View previous topic :: View next topic |
Author |
Message |
Hans Wedemeyer
Joined: 15 Sep 2003 Posts: 226
|
128MB SD card how to partition it to 4 X 32MB |
Posted: Tue May 11, 2004 11:00 pm |
|
|
Tried to partition a 128megbyte SD card on Windows 2000 and found the option is not available.
If you know of a program that will let me turn a 128MegByte SD card into 4 drives using FAT16 I’d appreciate a link .
hansw |
|
![](templates/subSilver/images/spacer.gif) |
TSchultz
Joined: 08 Sep 2003 Posts: 66 Location: Toronto, Canada
|
|
Posted: Wed May 12, 2004 11:18 am |
|
|
I'm not sure but you may be able to use FDISK with the SD drive. You have to create the 4 partitions first. If not maybe something like PartitionMahic should allow this.
I normally do things like this under Linux, which does allow me to do this very easily. |
|
![](templates/subSilver/images/spacer.gif) |
dyeatman
Joined: 06 Sep 2003 Posts: 1924 Location: Norman, OK
|
SD Partition Size |
Posted: Wed May 12, 2004 12:13 pm |
|
|
Hans,
Max partition size under FAT16 is 4MB.
You can go to 32MB under FAT32.
That might be part of the problem... |
|
![](templates/subSilver/images/spacer.gif) |
fpgeh
Joined: 07 Sep 2003 Posts: 19 Location: Vancouver, BC
|
|
Posted: Wed May 12, 2004 12:51 pm |
|
|
dyeatman,
I think you got MB and GB mixed up.
I don't know how you'd partition an SD drive though. |
|
![](templates/subSilver/images/spacer.gif) |
Guest
|
|
Posted: Wed May 12, 2004 12:59 pm |
|
|
TSchultz wrote: | I'm not sure but you may be able to use FDISK with the SD drive. You have to create the 4 partitions first. If not maybe something like PartitionMahic should allow this.
I normally do things like this under Linux, which does allow me to do this very easily. |
I have Partition Magic, but it does not "see" the SD card.
FDISK does not run on Win2K or XP.
Linux... liffe is far too short to mess with Linux... no thanks.
Thanks |
|
![](templates/subSilver/images/spacer.gif) |
Guest
|
|
Posted: Wed May 12, 2004 1:00 pm |
|
|
fpgeh wrote: | dyeatman,
I think you got MB and GB mixed up.
I don't know how you'd partition an SD drive though. |
Max partition size for FAT16 is 32 Mega Byte |
|
![](templates/subSilver/images/spacer.gif) |
Kasper
Joined: 14 Jan 2004 Posts: 88 Location: Aurora, Ontario, Canada
|
|
Posted: Wed May 12, 2004 1:05 pm |
|
|
uhm.. no This depends on the cluster size. You can have 32k Clusters on FAT16, which gives you max 2GB partitions.. WindowsNT allowed you to make 64K clusters, giving max 4GB partitions. |
|
![](templates/subSilver/images/spacer.gif) |
dyeatman
Joined: 06 Sep 2003 Posts: 1924 Location: Norman, OK
|
Partition size |
Posted: Wed May 12, 2004 1:54 pm |
|
|
Hans,
Thanks for catching my MB->GB mixup, I did mean GB! It is still hard to remember it is GB not MB any more....
I am still of the old school where 20MB was once considered a big drive and we couldn't imagine how we would use all that space!!!
Dave |
|
![](templates/subSilver/images/spacer.gif) |
Guest
|
|
Posted: Wed May 12, 2004 2:33 pm |
|
|
Kasper wrote: | uhm.. no This depends on the cluster size. You can have 32k Clusters on FAT16, which gives you max 2GB partitions.. WindowsNT allowed you to make 64K clusters, giving max 4GB partitions. |
True: However in the context opf a PIC I'm looking at 512 byte clusters... 512 * 65535 = 33meg...
hansw |
|
![](templates/subSilver/images/spacer.gif) |
Guest
|
|
Posted: Wed May 12, 2004 2:34 pm |
|
|
All this feedback and still no practical advice on how to partition a 128MB SD card on Windows 2K or XP platform. |
|
![](templates/subSilver/images/spacer.gif) |
Ttelmah Guest
|
|
Posted: Wed May 12, 2004 3:10 pm |
|
|
Anonymous wrote: | All this feedback and still no practical advice on how to partition a 128MB SD card on Windows 2K or XP platform. |
Do a web search for 'fsMechanic. The problem is that the the disk manager, only handles devices it recognises. Just as with SCSI devices 'in the old days', which had to be formatted and partitioned with their own tools, flash devices need third party utilities (some drive adapters do come with their own). Partition Magic, should work, provided you run the 'graphic' version from inside W2K/XP (the text version only understands devices that are supported by the BIOS - this depends on the motherboard...).
