Win 10, Format to FAT16 not FAT16 (LBA)

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  1. Posts : 10
    Windows 10
       #1

    Win 10, Format to FAT16 not FAT16 (LBA)


    Hi

    We have 15 win 10 tablets that read and format a PCMCIA card, this is used for data transfer from helicopter health monitoring system.

    After the latest update have Microsoft changed the FAT16 format to FAT16 (LBA) when formatting the using the normal Format.com in windows. This can our helicopters not read.

    We are running the format from the command prompt (batch program)

    We have talked to Microsoft support – they acknowledge our problem – “but they are unable to help”
    Microsoft suggest update the helicopter – that is not an option.

    We have now searched the net for another format program that can run under win 10, but have until now been unable to find one that works, any good ideas?

    Best Regards,

    Peter
      My Computer


  2. Posts : 4,752
    Windows 11 Pro 64 Bit 22H2
       #2

    In Windows go to Start/Search and type diskmgmt.msc, right click the diskmgmt results and Run As Administrator. In the Elevated Disk Management window Right click the PCMCIA cards drive letter and choose Format, Choose FAT and under Allocation unit size, you can take the drop down arrow and choose whichever cluster size the helicopter reads.
      My Computer


  3. Posts : 10
    Windows 10
    Thread Starter
       #3

    spunk said:
    In Windows go to Start/Search and type diskmgmt.msc, right click the diskmgmt results and Run As Administrator. In the Elevated Disk Management window Right click the PCMCIA cards drive letter and choose Format, Choose FAT and under Allocation unit size, you can take the drop down arrow and choose whichever cluster size the helicopter reads.
    Hi Spunk

    Thank you, but it was not the solution. The prefix there works is 0x06 FAT16 where 0x0E FAT16 (LBA) don't.

    We have tested with a old win 8 and it works. But we don't like the idea to replace all the tables, some of them are in Africa....
      My Computer


  4. Posts : 13,895
    Win10 Version 22H2 Pro and Home, Win11 Pro and Home
       #4

    Disk Management is on the Right-click of the Start button as are several other items such as Device Manager and Command Prompt.

    Do the Notebooks/Tablets have the 32-bit or 64-bit version of Win10? The 64-bit does have issues with FAT16.
    When I want FAT16 or to format a larger HDD such as 250GB to FAT32 I boot to a GPARTED LiveCD to do it. It runs a custom version of Linux. Windows FAT32 has a limit of 32GB.
    I have an External USB DVD drive that works with my 11" 2-in-1 Tablet/Notebook but would have to use an OTG/On The Go adapter for my 8" Dell Venue tablet.
    If using a Desktop computer and doing it frequently I'd add something like this adapter:
    Amazon.com: SEDNA - PCI To PCMCIA / Cardbus Adapter (SE-PCI-PCMCIA): Computers Accessories
      My Computers


  5. Posts : 10
    Windows 10
    Thread Starter
       #5

    Berton said:
    Disk Management is on the Right-click of the Start button as are several other items such as Device Manager and Command Prompt.

    Do the Notebooks/Tablets have the 32-bit or 64-bit version of Win10? The 64-bit does have issues with FAT16.
    When I want FAT16 or to format a larger HDD such as 250GB to FAT32 I boot to a GPARTED LiveCD to do it. It runs a custom version of Linux. Windows FAT32 has a limit of 32GB.
    I have an External USB DVD drive that works with my 11" 2-in-1 Tablet/Notebook but would have to use an OTG/On The Go adapter for my 8" Dell Venue tablet.
    If using a Desktop computer and doing it frequently I'd add something like this adapter:
    Amazon.com: SEDNA - PCI To PCMCIA / Cardbus Adapter (SE-PCI-PCMCIA): Computers Accessories
    Hi Berton

    We have the hardware in place, and everything thing was working until Microsoft changed the format type.

    So what we are looking for is a software program that can format in the old 0x06 FAT16 from the command prompt because we have a batch file that runs when the PCMCIA card is inseted in the reader.
      My Computer


  6. Posts : 13,895
    Win10 Version 22H2 Pro and Home, Win11 Pro and Home
       #6

    It just dawned on me that our voting machines use the PCMCIA card. I haven't been able to get in touch with the IT person for the county that maintains them so don't have any particulars as to the OS or the card's formatting. How large are the cards? FAT/FAT16 has limits.
    Maybe some help:
    Format PCMCIA card with FAT16 format for MICB upgrade - Nortel: CS1000 (Meridian) systems - Tek-Tips
    software to format pcmcia as fat16 at DuckDuckGo
    Just for kicks I plugged in a 256MB Thumb drive and found that File Explorer chose FAT for formatting it, other options were FAT32, NTFS and exFAT. FAT16 is pretty much limited to 2GB partition size. The use of LBA/Logical Block Addressing was generally by the BIOS in setting up HDDs.
    File Allocation Table - Wikipedia
    Logical block addressing - Wikipedia

    EDIT: Just found a 2GB Thumb drive in my parts box and checked, Win10 File Explorer shows it will indeed format 2GB as FAT [FAT16]. Bottom line: looks like using a Linux machine would work if wanting FAT16 over 2GB. I just checked the drive on my Linux Mint 17 and it has GPARTED installed [by default] and it can format 2GB as FAT16 so the main thing is how large the capacity of the PCMCIA card is.
    Last edited by Berton; 14 Oct 2016 at 16:12.
      My Computers


  7. Posts : 10
    Windows 10
    Thread Starter
       #7

    Berton said:
    It just dawned on me that our voting machines use the PCMCIA card. I haven't been able to get in touch with the IT person for the county that maintains them so don't have any particulars as to the OS or the card's formatting. How large are the cards? FAT/FAT16 has limits.
    Maybe some help:
    Format PCMCIA card with FAT16 format for MICB upgrade - Nortel: CS1000 (Meridian) systems - Tek-Tips
    software to format pcmcia as fat16 at DuckDuckGo
    Just for kicks I plugged in a 256MB Thumb drive and found that File Explorer chose FAT for formatting it, other options were FAT32, NTFS and exFAT. FAT16 is pretty much limited to 2GB partition size. The use of LBA/Logical Block Addressing was generally by the BIOS in setting up HDDs.
    File Allocation Table - Wikipedia
    Logical block addressing - Wikipedia

    EDIT: Just found a 2GB Thumb drive in my parts box and checked, Win10 File Explorer shows it will indeed format 2GB as FAT [FAT16]. Bottom line: looks like using a Linux machine would work if wanting FAT16 over 2GB. I just checked the drive on my Linux Mint 17 and it has GPARTED installed [by default] and it can format 2GB as FAT16 so the main thing is how large the capacity of the PCMCIA card is.
    Hi

    The card is on 64 MB.

    As your link to "File Allocation Table - Wikipedia" are there different types of the: FAT16 the one we need is 0x06
      My Computer


  8. Posts : 18,424
    Windows 11 Pro
       #8
      My Computer


  9. Posts : 10
    Windows 10
    Thread Starter
       #9

    NavyLCDR said:
    Hi

    We have that installed and it can format to the correct FAT16 but it haven't a way to run from the command prompt.

    Thank you for the suggestion.
      My Computer


  10. Posts : 13,895
    Win10 Version 22H2 Pro and Home, Win11 Pro and Home
       #10

    Is that program Windows-based? Should be able to run its .exe/executable file from a Command Prompt by first changing into the program's Folder. But a Windows-based program relies on other support files and usually can't run from the command line of Operating Systems such as MS-DOS. There are Portable programs but they are coded to run without actually being installed such as from Thumb drives.
      My Computers


 

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