A good idea formatting the drive in 8.1, but can you do that? In XP you can't format any drive over 32 GB using FAT32, so I would be surprised if 8.1 could do it. I had to use Windows 98SE to format my 1TB FAT32 drive. I think you might be able to do it with format.exe, but I've never tried that. This free partition manager can make up the limitation of Disk Management: cannot format over 32GB hard drive to FAT32. It’s more flexible and reliable to use in Windows 7, 8, 10.Now, you can free download the AOMEI Partition Assistant Standard and try the two different methods to perform Xbox one hard drive format task.
- Format Hard Drive to FAT32 without any Limitation
- Supports up to 2TB for Computer Internal Hard Disk, Windows External Hard Drive with a XBOX360 and Sony external Hard Drive with a PS3
- Works on Windows XP/Vista/7/8/8.1/10 and Latest Windows 10 Both 32 & 64 bit
The Problem
– Windows Cannot Format Drive to FAT32 that is Larger than 32GB/1TB
'I have a 250GB Samsung external hard drive. I want to format the whole thing into FAT32, but I have no clue. One member here told me that it can be done at the Windows Disk Management, but I cannot do that and I was told that the format cannot be reached when the hard disk drive is larger than 32GB. I know it may sound silly to most of you guys, but uh.....so how do I do it?'
- Forum Post Asked in AppleInsiderThe Truth - 32GB Size Limit Exists on FAT32 Formatting
Fat32 Hard Drive Formatter Programmer Driver
It is not silly indeed, let's face it; Windows cannot format drives and partitions larger than 32GB in FAT32. Certainly, you can use the DOS command prompt to format drives and partitions beyond 1TB. But if you have a drive that is 1TB or larger, you may still not use the DOS command prompt to format and get an error saying 'The volume is too big for FAT32'.
Some of the hard drive manufacturers have created their own tools for converting a drive which is larger than 32 GB to FAT32, such as Seagate DiscWizard and Western Digital (WD) FAT32 Formatting Tool. If you are using such brand hard drive, you can use their tools to accomplish the task. But if you are not using such brand hard drive, in that case, you might turn some 3rd party programs for help which will allow you to format an external hard drive with the larger size. It is worth using the FAT32 Formatter in Macrorit Free Partition Software and other advanced editions.
The Free Specific Utility - Format FAT32 Drives beyond 32GB Limit
Macrorit Partition Expert is an optimal solution that you can use to get the job done. You can use it to format many types of external drives such as USB, Firewire, PCMIA, SATA, and SCSI. Formatting large hard drive in FAT32 is no longer a problem by using the features of 'Format Volume' and 'Convert to FAT32 Partition' in Macrorit Partition Expert, the former format feature could assist you to reach the format the large drive in FAT32 without size limit (This feature will erase all data that stored in the target drive, so the target drive should be empty); the later convert feature is more advanced, if your drive contains important data, it is capable of helping you to convert to FAT32 partition without data losing (This feature is widely used for Sony external Hard Disk Drive to FAT32 file system prior to use it with your PS3 or other devices which contains large game files or videos). Let's see the details.
Free FAT32 Formatting Utility – For Empty Large Drive
Fat32 Hard Drive Formatter Programmer Mac
Step 1: After launching the program, right-click the NTFS partition in the main disk partition map interface to get the drop-down menu, select 'Format Volume' to start.
Step 2: In the new window, choose FAT32 in the drop-down in file system area, then set the related info as your wish, click 'OK' to confirm the task and add it to pending task list. (If you are not similar with Cluster Size, please do not change the cluster size.)
Step 3: Back to the main window, last but not the least, you need to commit the change(s) (Shows in Pending Operations area) to effect by clicking 'Commit' button. It will only take several seconds to finish.
Free FAT32 Converter – Convert to FAT32 and Keep Your Data Intact
Convert large drive in FAT32 without data losing can be realized with the feature of 'Convert to FAT32'. If you are trying to use FAT32 for your Windows internal hard disk, or if you have a plan to use your Sony external Hard Disk Drive with a PS3 or any other device that only supports the FAT32 file system, this feature could help you to reach the safely conversion and keeps all data intact. More detail steps, read Easy Approach to Converting NTFS to FAT32 Partition.
All-in-one Solution for Companies and Technical Providers
Macrorit Partition Expert with unique Enterprise-class Data Protection has special customized editions for companies use or technical providers.Unlimited Edition and Technician Edition, they are allowed unlimited usage on multiple computers.