I have split flash drives using PM in the past.
Best Wishes |
|
![](templates/subSilver/images/spacer.gif) |
Guest
|
|
Posted: Wed May 12, 2004 5:06 pm |
|
|
[quote="Ttelmah"] Anonymous wrote: | Partition Magic, should work, provided you run the 'graphic' version from inside W2K/XP (the text version only understands devices that are supported by the BIOS - this depends on the motherboard...).
I have split flash drives using PM in the past.
Best Wishes |
I have PM Version 8 and have had every version since the beginning, I even sport the orginal TeeShirt for the firt 100 users... !
It does not see the SD drive.... Perhaps I shuold contact them and ask...
I'll look for that other utility... Thanks. |
|
![](templates/subSilver/images/spacer.gif) |
ckielstra
Joined: 18 Mar 2004 Posts: 3680 Location: The Netherlands
|
|
Posted: Thu May 13, 2004 3:58 am |
|
|
Sorry, still no answer on how to partition.... but maybe you can look at your problem in another way? Do you need different partitions? Next year 128MB cards will be the standard, are you going to create even more partitions then?
Sandisk MMC cards are manufactored with two partitions, don't know for SD cards or other brands.
On SD and MMC cards you don't specify the address by a sectornr. + offset, but by a linear 32-bit address. So instead of a maximum of 32MB you have an internal maximum of 4GB. Why stick to the FAT16? You can also use FAT32. Or if you are never going to read the card from a standard PC you can create your own file system...
From other posts I've learned that implementing FAT16 on a PIC will take about 10k of code space. Your own dedicated file system might be much smaller. |
|
![](templates/subSilver/images/spacer.gif) |
Ttelmah Guest
|
|
Posted: Thu May 13, 2004 9:52 am |
|
|
ckielstra wrote: | Sorry, still no answer on how to partition.... but maybe you can look at your problem in another way? Do you need different partitions? Next year 128MB cards will be the standard, are you going to create even more partitions then?
Sandisk MMC cards are manufactored with two partitions, don't know for SD cards or other brands.
On SD and MMC cards you don't specify the address by a sectornr. + offset, but by a linear 32-bit address. So instead of a maximum of 32MB you have an internal maximum of 4GB. Why stick to the FAT16? You can also use FAT32. Or if you are never going to read the card from a standard PC you can create your own file system...
From other posts I've learned that implementing FAT16 on a PIC will take about 10k of code space. Your own dedicated file system might be much smaller. |
The other way to go, is to split the disk on a PocketPC. FlashFormat can definately do this on these devices.
The failure of PM to handle the drive, is down to the adapter used. I have four different adapters that talk to these drives (one a PCMCIA card, a couple of USB ones, and a couple of other 'odd' devices like an HP printer). On the PCMCIA device, PM sees all the drives. On the HP printer, it sees none. On one of the USB devices it sees them all, while on the other it only sees the CF slot, and not the SD one!...
Best Wishes |
|
![](templates/subSilver/images/spacer.gif) |
Hans Wedemeyer
Joined: 15 Sep 2003 Posts: 226
|
FlashFormat |
Posted: Thu May 13, 2004 1:22 pm |
|
|
Well it looks OK, however it does not allow partitioning.
I can format the card for FAT16 with 2048 byte clusters, but I can do that on Windows NT, just can't partition it to 4x32 meg drives.
I the FlashFormat program there is no mention of any means to partition the card. Format is the only option.
It appears Symantec (spit) purchased PM and now they want $29.95 to talk with them.... In other words that's the end of me trying to use PM... crap.
I'll get a different USB flash adaptor and try it.
The one i have is made by Memorex. I think I can get a Sandisk version.
Last edited by Hans Wedemeyer on Thu May 13, 2004 2:09 pm; edited 1 time in total |
|
![](templates/subSilver/images/spacer.gif) |
|