very effeciently. Thanks again.
Jonny
January 9th, 2010 on 5:46 am
the fat32format process works and will do it in seconds as long as when you open the CMD program you do so by right clicking it and run it as administrator, if you open it this way you wont get an error msg and it should go straight through.
nwhockey14
January 31st, 2010 on 12:49 am
everytime i try to open the FAT32 formatter it closes immediately
aadhu
January 31st, 2010 on 1:13 am
@nwhockey14 thats because your opening the file directly. Open a cmd window navigate to where you have downloaded the file and use the command to format the drive.
nwhockey14
January 31st, 2010 on 9:12 pm
@aadhu can u explain how to do that? i’m not very cmd savvy
Puppu
February 10th, 2010 on 2:22 pm
It really works.I used it on Vista & it asked me to run as administrator so i set [fat32format.exe] to run as sdministrator to work.
Great for using hard disk as removable storage for PS3.

Thank you very much.
AdamCap82
February 11th, 2010 on 11:20 pm
Hello. I am new to this site and tried to use Fat32Format to format a 87gb external HD so I can back up my PS3. When I tried to run and format the HD I got a message on the cmd prompt that read “GetLastError=5: Access is Denied”. I am signed onto the computer with an admin user. Is this something I need to change under the User settings from the Control Panel.

Im sure its a stupid question, but any help would be greatly appreciated.
aadhu
February 13th, 2010 on 1:24 am
which version of windows are you on?

if you are using windows vista or 7 you need to run cmd in administrator mode. even if you are logged in as administrator.