Formatting Sandisk Extreme Pro usb 3.0 flash drive.

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Hello

I just purchased Sandisk Extreme Pro usb 3.0 flash drive, 128GB.

Like all DOK which I had before, it’s a FAT32 system.

This is not good for my purpose, due to the 4GB limitation with file transfer.

I read that Sandisk recommend formatting to EXFAT, however my streamer (POPCORN C-200) does not recognize disks with this kind of system.

So actually there is only one  option left  - NTFS.

But it is also not ideal.

According to previous experience, this type of file system, badly affects the performance of the drive.
 Writing/reading speed drops down, almost the same as a USB2.0 disks!

So my questions are:

1 which file system I should use?

2 in case of formatting, what tool you recommend?

Best Reagards

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TTBOMK All Sandisk drives 64GB and larger are formatted at the factory as exFAT, and it handles files larger than 4GB. And that policy has been in place for years.  Which kinda makes me wonder where you got your drive from.

If you have equipment that doesn’t work with exFAT the drive can be formatted as FAT32 but then you have the 4GB file size limitation.

I believe Windows supports formatting large drives as FAT32 but I’m not sure the command sequence to do it.  I’m sure a web search will find it for you. 

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Thanks for the nice reply.

 This drive  had been purchased here in Israel.

I believe that  exFAT could be the best system.

 However what’s the point if my Popcoren C-200 does not recognize it???

I still didn’t see any reference to NTFS.

Is it true that usually this system, badly affects the performance of the drives?

Or maybe the drives which I used until now, were of poor quality, and that’s the reason for dropping down their performance after formatting to NTFS?

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Have you tried formatting with the tool SanDisk recommends?

http://kb.sandisk.com/app/answers/detail/a_id/19258/~/formatting-usb-drives-with-third-party-tools

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NTFS was designed for mechanical hard drives, USB drives are solid state.  NTFS uses journeling to help prevent errors on mechanical hard drives, journeling adds overhead to solid state USB drives.

Near as I can find this works on Windows to format a drive to FAT32.

cmd (Win+R and type cmd) diskpart list disk select disk 1 (1 must be a number of your flash card) clean (this command erase all data on selected disk!!!!) create partition primary select partition 1 format fs=fat32 quick
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Ed

The current state of the drive is FAT32

Regarding to the NTFS, unfortunately my English is very poor.

Is your explanation actually means, that this system is not intended for flash drives, therefore performance will be much slower than what is supposed to be?

Tapeworm

I tried to use this HP tool a few days ago, with another drive.

However, somehow the file system has become RAW, so I couldn’t use it.

Anyway, before choosing the tool for formatting, still the question is exFAT  or NTFS?

NTFS has the problem that Ed presented here, while  exFAT not recognize by Popcoren C-200 streamer.

Or is it should be  recognize?  

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By the way, I read the Popcoren C-200 user guide.

It’s says the following:

The attached USB storage devices must be formatted with Ext2 / Ext3 or FAT16 / FAT32 in order to be compatible with your NMT. This will enable you to upload, change or execute files (NTFS and HFS formatted drives are read-only). Note: FAT16 and FAT32 formats have a file size limitation at 4 GB, which may pose a problem for large media files such as a DVD ISO with minimal compression.

I never heard about Ext2 / Ext3 .

Is it possible to format my drive into these systems?

Is it safe , and what tool can do the work?

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“By the way, I read the Popcoren C-200 user guide.”

Excellent!!

" (NTFS and HFS formatted drives are read-only)"

OK.  So movies you load onto the drive formatted with NTFS from your pc will fit and work.  Sounds like the solution you’re looking for.

"I never heard about Ext2 / Ext3 .

Is it possible to format my drive into these systems?"

Ext2/3/4 are Linux file systems.  Windows doesn’t support them.

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Thank you Ed

Yes, it turns out that NTFS is the only option left.

Even if file transfer will be slower…

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Thanks Tapeworm, this worked for me:-)

It bombed out first time but removing the flash drive, putting it back in and running the HP Tool sorted it :slight_smile:

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@gerg wrote:

Thanks Tapeworm, this worked for me:-)

It bombed out first time but removing the flash drive, putting it back in and running the HP Tool sorted it :slight_smile:

Glad it worked for you! :wink: